Need Help With Anxiety In 3 Yr Old Filly

[LKR]

She was in training as a 2 year old. One workout away from starting she shin bucked. She was a little on the anxious side when horses were galloping the wrong way on the track, as we thought it was from her running into another filly while playing when she was a yearling, knocking both of them down and doing serious damage to the other filly's shoulder which led us to euthanize that one. This one ended up with just some soreness. We laid her off until this spring and put her back into training.
Her confidence level picked up quite a bit and she acts like she might have some talent. She has progressed nicely, seemed to be doing fine until Sunday, when she reared up on her way off of the track. The rider
lost her jumped off and lost the reins, consequently, the filly ran all over heck on the back side. It has the trainer stumped. She had reared and fell over once, last year but had not done anything this year. We thought she was over it. Apparently, not. Any suggestions? Is there anything we can give her to mellow her out?? She hasn't done a thing wrong until Sunday. They don't know what set her off. She was among several horses at the time.

[MINNOW]

Some times horses leaving the track here other horses working or galloping on the track.Could this be the case?you could always trank her it seems very common at our track to give them a little ace.
you could also collect her yourself before she comes off the track.

[LKR]

I am not training her. We have a trainer and she doesn't know what to think of why she did this all of a sudden. Isn't that lovely??

[madelyn]

She might have been coming in heat. Fillies can be pretty unpredictable that way.

[zinn21]

There are drugs that will relax some horses but most are prohibited when racing. We have a filly that presented very similar to your horse. My trainer provided a positive learning atmosphere for her but little changed for months and months. We decided to swim for a month to allow her slightly problematic shins to rest and to provide a new environment to perhaps help her attitude/anxiety.

She returned with little change. We worked her and she came back quite distressed so we scoped and discovered a serious case of ulcers.
Placed on Gastrogaurd she turned around both physically and mentally in a matter of weeks. Her first race post previous mentioned-she shot to the lead and was caught the last 70 yards at 29-1 finishing 3rd.

The moral to the story is be patient, provide a positive atmosphere and never stop seeking a better understanding of your horse..

[LKR]

Thanks for the replies. The ulcer thing might have some merit as well as that she might be having a heat cycle, or both. I will have the trainer check it out.

[Roger]

Filly's seem to behave a lot like junior high girls. Every day is a new experience. Harmones explain a great deal of behavior, I have noticed that they need a herd leader and that had better be the trainer.

[LKR]

That might be the root of our problem. I am going to watch her workout tomorrow even though it is a 165 mile trip, one way. I should get a better perspective on things then. I am going to check her angles on her shoeing job. So far, we have had 2 that have been shod by the track shoers, different ones, I believe, that have not had one foot level, or any at the proper angles. These are $100.00 shoeing jobs. I am about to get a good farrier to go over with me, take them off the track to the Walmart Parking lot and have them shod correctly. I am serious. Do I sound upset??

[Diane]

Kathi if you have to worry and try to manage this horse from 165 miles away I'd say it's time for a new trainer.

[LKR]

I should know today.

[Tucumcari]

I agree with the ace and maybe give her a pony to go on and off the track with her. A solid confident pony horse can help anxious horses calm down and get reassurance.

[LKR]

She had a work out with some complications Sunday and she handled it very well. I believe the trainer had given her one ace pill. She broke out of the gate with two other horses. She left like a rocket, which surprised the rider. She was on the rail and when she caught a couple of other horses that were galloping one of them came down to the rail in front of her and the rider had to check her and jump heels. There was quite a bit of hollering, references to mothers, etc. The starter was very upset as he saw it all happen. In spite of it all, the filly finished her workout 15 of 52 that day. She didn't ruffle a hair over the whole thing and as the trainer said, it was something that could happen in a race and she took it in stride. So, I guess she got some race experience and survived. Will keep you posted on how it goes.

[foothillsequine]

How is she doing? Any further issues, or has she settled down? Let us know please...

[soft hearted]

I have noticed that they need a herd leader and that had better be the trainer.

Bingo. Right there.
If you can't trust your trainer to figure out that the filly might need either a groom to meet her at the gap, or get a pony, or a good workout partner for confidence... Or an exercise rider that can either stay on her, predict a quick getaway, stop an unexpected race, place her better on the track (clipping heals?!).
If you have to micromanage THAT much from a distance, you already have a huge problem!
Jaysus, somat's gotta change!
No offence and JMHO, but what are you paying this trainer to DO?

[LKR]

Sorry I haven't posted what went on. It has been hectic around here.
We got her entered into a race. She did fine in the paddock, saddling and everything. She was in the 5 post position in a field of 9. On the way out to the track, the filly in front of her pitched a fit, kicked up with her hind legs and got them over the cyclone fence. She fell down and thrashed around in front of ours. Our filly reared up and dumped her rider. She had no place to go with horses behind her and the one raising H*ll in front of her, so she took a left and jumped over the rope that keeps the crowd back and jogs off to the barn area through the crowd. All I could do was watch in disbelief from the paddock area as we hadn't left it yet since all the horses weren't out of there yet. She didn't race madly, just jogged along until they caught her at the security gate. She was scratched of course. Had to have her soes replaced the next day. Otherwise, she was unhurt and even took a nap later in the day. We got her into another race 3 weeks later. She was schooled in the paddock during that time and when we drew post positions for the race, she drew the one hole. The trainer had already gotten permission for her to go out on the track first anyway. She handled everything quite well, even standing in the gate such a long time since she was loaded first. She broke out of the gate okay but took an extreme left into the gap area. The jockey checked her and got her back over to the right. Then she sent her up into the group. By the time she got up into the group the horses on the outside started coming over. One cut her off so the jockey pulled her up and had to start over again. By that time the rest of them were quite a ways ahead of her. She caught the trailing horses and after it was over and done, she beat one horse. It wasn't the trip we wanted, that was for sure. We brought her home, are galloping her to keep her fit and she will be going to Portland Meadows in a couple of weeks so we can get another start on her. Different trainer there. Will let you know what she does next time. I believe the break from the track will do her a tremendous amount of good.