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Discussion on My mare is stretching her neck when feeding on pasture
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New Member:
habibi
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 - 2:36 pm:
I recently bought an 18 yo 3/4 Arab, 1/4 quarter horse mare. I was told she was on pasture but supplemented w/ grass hay twice a day and supplements. I have seen her stretching her neck out when feeding on our pasture. Is this a normal eating behavior or uncomplicated choking? She has no other symptoms but am wondering if I should be concerned. Should I have a Vet check?
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Member:
jjrichar
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 - 2:59 pm:
Kathy, Can you better describe "stretching her neck"? Is she sticking her nose up in the air, or out in front of her, etc.? Opening her mouth and/or showing signs of gagging?
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New Member:
habibi
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 - 3:48 pm:
Thank you for responding so quickly. She's actually sticking her nose up in the air, not opening her mouth and I haven't seen any gagging.
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Member:
jjrichar
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 - 4:05 pm:
Is she sticking her lip up like she is smelling something funny?
If not, then I would say call your vet and ask what they think and probably have her checked out. I would guess she might need her teeth floated. Sometimes when a horse has a sharp tooth they will move their heads around to shift food in their mouth to make it more comfy to chew.
Good luck! Post and let us know what you find out.
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 - 5:16 pm:
Kathy,
I have seen horses take this stance as they were working into a colic condition and also when they were experiencing pain.
I hope she is just "smelling" or tasting something interesting, but when one sees this behavior, it is a good idea to keep an eye on the situation.
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Member:
mitch316
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009 - 11:01 pm:
Kathy, this is not to alarm you, but we had a palomino Shetland pony who was both valuable and rare that showed similar symptoms as yours. We were just sure it was colic, but she ended up getting down and was found deceased the next morning. Daddy had her autopsied and a sliver of wood was found that had pierced her esophagus, and another was found in her small bowel. We are not sure where it came from, but horses have been known to chew on both bark and barns, and even some wood chips and shavings. I believe that ours was a very isolated incident, as I have never seen it since, but again very few people have horses autopsied either, assuming colic or whatever else.
I would say something is up, and at the least is having a hard time swallowing from a sore throat of some sort, and may have something hung. I don;t know how you could tell other than scope, but if she is not showing further signs of illness, you may want to check for ulcers. Does she grind her teeth and kinda make a weird sound, kinda like a human trying to get something out of their throats? (for the life of me cannot think how to type that sound, ha) Can you palpate down her throat and get a reaction like pain or discomfort? (that is a total shot in the dark)
That is all I can think of, but I would definitely get her checked if it continues. BTW, you didn't say, but is she off of her feed or having difficulty on anything other than hay or grass?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 2, 2009 - 9:19 am:
Welcome Kathy,
How often do you see her do this"
DrO
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New Member:
habibi
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 2, 2009 - 12:18 pm:
I have seen her do it a couple of times while she's in the pasture. She never does it when eating her supplement pellets or flakes of grass hay, just when she's out in the pasture. There are no other signs of distress, she just stretches out as far as she can get her nose into the air two or three times and then goes back to eating
Thanks,
Kathy
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 2, 2009 - 3:37 pm:
Kathy,
Has she just been moved to the pasture? Are there/were there other horses in this field that she might be smelling? As others have mentioned, any unusual behavior should be watched closely, but I have seen many horses when introduced to a new pasture exhibit the flehmen response to strange smells. Hopefully that's all this is, but it can be a symptom of colic or choke as well (and probably other things I don't know about!)
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 2, 2009 - 6:43 pm:
Kathy, though we cannot diagnose anything this may be simply the horse sniffing the air as suggested above or finding something on the pasture she finds distasteful. If the vital signs are normal and this remains a very occasional event I think a exam could weight until the vet is out for something routine. For more on checking vital signs see Diseases of Horses » First Aid » Taking Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration.
DrO
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Member:
jjrichar
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Posted on Friday, Apr 3, 2009 - 11:38 am:
It does sound more and more like she is just smelling something new and interesting in the pasture. While, I think it is still important to monitor and rule out colic, illness, teeth problems etc., it may also just be a habit or behavior she does.
Growing up we had a mare that would DrOp to the ground, roll, 'sit up' and scratch her belly every night at feed time. It was the most insane looking thing.  Another mare while 'posturing' in the pasture at feed time, would in addition to sticking her head low to the ground and smearing her ears back would also roll her eyes way back into their sockets. It was very creepy looking and she earned the name 'Sharky' out of it because she looked like a shark searching for prey. LOL All of my horses urinate (or at least try to) simultaneously every morning when I walk into the barn to feed. Apparently they all want empty bladders while eating.  hehe My one mare shakes her head for the first few minutes after being bridled no matter what kind of bridle or bit I use. Different vets have checked her numerous times and can't find a thing wrong w her. They all think at some point she may have had an issue w her ear(s) and learned the behavior and now just does it out of habit.
Anyhow, horses, just like people, develop funny little quirks and habits that they will do without fail in a certain scenario. It is possible this is what your mare is doing.
I would keep watching her and if nothing comes of it, just bring it up to your vet on the next visit for vaccines, etc. like Dr. O said.
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New Member:
habibi
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 - 8:21 pm:
I apologize for being so delinquent in getting back to all of you. We had the vet come and check out all 3 horses as they were all due for a routine check. She agrees, the mare is "probably just smelling out the new pasture/home". This mare is very expressive in many, many ways.
Anyway thanks for all the great input, it was greatly appreciated!
Kathy K.
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Friday, Apr 17, 2009 - 9:18 am:
Good news, Kathy.
Thanks for letting us know.
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Member:
jjrichar
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Posted on Friday, Apr 17, 2009 - 11:13 am:
So glad to hear the good news, Kathy!
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