Re: Fainting/Collapse

Ginger Atwater (ginger@ganymede.coat.com)
Wed, 4 Dec 1996 16:54:31 -0500 (EST)

Well, this is really intriguing. I had a similar thing happen
to me several times. I had an arab/qh mare that I used for
competive trail and just general riding. Great horse, very
smart, calm in the barn and strong on the trail.

One day, I went to tack her up and tightened the girth, went
back to the tack room for her bridle, stepped into the aisle
where she was tied and all of a sudden she's leaning back
with all her considerable might, hanging on the end of the
leadrope and practically sitting down on her butt. The
leadrop didn't break since it was one of those bungee cord
ones. I waited a second, assuming she would figure this out
and give up and stand back up, but instead, she very slowly
rolled onto her side (and my saddle!), still hanging off the
leadrope. It was very weird because she didn't seem spooked
at all, it was like slow motion. Her eyes were open but she
looked pretty dazed. At this point I got worried because even
though I had tied a safety knot, there was so much tension on
the leadrope I couldn't untie it. I tried to get the halter
off, same problem. Then I got really worried because the
halter was really digging into her head. I ran back in the
tack room and got the dressage whip and whacked her once on
the behind to try to get her up. All of a sudden she scrambled
to her feet, shook off the dirt and just looked at me like
everything was normal.

Not really having any idea what had really caused this, I
checked her over. She seemed totally normal. I lead her
around - fine. Started out on a ride, very gingerly - nothing
abnormal. I eventually wrote this off as an inexplicable
incindent. I would not put it past this mare to pull a stunt
like this on purpose to avoid a ride! She is very smart and
has quite a sense of humor.

So that was it until it happened again some time later. (sorry,
don't remember how much time) Virtually the same circumstances,
before workout, while tacking up. No lasting effects. Beats me...

Then years go by, with this happening very occasionally (2 or 3
times a summer, max). This horse grows old. I start working
with my full arab. She has never repeated this exact scenario.
Her version is that she becomes imobile. I get her all tacked
up, untie her and start to walk out of the barn and either she
doesn't budge, of else she moves her head but not her feet. She
just seems to grow roots. Again, I would think that this might
be behavioral, except that when she does finally move, she often
stumbles and seems to be coming out of a trancelike state. After
a few steps she is completely normal. Occasionally, it has recurred
when I get out into the yard and stop again to mess with stirrups
or girth... back into the trance, only snaps out of it with large
tugs or a snap of the reins. I really don't think this mare is
doing this on purpose. She isn't that kind of horse and it just
doesn't feel like it.

So then I thought maybe it was my saddle fit, or I was tightening
the girth too tight or something. Just really weird. Had my vet
out to inspect, she said saddle and girth were fine. Never have
solved the problem but it seems harmless. The closest thing I
can link it to is that it is similar to horses that react very strongly
to being twitched. Same sort of sedated appearance for a minute or
two after being untwitched. I pretty much concluded that something
relating to the saddle/girth was having the same type of anasthetic
effect on these horses.

Now that I think about it, I had one mare a long time ago who was
so responsive to the twitch that if you left it on for more than
a minute or two, she would literally fall over.

So that's my experience with 'fainting' horses.

Ginger.atwater@coat.com