saipho
in
equestrian
(no subject)
I have a question regarding drooling horses, haha.
My mare, Tecca, has recently been extremely drooly. At first I believed this was related to the new hay that all the horses at the barn were being fed. Almost all the horses became very drooly and frothy last week, BUT it seems like most have stopped but Tecca has not.
She is so gross that when I bring her in she has a long strand of drool usually hanging from her mouth. When I feed her treats (no matter what type) she drools and froths profusely. This stuff I don't mind because it still seems related to possibly hay issues, but the part that has been bothering me is that when I put her bit in she starts frothing and chomping right away and does not stop until I have finished my ride. She is so busy chomping that she won't walk out normally. She'll carry her head really low and curve her neck in a funny way. When I pick the reins up and start asking her to move into my hands, at first she is really resistant but will eventually go onto the bit and act normal. The minute I stop working her, she goes right back to the funny walking/chomping.
To begin with, Tecca is already a very mouthy horse. She is constantly flapping her lip (a little neurotic tic that I've found almost impossible to get rid of) and will chomp on the bit when she's anxious or nervous, but this recent chomping is not related to that at all. Additionally, when free walking she is the type of horse to really poke her nose out, carry her head at a relatively level height and strut her stuff. The walking she is doing now is completely different from that.
So my question is, (I feel like a overly worried owner right now), should I be concerned? I realize that it might just be an extention of the hay troubles and that the hay just seems to be affecting her more than any of the other horses at the barn. I have no idea what could be an alternate factor though, which is why I have turned to all of you in case any of you have had similar experiences!
My mare, Tecca, has recently been extremely drooly. At first I believed this was related to the new hay that all the horses at the barn were being fed. Almost all the horses became very drooly and frothy last week, BUT it seems like most have stopped but Tecca has not.
She is so gross that when I bring her in she has a long strand of drool usually hanging from her mouth. When I feed her treats (no matter what type) she drools and froths profusely. This stuff I don't mind because it still seems related to possibly hay issues, but the part that has been bothering me is that when I put her bit in she starts frothing and chomping right away and does not stop until I have finished my ride. She is so busy chomping that she won't walk out normally. She'll carry her head really low and curve her neck in a funny way. When I pick the reins up and start asking her to move into my hands, at first she is really resistant but will eventually go onto the bit and act normal. The minute I stop working her, she goes right back to the funny walking/chomping.
To begin with, Tecca is already a very mouthy horse. She is constantly flapping her lip (a little neurotic tic that I've found almost impossible to get rid of) and will chomp on the bit when she's anxious or nervous, but this recent chomping is not related to that at all. Additionally, when free walking she is the type of horse to really poke her nose out, carry her head at a relatively level height and strut her stuff. The walking she is doing now is completely different from that.
So my question is, (I feel like a overly worried owner right now), should I be concerned? I realize that it might just be an extention of the hay troubles and that the hay just seems to be affecting her more than any of the other horses at the barn. I have no idea what could be an alternate factor though, which is why I have turned to all of you in case any of you have had similar experiences!