[Wallaby]

And I have no clue what's wrong...

So Lacey has always nickered a little when I get off after riding her but today she was nickering and whinnying and basically freaking out when I got on the first time. Then, she was fine during the ride, btw, when I got off she did the same thing.

I took all her stuff off and took her over to the mounting block to get back on cuz I usually ride her bareback back to her field since I'm lazy (haha). As soon as I got her lined up with the mounting block, she started backing up while nickering and whinnying and having her mouth right near my leg. I decided to keep going since I figured it was nothing and I didn't want her to learn that she could get out of being ridden. Well, I got on and she BIT ME IN THE LEG!!! She had her ears forward and I think she was trying to grab my pants and missed but since when does she even try to touch people with her teeth??? Seriously. She let go as soon as she felt my leg but I was concerned by that point, I mean, she has NEVER EVER threatened to bite or actually tried to bite anyone in the year and a half I've known her.
She then nickered a few more times and settled down. I rode her in a few circles then got off because if she was really hurting I didn't want to push her too far.
Well, as I got off she started jumping around and humping her back like she wanted to buck (while nickering and whinnying) so I was super confused. I started feeling around on her back for areas she might be sensitive because I was really feeling like she was trying to tell me something. She didn't flinch at all when I ran my fingers kinda deeply down her back but she did kinda look at me when I poked her lower flank area (which she doesn't usually care about me touching) so I poked her a bit harder and BAM she KICKED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:
She's never kicked before, ever. I've seen her kick another horse about once. She's not aggressive at all. This is very very out of character for her.
Thankfully I was standing very close to her so she only caught the inside of my upper thigh, but boy do I have a bruise and it's only been 3 hours.

So my conclusion is that she's in pain of some sort... Do you think she could be having some sort of reproductive issues that are making her all lovey but then sensitive down there? She's really not obvious when she's in heat, never mare-ish and this behavior is SOOOO SUPER out of character for her.

What could this be? Do I need the vet to come see her? Chiro? She had all of last week off except for Monday and Friday and yesterday and she was totally fine all of those days. Nickering of course, but that's what she does. Should I give her more time off? I warmed her up for a good hour before riding today, we did 15 minutes of ground driving and then some hand walking and a small smidge of free lunging.

Help? I'm really kinda worried about her....

 

[M2twisted]

well it deffantely sounds to me like there's something that's causing her pain. if it were me i would call the vet.

as for her vocal behavior...i did know a mare and gelding whpo fell in love. and cried for each other like crazy. one day i even remember the gelding wouldn't go into the arena cause he didn't wanna leave her...maybe...yer horse has a boyfriend?

 

[Wallaby]

Yeah, she's pretty much a loner, no really good buddies. She had a "boyfriend" for a while but then he got moved because kept breaking down fences.
And the vocalizations are only when I get on and get off. Someone was thinking that maybe she's super happy to see me when I get off or something but since it seems to be in conjunction with the bi-otchy-ness I'm wondering whether they're related.

 

[SmoothTrails]

Has she ever done this before? We had a mare that got really sore in her flank area during her first heat of the year. I wonder if it could be something similar to that. I would lay off until you get a vet out to look at her. If you ride her while she hurts and she acts up it could cause her to make it a habit. You were smart to get off and not have her getting more upset.

 

[Wallaby]

She never been like this before. I mean, she's been rude, crude, and socially unacceptable but she's never been mouthy or kicky. She used to be very explosive but that was mostly shutting down, this wasn't shutting down, it was more "I'm trying to tell you something" sorta reactionary-ness.

She's great when she's in heat...most of the time the only way you can tell she's in is if you're messing with her tail(she'll put it to one side) or there's a gelding nearby and she'll wink and pee a little at him. She's very not mare-ish.

Thanks, yeah, I try to listen to her a lot because in the beginning I didn't and things got bad quickly. So I learned my lesson and now I listen to her when she starts having issues.

And I can't get my riding instructor to look at her because she got in a car accident on Sunday and is still in the hospital (she broke 2-3 vertebrae). >.<

 

[Gidji]

Its certainly odd.
It was smart to get off her. Something could be hurting her.
Maybe its a 'lady' issue?
My mum's old mare was never ever mareish at all, but one day a new stallion came along across the road and BAM! Hello 'Little Miss In Season!'
I would definately be keeping an eye on her and checking her everyday. Has she got a temperature? Or any heat in her legs or something? I'd just be checking her all over and if it doesn't improve, I'd get a vet out.

