What's the chance something is seriously wrong?

Question

My horse acted extremely different at a horse show yesterday - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080630183114AAWHjSI&r=w - 'Cece' suggested an anuerysm and now I'm terrified for his health.

He has a new scar in his forelock that I noticed about a week ago, but he's ALWAYS hitting his head on things and I thought nothing of it. It could have happened in the trailer or in the paddock.

Is there anything else that could effect his behavior so drastically? Yes we call him "crazy", but only because he's dramatic, spooky and herd sour, so he often makes a really big scene. The way he acted yesterday (read linked question - very long, sorry) is completely not like him.

I'll probably go out tomorrow and check on him, and I'll call a vet as soon as I can. My mom isn't too fond of calling the vet when "nothing is wrong", but he does have cuts on his face anyways. ;P

Answer 1

It would be a good start to have some bloodwork done.  Many medical problems will produce changes that show up in the blood.  The vet could also perform a neurological evaluation, etc.  It does seem like it may be more than just a quirky day.

Answer 2

I really doubt he had an aneurysm.  An aneurysm usually results in death, or at least major neurological issues - if he is alive and acting fine, it wasn't an aneurysm.

Maybe it was just a bad day.

You said it yourself - "hes dramatic, spooky, and herd sour"  Maybe he wasn't with the right combination of horses in the trailer.  Maybe he (being herd sour) got upset when you left him tied to the trailer and the other horse was taken away.  Maybe the wind was just blowing right that day.

It wouldn't hurt to have the vet come out and check to make sure there aren't any physical problems, but it sounds like it was just a bad day.  If that continues to be a problem, then I would start thinking something was wrong.

Was that the first time he was in a slant load?  There is a big difference between that and a two horse straight load.  Was it the first time he went to a show with that many other horses?  Was it the first show this season - has he had a long time off? You mentioned he wasn't started until seven, was he not gelded until he was seven also?  If he was gelded late that could help explain the "bitchy" mare problem.  (absolutely no offense to you) Has his behavior steadily declined since you got him from your instructor?  She may be a little more stearn than you are, or he may be a little more responsive to her since she put the majority of the training on him.

There are a lot of other possibilities that you should keep in mind and that you should pay attention to the next time you take him to a show.  Sometimes it is something really stupid that can cause major problems like you are describing.

Answer 3

Well, hitting his head alot, he could of damaged a nerve, is fine at home?  Maybe he was just being show sour.

Answer 4

If your horse's behaviour changes drastically, then something IS wrong. I didn't have time to read the whole link, but I skimmed through it, and it sounds like you know your horse pretty well.

Please call the vet. The problem may still be in it's early stages where you can catch it and treat it.

As for the chance of something being wrong... horses are big, complex animals and I'm not a vet, so I can't say how much of a chance there is that something is wrong. For all you know, his previous owner had a few trailer scares and corrected it (or so he thought). Give his previous owner a call and ask if he's ever exhibited this behaviour before.

Good luck and I hope that your horse is alright! :)