From: Nicole
Dear Jessica
I am writing in the hope that this time around I get my email to the right address :) and that you might have the time to help with my query. I have been subscribing to horse sense for a long time and I keep all of the emails that come through as I have learnt so much from you. I have found your commonsense approach to be the best available and it has helped me to understand that knowing how to get on your horse and make it stop and go is not enough to call yourself a rider. There is a lot more involved.
I am writing about a concern I have with my 15 year old Appaloosa gelding. I'd like to explain his background as there may be something which has bearing on his actions.
I bought him around 6 months ago - and I fear I was a bit silly in my purchase. I saw how beautiful his colouring was and that was about it. The man who had him for sale was a horse dealer. He was very derogatory about me and made me feel that he didn't consider me seriously interested in the horse. All I knew of the horses background was that a lady had bought him, and put him on agistment with this horse dealer. She was behind in payments to him, so she'd decided to sell him. I was concerned that when he was ridden by this man, he threw his head around a lot and looked unsettled. But he went well under saddle for him so I decided to give him a try. I know I should have walked away but the man got my dander up. I also made a 2nd mistake - I only tried him out in the round yard. Yes I know, BIG mistake. He rode like a dream and took the lightest of touches to move or stop. I decided on the spot to take him. The horse dealer was stunned and suddenly I got treated with more respect.
I look back on photos of him when I brought him home and realise just how poor condition he was, so I now KNOW I was blind. But the problems began when I got him home. Our rides were NEVER as good as the dealer displayed, or as I felt when I rode him. (No need to tell me that I was incredibly naive to think that I'd get a decent feel for the horse in a round yard) He went forward well for the dealer - but for me he always needed to be pushed. He was (and still is) nervous about riding out. He would become nappy - or would jog. I have done a LOT of reading and on discovering that this was a lot to do with me - I decided to get help from an instructor/trainer.
A normal ride for us, would start out well enough, but after about 10 minutes, Duke would start to act up. He would try to rush for home (just in a fast trot) or jog or nap. Now because he's not a nasty horse under all that naughtiness and confusion - I was able to control him, I was a bit scared and we've never had a pleasant experience. EXCEPT for one time when I took him on a bush trail - he was PERFECT! But in an open paddock he is terrified!
The trainer/instructor I found came out today and impressed me with how he approached Duke. He reminded me a lot of your advice and I felt quite comfortable. He immediately showed me that my western saddle was too big for his short back - and found quite a bit of soreness in his back. He was concerned about how sensitive his skin was. He suggested that another horse had kicked him at some point in his life as about 3 or 4 of his ribs felt like they'd been broken at some point. He also watched his reactions and confirmed my suspicion that his lack of trust likely stems from some sort of neglect and abuse.
After checking him all over, we saddled him with a smaller and better fitting all purpose saddle. And THIS is FINALLY where my biggest concern is. After we girth him up ( and he stands perfectly while you saddle him) sometimes he closes his eyes and looks to go to sleep. His legs will go wobbly and if I don't slap his neck or shout at him, he almost hits the ground. Its almost as if he passes out.
I assumed (because I've never seen him do this while he's being groomed or at any other time) that it was his way of avoiding being ridden. BUT the trainer was very concerned about it, said it was not likely to be avoidance, and that he'd seen one horse do this once. Whenever he was pulled to a halt, he would fall over. Eventually the horse had to be put down because it was too dangerous. I didn't like this gloomy outcome for my boy!
After a little talking with the trainer I discovered that he only started riding 12 years ago. Now he breaks and trains and while I think he is naturally gifted at what he does (hence he's been able to be so successful in a short space of time) - I do think he may not have been exposed to everything. So I'm not keen to take his recommendation that my horse has a serious problem without further research. He DID work very kindly, yet firmly with my horse and had him moving forward and no longer jogging or napping within 15 minutes. I hopped on and had the best ride I've ever had on him. He was relaxed and listening to me - completley at ease. I was thrilled with the outcome and felt optimistic about our future together.
However, I was still a bit confused and concerned about my horse when I came inside. This increased even more when I looked out to see Duke standing outside the front door under a tree. He was closing his eyes and, for the first time ever, I notice him going all wobbly legged without me or the saddle around. He didn't fall over - but you could tell he was close to it.
Jessica, have you ever heard of this? Is it likely to be behavioural? Or is it more likely, as the trainer suggested, to be a neurological condition? I'm happy with this trainers advice as to my deficits in my riding, and that to be able to do anything with this horse, I need to ride better. (My thought is that to ride any horse, I'd still need to ride better)I can get his back looked at by a chiropractor, a new saddle - but I am really worried about Dukes near falling over action. Do you have any experience in this at all?
If you can offer any insight into this at all - I'd be so very grateful. Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this. I hope that you are able to reply.
Kindest Regards
Nicole
You've certainly done wonders for your horse, and given him a much better life than the one he had before. Good on you. Unfortunately, I think you've taken on a horse with a serious problem. The sudden near-collapses you've described are VERY worrisome - and I fear that your trainer is probably correct in attributing them to a neurological problem.
