A Possible Reason?

A Possible Reason?

Why, why, why is Dante acting this way?  It isn't just spooking at the planes.  That is just part of a list.  The last few months, we have had problems with him rushing through doorways--all doorways.  That has gotten better with us leading him more mindfully, practice and praise.  There have been some uncharacteristically huge spooks on the driveway where he takes off running to the barn.  His work in the arena has been less than stellar, too.  It seems like Dante, the good-natured, quiet horse, has changed into someone else.

It took us a while, but we may have figured it out.  When the vet was giving them their spring shots, she was very pleased that Ranger had put on weight.  He was looking much too thin when she saw him last fall.  She felt that Cole was getting too fat, so we decreased his grain.  Dante had gained weight, but she didn't think he needed to go on a diet.

We think she was wrong.

Long ago, we were at a different barn for about an year and a half.  Cruiser and Ranger started acting really strange.  In the indoor arena, Cruiser was spooking at--would you believe--airplanes.  It might not have been the noise from the planes, themselves, but the vortexes they left behind, because he would spook just as the planes went past.

Ranger was so bad in the indoor arena that Ellen couldn't even ride him in there, anymore.

It was spring, and they were terrible on the trail.  We just didn't understand what was going on.  We couldn't trot towards home; they were just that horrible. 

We then were told we had to leave that barn because Mingo, my quiet, gentle horse, was kicking and biting when they were trying to clean his stall.  We cleaned our own stalls in the previous place we were at--it was inexplicable that he could be doing such a thing.  He always was good for us.

The day we left, I looked at the feeding chart and realized the barn owner increased their food, dramatically--probably because we rode so much.  She did it without telling us.  We did notice the horses had put on weight.

We changed the size of their meals, and they immediately transformed into their old selves.  We were trotting towards home with ease.  We were cleaning our own stalls, again, and Mingo behaved like a gentleman.  All was well.

Could this be Dante's problem?

We told the barn manager on Monday.  On Tuesday, we took him for a ride in the park.  He did spook at 2 planes.  The first one, he did a slow spin.  The second one, Ellen braced her right rein--figuring he would spin to the left.  He tried, but she kept him straight.  After that, he walked and trotted through the airplanes with no problems--albeit they weren't as loud the further we rode.

On the way home, I rode him across the river.  He tried to rush up the bank, but I was prepared and was able to stop him.  I then led him up the hill.  There were a few planes, but he just walked next to me.

The next ride was cancelled due to high water.  Ellen rode him in the arena, and she had the best ride with him in many weeks.  I then led him around outside, and he was more relaxed than he has been, and none of the planes bothered him at all.

The next ride was scheduled for the weekend with Shari.  By then, we should really know how he would be...