Touchy Miniature Filly...

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Calekio

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
314
Reaction score
0
My rising 4yr old filly has recently become very touchy.

She has been biting if we try to touch her sides/flanks/belly... i tried to check how warm she was this morning and she nearly took my leg off and drew blood! But yet she is ok to be brushed.. its just general fussing.

Now normally she is very sweet, easy to handle, gentle and cuddly... the kids handle her.. she is currently trying to take there heads off!!

She was in foal for this year but she slipped it in november (she would have been about 5 months pregnant), she not really been 100% since then... would you say the change in her behaviour would be normal for the hormone changes with aborting the foal? Would she still be uneasy...?

She does seem bored as well so we are going to start taking her for walks.. i was resting her after the loss of the foal and whilst she has been handled she's not gone out for walks since then...

What do you think? It not really like her... she was very much like this as a weanling, biting, turning on people and having a go but then once she turned into a yearling she totally settled down and was much sweeter in the summer.. but then turned into the devil pony again in the winter of 2007... settled again the next summer and last winter she was calm... the only difference i can think of is that last winter she was poorly though and was stabled and rugged.. this winter she has been out 24/7 unrugged and very fluffy...

She doesn't appear to be cold.. they have a big bale of a haylage out now from this week to munch though...

Not sure what to think really....
default_unsure.png
 
I would venture to guess, if all else is fine with her as far as eating, drinking, manure out put, doesn't seem lethatgic, is she walking ok, anything physically off, if all is well, then she is most likely just being a brat. Firmly correct her when she tries to nip. I don't want to say to provoke her, but put a halter and lead on her and walk her around, purposely give her the opportunity by walking half a pace ahead of her or standing next to her but slightly turned away. See if she takes advantage of the situation. If so, correct her firmly, even if that means using the but of a crop to give her a little jab as you tell her no. This usually is enough for them to fall back into the pecking order.

Just check her over first, would hate to dicipline a horse that has an injury. However, sometimes we tend to baby them after an incident and they take full advantage of it.
 
Well if there was a pony to take advantage Chaos would be it!!
default_rolleyes.gif


to work with she is actually very good.. i took her for a walk this afternoon and apart from being her normal, very active self, jogging along beside me she was a star!!

Thinking maybe she might be cold.. as she's a 'brat' in winter... except the winter she was sick and was rugged and stabled.. but a darling in summer....
 
Could your filly be pregnant? That will change a lot of horses attitudes!
default_rolleyes.gif


Bill
 
Nope. She should have been in foal... but lost the foal about 2 months ago with no real cause vet could find for it.
 
Could your filly be pregnant? That will change a lot of horses attitudes! Bill

Nope. She should have been in foal... but lost the foal about 2 months ago with no real cause vet could find for it.
Any chance she could have been carrying twins and only lost one? I know its a very rare occurance, but I've heard it can happen. Just a thought.

Any chance she slipped and fell, and is sore somewhere. I have a couple that will get nippy if they are sore and I don't realize it.
 
"She does seem bored as well so we are going to start taking her for walks.. i was resting her after the loss of the foal and whilst she has been handled she's not gone out for walks since then..."

Is she stalled 24/7? Might be she just needs to get out and run. If there wasn't any known reason for her to abort -illness, injury, stress - she might not need the rest and need to get out.

Good luck!
 
She is out 24/7 in a big field. By rest i mean we just haven't been taking her for walks or training her (she was learning to long rein)

My vet gave her an injection (can't remember what its called) her make her expell anything else that might have been there.. incase she was carrying twins as she was too little to do an internal exam on... so don't think there is any chance of that...

I did think maybe she might be sore.. i have a back specialist coming out today so might ask her if she can check her over for me..
 
Before you do anything at all I would have her ultra sounded.

If there is a chance she could be pregnant (and there is) then........well, she could be pregnant!!!

Eliminate the possibilities before you start looking for a solution!!

A friend of mine had an ectopic pregnancy that was caught by luck, and terminated, saving her life.

In the course of the operation they removed one ovary.

She had a problem with blocked fallopian tubes and was having trouble getting pregnant anyway, she also had an inverted uterus and was rejecting the pregnancies that did get started, at eight weeks.

Now, she was one ovary down, her husband and she had gone to the priest to get dispensation to use birth control for six weeks, as the doctor had ordered her to stop trying to get pregnant for that length of time.

OK, She has one ovary.

She has partially blocked fallopian tubes.

They are using birth control.

She has an inverted uterus..........

Yep, she did, and it was a boy, who is now a hulking great thing and a father himself!!!
default_laugh.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Rabbitsfizz, I know this is a touch OT, but thanks for that post. Hubby and I are in that same situation only the ectopic was 10 years ago and mine ruptured and almost killed me. I have one functioning ovary and a strong desire to be a mommy someday. Someday is moving closer and closer with age (lol) and your post was very encouraging. Thank you. Now...back to your regularly scheduled programming.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top