Behavior changes in horses can occur gradually, often going unnoticed for long periods. Sudden behavior changes tend to be dramatic and, therefore, more noticeable. Whether a horse is spooking when they used to be calm, has started fighting or avoiding social interactions with herdmates, explodes seemingly for no reason, or shows any other sudden, negative behavior change, it’s a sign to take immediate action.
Call Your Veterinarian
The primary causes for sudden behavior changes in horses are pain, illness, and stress or distress. This is why involving your veterinarian is the logical first step to take in this situation.
You might have learned that it’s a good idea to know your horse’s normal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. This baseline information allows you to keep an eye on your horse’s health, because changes can indicate underlying medical conditions you should address as soon as possible. How your horse behaves daily, in all sorts of contexts, is an equally important baseline to understand. Note any changes from normal and discuss them with your veterinarian.
Temporarily Avoid Triggers
It can be helpful to identify and avoid clear triggers for the undesirable behavior. For example, when, where, and with whom (certain people or horses) does it happen? What is happening in the surrounding environment when your horse behaves this way? Does it only happen when you touch a certain part of the horse’s body or ask for a specific maneuver under saddle? Does it only happen when loading the horse into step-up trailers but not trailers with ramps? Does it happen on the third day at the show, but not the first?
If you can identify what seems to trigger the behavior, you can temporarily avoid exposure to those triggers until your veterinarian has examined your horse. This is helpful for several reasons:
- It prevents the horse from feeling pain or worsening an injury, if those factors are underlying causes.
- It minimizes the chances your horse’s behavior will get worse or even become dangerous.
- It allows the horse a brief “stress holiday” until a qualified behavior professional can help you address the issue, if stress or distress is a cause.
- It can keep horses and people safer if the behavior is potentially injurious when performed.
Get Help (and More Data!)
Once your veterinarian has addressed physical or medical issues, consider enlisting the help of a qualified horse behavior consultant. These professionals address negative behavior changes in horses in kind but effective ways.
Knowing triggers can make treating the root cause of sudden behavior changes easier and faster. However, sometimes behavior changes happen infrequently or seemingly without triggers at first glance. For example, a horse might buck only every few months, or they might drool or display bruxism (teeth grinding) sporadically. When my clients are dealing with infrequently displayed behaviors, I help them create and keep a behavior diary. Using a diary to track what is happening in the days, hours, or minutes leading up to the behavior as well as what happens during and immediately after the behavior is displayed, can be extremely helpful. These things that “set the stage” and the consequences that follow can provide valuable information about why the behavior is happening. Behavior doesn’t occur in a vacuum, meaning something always triggers a horse to act a certain way. By keeping a diary, we can get to the root cause and address problems sooner.
Capturing videos of the behavior can also be helpful. The camera can record small details you might otherwise miss. You can also slow video down to analyze the situation for potential triggers that occur rapidly and, thus, are difficult to see in real time. But only capture videos if doing so doesn’t put the horse or any people at risk of injury. Qualified behavior professionals don’t always need to see the behavior being fully triggered to address the issue.
Take-Home Message
Knowing your horse’s unique baseline behavior can help you identify problems faster. When you see concerning behavior changes in your horse, the first person you should contact for help is the veterinarian. Once you’ve addressed pain, injury, or illness, a qualified behavior professional can help when horses are behaving differently due to stress or distress.
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Lauren Fraser, MSc, FFCP, has helped people understand horse behavior problems since 2006. With a background working as a horse trainer, an MSc in clinical animal behavior, and more than a decade working as an equine behavior consultant, Lauren’s approach gets to the heart of why horses behave the way they do and addresses issues using low-stress methods. Lauren also guest lectures at universities, presents at conferences, and creates educational programs for horse owners and equine professionals.
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