 

[Kayty]

Has she ever done this before? We had a mare that got really sore in her flank area during her first heat of the year. I wonder if it could be something similar to that. I would lay off until you get a vet out to look at her. If you ride her while she hurts and she acts up it could cause her to make it a habit. You were smart to get off and not have her getting more upset.

Thats what I was going to suggest, it could just be some ovarian pain. Many mares get very vocal like that when they come into heat, and if she is tender around her flanks it could very well be her ovaries giving her a bit of 'girly' grief. The humping her back is a pretty common indicator or ovarian pain as well.

I'd give her a week in the paddock to just be a horse and if it is that she's just being marish then that should give her tiem to work it out of her system. If she comes in still not right, I'd give your vet a buzz and see what they think.

 

[kevinshorses]

Mares generally don't get girlie grief like women do. It sounds like colic to me. She did not miss when she bit you on the leg she meant to bite you not your pants. If she were my horse I would check on her tonight and make sure she wasn't down with colic. If she is sweating or laying down and standing up you need to call the vet immediatly.

 

[GandRPaints]

I would keep my eye on her. If she is sore in her flank area sometimes this is colic. Watch to see if they are pulled up. Like the muscles are tight in her flanks. Is she trying to roll? If so you need to call your vet immediatly. Sometimes they can have mild colic. Not roll but have adominal pains. Id really watch her. If this mare has never done this before something is up. Horses dont change for no reason. Sounds pretty serious to me. May want to have vet check her anyways just for your own comfort.

 

[SuperStarsSugar]

Maybe she got kicked in the flank and it's bruised, but not swollen? Also, and this is more unlikely, a horse I knew once had an intestinal problem (it could have been a tumor or a piece of metal that punctured her intestine, we never found out which) but in any event, she spent a few days in extreme discomfort that got worse and worse. It wasn't colic, but it was abdomen pain like you're describing, though Lacey's is less severe. I'd get a vet out soon to take a look.

 

[Wallaby]

Colic? :shock::shock: She didn't roll or anything when I let her back out in her pasture and she seemed perfectly content aside from this weird behavior (like just standing there she was perfectly happy and normal). She also had an appetite when I fed her but I've read that that doesn't mean she doesn't have colic... She wasn't sweaty at all and she didn't care that I currycombed her belly (I forgot about that) she was only weird when I was on her back and when I poked her.

My goodness, I hope she doesn't have colic. I don't have a way to get back out there tonight but I will definitely go check on her first thing tomorrow morning... :shock:

I guess I'll make sure to have the vet's number in my phone before I leave tomorrow, just in case. I don't have money for the vet to come out just to make me feel better which is pretty much a major bummer. I'll see what I can do though if she's still acting weird tomorrow. I'm sure there's some sort of deal I could work out with my parents or something if need be.

 

[Kayty]

Mares generally don't get girlie grief like women do. It sounds like colic to me. She did not miss when she bit you on the leg she meant to bite you not your pants. If she were my horse I would check on her tonight and make sure she wasn't down with colic. If she is sweating or laying down and standing up you need to call the vet immediatly.

No not all mares, but there are a handfull out there that most certainly do!! I had a WB mare that got it something shocking, you couldn't even put a rug on her when she was in season she was super sensitive. Had the vet to her and he said she's certainly getting ovarien pain, I had to have her on hormone medication to settle it down.

 

[tealamutt]

No not all mares, but there are a handfull out there that most certainly do!! I had a WB mare that got it something shocking, you couldn't even put a rug on her when she was in season she was super sensitive. Had the vet to her and he said she's certainly getting ovarien pain, I had to have her on hormone medication to settle it down.

I routinely palpate 15+ mares a day during breeding season and believe me, they can be extremely tender when ovulating- thank god for kick panels on stocks. If Lacey were to have an ovarian adhesion (not uncommon in older gals) it could make it even more painful. But she really shouldn't be cycling right now, so that is kind of less likely. You haven't mentioned any aggressive behavior, but sometimes mares get tumors in their ovaries which can be quite painful and cause changes in behavior. They are usually a lot slower to show up though.

