# My horse gets hyper in the winter



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

As far as I know, all horses get "hot" in the winter. I guess if you need to, can you lunger her first?


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Hee hee, my horse turns into a fire breathing dragon under 30 degrees! Many many times last winter I stood there watching him tear around in his paddock wondering why I was foolish enough to sit on that thing's back! It's just a symptom of winter. Not much you can do other than use a sticky saddle and longe out a few of her better bucks before you ride. I always say, if you can get through a cold winter without getting tossed, you're doing something right.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

tinyliny said:


> As far as I know, all horses get "hot" in the winter. I guess if you need to, can you lunger her first?


Never heard that before. Doesn't get much below freezing in winter where I am, but never heard it from people I know that run a horse establishment in the mountains either. Be curious to learn how wide spread it is & what are the conditions.

If it's definitely not related to feed(ie too much energy for winter lifestyle), other possibilities are lack of exercise - is the horse locked up & only gets exercise when ridden or such? If she only does it under saddle, then it could be down to saddle fit, going with weight loss over winter. Could also be nutritional deficiency - eg. magnesium deficiency is linked with nervous behaviour & most horses that have adequate green pick will get enough Mg in their diet, but in winter...


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Horses deap down inside are still migrating herd animals, Their instincts are telling them to migrate south, they cant so they get a little more stressed and run around a bit.


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## Countrylady1071 (May 12, 2010)

My horse gets very spooky during winter. I can definitely ride him through it, but I don't feel as though we get anything done because he's constantly spooking at nothing! I feel like I'm always trying to get his attention. Even during lessons, which is when he spooks the least usually (because we're both so focused, I think) he'll be working awesome and then suddenly BAM we're five feet in the air. I put him on "taurine" last year, it was like a $20/month-ish supplement that really helped. It didn't make him dopey or anything, he just just back to his normal self!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Joe4d said:


> Horses deap down inside are still migrating herd animals, Their instincts are telling them to migrate south, they cant so they get a little more stressed and run around a bit.


Since when do horses migrate? They aren't geese...


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

They've been migrating for millions of years, just like every other herbivore herd animal.Down the mountains or farther south in winter. Up the mountain and north in summer.
IAW The Gale Encyclopedia of science, "Wild horses also undergo extensive seasonal migrations in search of optimal feeding and watering habitat." 
Wild horses are basically extinct but the instinct is probably still there.


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## Makoda (Jan 17, 2011)

Feeding Alfalfa does it to a lot of horses, be careful not to colic your horse. Sometimes alfalfa can be baled a little hotter which would be why you would see a difference from one year to the next, but if you switched to grass hay only that will help considerably. I am not against feeding alfalfa for the same reason that you stated, it helps keep them looking better, but it can be a bit of a pain when your riding. What i do to combat the problem if feeding alfalfa is let the horse walk like crazy for 5 - 10 minutes and then make them stop and rest until they cool off again. After that they are good for the rest of the day, just seems like you have to get the edge off of them. Just don't get them to worked up especially into a lather because then they will start having problems.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Joe4d said:


> Wild horses are basically extinct but the instinct is probably still there.


For sure, considering domestication is something equivalent to a second on the 'clock' of equine evolution. A horse is a horse is a horse!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

-People usually give more feed to their horses in winter so they maintain weight. Some feed is "hotter" then others like alfalfa, you can try switching to a different feed. 

-Horses do act up when it is cooler. I've always assumed it just invigorates them.

-Wind blows more in the winter, nothing seems to get horses going like a good strong wind. I imagine it plays havoc with their hearing and is what gets them on their toes. Plus I think the wind blowing their mane and tail into the air makes them feel young again.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Usually in late August it is time for the horses to gradually leave the high country, a slow migration. This is when our domesticated horses will start checking the fences, looking for weak spots. The old instinct is still there. I had one horse that could be left loose in the yard and never leave. Aug. 1 he was always behind secure fencing as I knew it wouldn't be long and he'd start heading south.


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## manca (Feb 23, 2011)

That's interesting. I didn't know they migrate, but it's logical.



> If it's definitely not related to feed(ie too much energy for winter lifestyle), other possibilities are lack of exercise - is the horse locked up & only gets exercise when ridden or such? If she only does it under saddle, then it could be down to saddle fit, going with weight loss over winter. Could also be nutritional deficiency - eg. Magnesium deficiency is linked with nervous behaviour & most horses that have adequate green pick will get enough Mg in their diet, but in winter...


She doesn't get as much exercise as in the summer, but she spends out the whole day, so she can move as much as she wants. I'm not 100% about the saddle fit, but she starts acting up before any changes in her weight and she's not crazy when I ride her at home. She's 'bad' only on trails and on lunge in canter.
It's good to know about Magnesium. I didn't give her any vitamins, minerals (she has the salt block, but she doesn't touch it in the winter) so this is a thing to fix. I'll definitly give her vit/mineral mix this year, as soon as grazing is over.

I guess I won't try alfalfa and risk even crazier horse. More beet pulp and oil should do the trick, without too much energy.

And lunging before riding like Tinyliny said, if magnesium won't do the trick.


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