The reason I don't think you're dealing with a behavioural problem is that behavioural problems tend to surface at certain specific (and usually predictable) times, since they tend to be consistent reactions to specific people or to specific equipment types or adjustments. If Duke invariably staggered whenever one specific tall and strong individual tightened his girth, you might discover that this person was tightening the girth too rapidly or too tightly - or both. At competitions, I've seen small horses and ponies collapse when their girths were tightened (usually suddenly and tightly, by an over-enthusiastic tall parent in a hurry). If Duke invariably snarled when he saw someone approaching with the saddle, he might be expecting pain (real or remembered), and reacting to his experience and expectations. That would be behavioural - and perfectly normal.
What you've described COULD have a physiological component in that (depending on which ribs were broken, and where) pressure from the girth might be impinging on nerves that could cause him to wobble and almost (or actually) collapse when he is tacked up, but since you've seen the same tendency to collapse when Duke was just standing under a tree wearing no tack at all, I'd be tempted to cross THAT possibility off the list.
So, what's left? What you've described doesn't sound to me like a reaction to people or tack - it sounds much more like some sort of seizure. Horses DO get seizures sometimes - either as a result of a particular disease, or of a condition such as narcolepsy. It sounds to me as though you may need to bring in a veterinarian who has some experience with narcolepsy in horses. I wish I WERE a vet - perhaps I could offer some real help! But all I can do is advise you to consult first with your own regular veterinarian, and then with one or more specialist vets who have extensive experience with this problem. But before you begin to collect information on "fainting disease", "seizures", "cataplexy", or "narcolepsy", there's something you should probably investigate first of all: have your horse tested for HYPP.
Appaloosas are lovely horses, but I think that almost every breed has one or two diseases or conditions to which that breed is particularly susceptible, and in the case of the Appaloosa, a tendency to develop uveitis is one such condition. Another problem - depending on the bloodlines of the individual horse - is Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP), a genetic defect (in the muscles) that can cause uncontrollable trembling, weakness, collapse, or paralysis. Early on, horse-owners often believed that their horses were suffering from "tying-up", because the symptoms were similar, but there are key differences, the most easily observed one being that horses with HYPP seem entirely normalas soon as the attack/seizure/collapse is over. Here in the States, we have become painfully aware of this disease, and most people preparing to purchase a Quarter Horse, Paint, or Appaloosa require evidence that the horse is HYPP-negative before the deal can be finalized.
The testing isn't very costly, and it might be useful to eliminate that particular possibility. As you're in Australia, I believe that you can have that testing done by the NSW Agriculture lab in Wales.
Another possibility - at least here in the States - would be Equine Protozooal Myeloencephalitis (EPM). This disease is very difficult to diagnose, as it affects the horse's neurological system by way of the spinal cord, and, depending on the location of the lesion, will create symptoms that mimic other diseases and conditions. That, too, would be a possibility to consider.
The two words that jumped to my mind when I read your letter were "cataplexy" and "narcolepsy". Discuss both topics with your vet, along with the others mentioned above, and the possibility of epilepsy, and the use and side effects of various drugs (be warned, drugs can offer a temporary palliative at best, and the ones of which I'm aware all have colic as a side effect!). There may be new drugs on the market or in development that will have better and more enduring effects, and fewer and milder side effects, and I've heard anecdotal evidence of some succcess being achieved with amitriptylene (ask your vet!) but all of this is getting into complex medical territory... and I'm not a vet, much less a vet specializing in equine neurological disorders. All I can give you is some information and some topics to discuss with your veterinarian - and, of course, the assurance that you aren't alone.
At this point, there's no cure for narcolepsy in horses, but there is, at least, a test that can tell you whether a horse HAS narcolepsy. But this, too, carries a risk - like the palliative drugs mentioned above, this one (physostigmine salicylate) is likely to induce colic. If you're willing to take that chance, you can ask your veterinarian to administer the drug, and if your horse IS narcoleptic, it will experience a cataplectic attack a few minutes later. This is NOT a test to administer casually.
In fact, no drugs should be administered casually whether for tests or for therapy. You and your vet - and perhaps another specialist vet or two - will need to discuss your horse's situation and determine which risks are greater and which risks are most worthwhile.
Managing a horse with narcolepsy/cataplexy is not as easy as it might seem. Of course, you'll already have done some of the necessary by arranging the environment so that it's more safe and suitable for a blind horse! Keeping sharp edges and hard/pointy objects out of the horse's environment is one thing you can do to help ensure your horse's safety. You can use rubber mats on the floor of the stall, and rubber padding (like that used in veterinary hospitals for the equine "recovery rooms") on the walls. If your horse spends most of its time in an outdoor paddock (a very small one, that is), you may be able to remove potentially dangerous objects. You can modify your grooming arrangements a little, and add breakaway snaps to your tie ropes so that the horse won't break its neck if it collapses whilst tied - and be careful whenever you lead the horse from place to place, as you wouldn't want him to collapse onto the manure spreader or any other piece of equipment, or a large rock... you see the problem! And then there's the whole question of riding a horse that may collapse in any direction at any moment, with little or no warning...