Basically I'm not sure what is up either but if it were me, I'd try to check her tonight (or have someone at the barn check her). I do think it could be colic, but it is weird that she was fine while you rode. Let us know what you find out. If she still hurts tomorrow, call the vet!

 

[kevinshorses]

I don't have money for the vet to come out just to make me feel better which is pretty much a major bummer. I'll see what I can do though if she's still acting weird tomorrow.

Vets around here are pretty good about working with thier customers on payments. I have taken a few weeks to pay for things I have had done.

 

[thunderhooves]

I do think it could be colic, but it is weird that she was fine while you rode. Let us know what you find out. If she still hurts tomorrow, call the vet!

She WASN'T fine while she rode her. She was fine when she got off, but not while she rode her, if I heard correctly.

 

[SmoothTrails]

You haven't mentioned any aggressive behavior, but sometimes mares get tumors in their ovaries which can be quite painful and cause changes in behavior. They are usually a lot slower to show up though.

Basically I'm not sure what is up either but if it were me, I'd try to check her tonight (or have someone at the barn check her). I do think it could be colic, but it is weird that she was fine while you rode. Let us know what you find out. If she still hurts tomorrow, call the vet!

Hmmmm....I wonder if she may have cysts on her ovaries? They could show up quicker than an actual tumor would. My thoughts would lean toward reproductive issues or colic. Colic would definitely be my first thought if her sides are distended, but since she isn't going down it's a bit of a mystery there. I would definitely keep a realy close eye on her, and like everyone has already said check on her and call a vet if needed. Hopefully your vet would be willing to work out a short payment plan for you.

 

[Wallaby]

tealamutt- I wouldn't think she should be cycling now either...Huh. She does have those gray horse tumors and she does have one near her rectum which I've heard can be indicative of them having tumors inside...but yeah, she's been acting pretty normally lately. I mean, she's been being lazier lately and more lovey than I'm used to but her best friend (of 15 years) died in September so i don't really blame her for having less "will".
I called the barn and left a message asking for one of them to go check her tonight to make sure she's ok. Hopefully they'll get the message and actually check her, I mentioned colic so hopefully that'll light a fire under their tail. >.<
I also think it's weird that she was fine when I rode, I even took a video while I rode and when i watched it this afternoon to make sure I hadn't missed any signals she was sending, she looked perfectly happy. Her tail was in it's normal happy position, her ears were forward and perky...basically all systems looked like they were "go". haha

kevin- I asked Lacey's vet (I personally haven't had him see Lacey yet but he's taken care of her her whole life) about payment plans the other day and they had a huge variety of plans that I can use if I need to (one of them was even a 9 month plan ) so if she's still acting weird tomorrow I know I have options. I just don't have a steady job right now which makes it hard to be able to freely spend money, even with a payment plan, yknow? =/

 

[Wallaby]

She WASN'T fine while she rode her. She was fine when she got off, but not while she rode her, if I heard correctly.

She was fine while I was on her back. Just not when I got on bareback (after riding in a saddle for 20 minutes) and when I got off, she was fine while I was centered on her back (after she bit me) and she was moving, she got ****y when I stopped her to get off/get on. Once I was off she was fine, until i started poking her...

Hopefully this is making sense, I feel like such a bad communicator. lol

 

[thunderhooves]

^^ lol, don't feel like that. I just didn't read it right . I hope she is/will be ok!

 

[tealamutt]

nah, you're communicating just fine! The tumors I was mentioning aren't the same as the melanomas you're talking about, and they usually make mares have "stallion like" behavior, so probably not that. The melanomas might be something to worry about, but probably wouldn't really explain the signs you're seeing either. A mystery... I hope she's just having an off day or something.

I guess one explaination (which will get me laughed at here and shunned by my fellow vet students) is that there is a full moon. Weird I know... but we had a client who's dog had seizures on the full moon which we didn't discover until there was a blue moon and he had a HUGE seizure. After that we went back and looked at the dates of all his previous seizures and they were all on full moons.... you just never know! Hopefully she's feeling better soon. BTW my boy has been extra lovely lately too... very strange and unlike him, several gals at the barn have mentioned it to me this week.