# Depressed horse?



## AnnaLover (Sep 27, 2009)

My mare is usually an extremely happy-go-lucky and ready-for-anything kind of horse, but lately she's been the opposite. She isn't as friendly as usual and she looks depressed, standing around with her head down and hoof cocked. When I take her out on rides she seems happy to be ridden with her ears perked and a fast pace, but I have to urge her more than usual to get any speed. Occasionally even pinning her ears--not at all normal.

I read some where that horses can act depressed if they become bored, but I don't think this is the case. She has free roam of an acre with five other horses. She also gets ridden about three times a week after I get back from school and then both Saturday and Sunday. We have four different places around our house we go trail riding, and we go through neighborhoods too. We either go some place new trail riding or go team penning every weekend.

Then I began to wonder if I was tiring her out. Sure she gets ridden plenty but I've owned her for a year and I've been riding her like this for the year. Before she began acting "depressed" we called her the energizer bunny because she never wanted to walk, all she wanted to do was go, go, go and never stop. I would purposely try to tire her out in the arena before a trail ride so that she would WALK, but never succeeded.

She's 9 years old, no health issues we know about, just had the vet out here to get her teeth floated not long ago, just got her wormed. She gets plenty of food: about 5 pounds of grain, 2 flakes of alfalfa, 2 flakes of grass hay a day. She's a little on the thin side but gaining weight healthily.

What's wrong with her? I'm so worried.

Oh, and I'm not sure if this is relevant but about a week ago we had a bunch of rain and cool weather (not usual here in AZ) and she was bucking and rearing, then she kicked my mom. This is definitely not usual Indi behavior but the weather _was_ odd and my mom _was_ wearing a hot pink and black rain slicker so I don't know...

Please help -- thanks. (Sorry it was so long, I was trying to be thorough )


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## RubyLover (Sep 27, 2009)

Oops posted this on my sister's account by accident


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

This sounds like a health issue to be honest, particularly pain. Because she pinned her ears at you during a ride, and is showing behavioral changes, it makes me think of something hormone related- specifically ovarian. Could be as simple as her transitioning back into having heat cycles now that the days are longer (a lot of our mares are starting to have wonky, early season cycles) or it could be an ovarian tumor which is the most common tumor in horses and is almost always benign.

These are just off the top of my head, but it is a kind of typical presentation that she is showing. I would also not rule out some sort of chiropractic issue. Good luck getting to the bottom of these changes in your girl!


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Horses do get depressed but you can usually attribute it to something like loosing a pasture mate or sickness. 1 acre for 5 horses is not much space.


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## RubyLover (Sep 27, 2009)

Tealamutt, thanks so much for your help. It sounds like you might be right about the hormones. I'll talk to my vet about it 

And Churumbeque, I know that an acre isn't a lot for five horses, I was just explaining how she had room to roam and horses to interact with--she wasn't in a stall getting bored.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

AnnaLover said:


> Oh, and I'm not sure if this is relevant but about a week ago we had a bunch of rain and cool weather (not usual here in AZ) and she was bucking and rearing, then she kicked my mom. This is definitely not usual Indi behavior but the weather _was_ odd and my mom _was_ wearing a hot pink and black rain slicker so I don't know...


We can always tell when a change of weather is coming by watching our mares. They'll act like this about 4-12 hours before a big change in weather. Perhaps yours is the same.


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## HorseLove4ever (Apr 21, 2009)

lyme maybe....


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## AlmostThere (Oct 31, 2009)

HorseLove4ever said:


> lyme maybe....


Arizona is the wrong area for lyme, so unless she bought the mare from out of state, or travels with her out of state, that probably isn't the issue.


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## Kashmere (Nov 30, 2009)

Did you already call the vet?
And is she getting along with those five horses or is someone there bullying her?

Try to see what is up with her with the vet and if they cant find anything, see how she does when shes with the other 5 horses


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## paint gurl 23 (Jan 26, 2009)

Horses can rub off on eachother as well, if one is depressed it can go like a plague. Its like having downer friends for us in a sense.


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## EPMhorse (Jun 14, 2009)

RubyLover,
can you estimate how long this has been going on? Mare issues are a good point, but the mare should start to cycle out of this. The behavior going on for weeks would make me think of an underlying infection. The pinning ears sounds like pain, and the depression sounds like the immune system.

Can you have the vet run a CBC to look for an infection? Go with your gut feel, and get her veterinary help. If you strongly think something is wrong, there probably is something wrong.

You are not overworking the horse, and haven't changed the demands.


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