Lucy's Lyme test came back negative. The titer itself was 188 and the Western Blot test showed a distinct negative result. This is good because though there is a treatment regiment for Lyme disease, residual effects are very common and they can wreak havoc on the horses body for years to come. At the same time, I now have to face the fact that she is a spooky horse, which still baffles me, because when I first got her, nothing phased her!
I emailed my vet back to ask him if he had any other ideas. Any thoughts from you guys?
I still think, over time with the treatment of her ulcers, she will calm down. Those ulcers can make angels WICKED.
ReplyDeleteAgreed about the ulcers. They can make the sweetest horses act like jerks. Don't be surprised if she's just cycling through her personality. A lot of youngsters are really bold, then learn to fear things for a few years between like 5 and 10 before they finally grow a brain for good. Keep in mind she was terribly malnourished when you got her, so she probably didn't have the energy to spook, let alone express her personality. She's still a kid with a lot to learn. My idiot's almost 10 and he is just starting to grow a brain.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kristen and Dom.
ReplyDeleteI think a good piece of it could be the ulcers. Promise was afraid of her own shadow AND her feed bucket (and this girl LOVES to eat), among many, many other random things, when she was dealing with them.
And some of it could be age and/or silliness from being fit and being a thoroughbred mare, lol. I'm sure she'll settle down eventually.
I vote ulcers and turnout. Izzy is a super sweet, super smart horse who really isn't spooky. She enjoys adventures.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER. When cooped up in a stall, she gets bored (smartness). Then she spooks under saddle to deal with boredom. The difference between her on 2 hours of turnout in a small grassy area and no turn is immense. There is still a substantial difference between that and her on the 24/7 turnout she's on now. She's a total rockstar.
That said, you do what you have to do. If all day turnout isn't feasible for you where you are, then you'll have to deal with the spooking. It's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world.
Thanks guys. We had a spook-free ride today, yay!
ReplyDeleteSprinkler, though her turnout is small, she does get a full day out there. She goes out around 7:30 or 8 and comes in around 4. I do wish she had a much bigger turnout with grass but that is very hard to find around here. Combined with an indoor, you're looking at $700+ for board and most of those farms don't do rough board.