Regardless of the cause, the problem with ANY sort of problem that involves the sudden (even if brief) collapse of the horse is that it's very dangerous to anyone riding the horse, or to anyone who is near the horse. Some horses can topple over - as you've described yours doing - whilst under saddle, or whilst being saddled or bridled or brushed. Some horses will collapse whilst they are being fed, or given a treat. I've heard of horses that collapse when they stand in the sun and start to doze - and yours was standing under a tree when you observed another near-collapse. I'm sure you can see the dangers that this problem can create for humans and for the horse itself.
All sensible riders and horse-owners and horse-handlers are perpetually aware of their position and the horse's position, and do their best to avoid provoking a (or falling victim to an accidental) bite or kick, but even this sort of hyper-awareness does no good if the horse simply collapses on top of you. A surprising number of horses experience brief seizures of some sort - it's not rare. From what I've seen and read, most horses with narcolepsy/cataplexy manage to remain upright, but not always. If you are grooming a horse and it collapses from one of these sleep attacks, you might be able to step away in time to avoid being crushed, but what if you were riding the horse, or leading the horse? What if some child was giving the horse a treat when it collapsed?
The chances are that your horse experiences a good many more attacks than the ones you have noticed, it's just that you were THERE to see those collapses! You aren't there to see the ones that occur in the field, in his shelter, in his stall, etc, and apparently a good many narcoleptic seizures happen in those locations. Then there's the cataplexy to consider - quick, sudden collapse of the leg joints or of the entire body, causing the horse to fall forward or sideways or backward. Horses with this condition will typically show signs of it from foalhood on. As you bought a mature horse from a dealer, you couldn't possibly be aware of any earlier evidence of its condition, and depending on how long the horse had been with the dealer and how much attention anyone had paid to it, it's possible that the dealer wasn't aware of its condition either. At least, I certainly HOPE that the dealer wasn't aware of the horse's condition! It would be highly unethical to sell a horse without mentioning that it had a tendency to collapse.
Your trainer/instructor sounds very sensible, observant, and kind. I like the fact that he is concerned with your horse's comfort and history, and with the fit of the tack. I like the fact that he was unwilling to attribute your horse's physical symptoms to bloody-mindedness or work avoidance. And I like the fact that he is concerned, as he should be, for your safety. I shouldn't worry too much about him having only twelve years of riding experience. Twelve years of intense, quality, thoughtful experience is more than most people get in a lifetime. Some people - and I expect he is one - pack an immense amount of learning and experience into twelve years. Others - and this is actually much more common - may claim fifteen or twenty or thirty years of experience that, when put to the test, prove to be nothing more than the same (not necessarily very good or useful) experience repeated over and over for fifteen or twenty or thirty years. Someone who has made it his business to study horses and horsemanship and riding for twelve years may actually be wiser and have more valuable experience than someone who has "always been around horses" but has never really studied them or thought about them much. Your trainer may not have "seen it all" in his twelve years of working with horses, but he seems to have seen quite a lot, and, just as importantly, to have THOUGHT about what he has seen. I know that you would have preferred him to tell you that Duke's problem was behavioural, and indeed many trainers WOULD have said that - it's comparatively rare, and quite impressive, to have someone tell you "I think it may be neurological" instead of "He's just behaving badly" or "I'll teach him a lesson!" I'm impressed with what you've told me of your trainer. Whether you are riding Duke or another horse, it sounds to me as though you are in good hands.
Nicole, I'm so very, very sorry that you're going through all of this. Please know that you are not alone - even though I'm sure you must feel very alone right now. First, there are MANY other horse-owners faced with very similar problems. Second, you learned a painful lesson about purchasing horses, but you aren't alone there, either. When it comes to making "impulse purchases" of horses, I think that we ALL make at least one huge mistake in our lifetimes, and some of us make considerably more than one mistake. Realize, also, that although you probably DO need to improve your riding (don't we all!), even if you were the world's best rider and most experienced horse-owner, you still wouldn't be able to "fix" a narcoleptic horse. It's nothing to do with your skill level. Finally, if you and your trainer and your vets, working together, determine that (a) your horse does have narcolepsy and should not be ridden, and that (b) you cannot maintain him in a way that will give him a good life whilst keeping him AND OTHERS safe, and that (c) having him put down is the only really sensible option, you should know that many other people have come, slowly and sadly and reluctantly, to those same conclusions about THEIR horses. So if and when THAT day comes, you won't be alone either.
Talk with your vet, talk with some specialist vets, discuss testing modalities and drugs - you need some good veterinary advice based on a clear diagnosis of Duke's condition and a clear understanding of the sort of conditions in which you can (or cannot) keep him. Who knows, by the time you read this there may be some new form of medication that your vets will be able to use to help Duke. I certainly hope so. Discuss everything with them, and talk with your trainer. Whatever the outcome, you'll know that you did your best, and eventually you'll find your way through this, and come out the other side. I hope you'll let me know what happens - I'll be thinking about you.
Jessica
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