Could this be a seizure? Any ideas?

[pixie]

This is a large welsh/thrbrd pony gelding 8 years old. He has been in my barn about 2 weeks. Yesterday as he was getting tacked up he was holding his head really low and seemed to be in a bit of a stupor. When he was being led out he appeared to look drunk then stopped and wouldn't move then held his neck and head very low and both were cocked to the side and held in a sort of contorted way. He snapped out of it within a few minutes and then seemed normal. His owner says she has never seen him do this.
Tomorrow I will have the Vet in for a blood workup......any ideas??

[shea'smom]

Girth induced narcalpsy? can NOT spell that....

[SkipChange]

Girth induced narcalpsy? can NOT spell that....

Narcolepsy. I knew an old lesson pony years ago that had this. Sorry, not much help to the OP because I've got no clue as what you would do about it, I was like 12yo when I knew that lesson pony. FWIW a Dr. thinks I might have narcolepsy, :lol: but I haven't done a sleep study.

[AKB]

Do you think he could be sleep deprived? Sometimes, horses in a new situation won't sleep. Then, they fall asleep in inappropriate situations such as while being tacked up. I would make sure he is turned out at night with 1 very calm buddy for a week or so and see if the problem resolves.

[shawneeAcres]

Are you sure he is welsh/TB this can be a sign of HYPP but it is only in QH bloodlines that trace to the stallion Impressive

[LabsChewShoes]

Was he hoding his breath? Did he pass gas? Was he choking? Have his teeth been checked? Is he OK? endless possibilities? Was this scary, or was he being a "nerd" to get giggles? An old stallion we had, RIP, did silly things and faces all of the 28 years we had him! lived to age 35, If I laughed at something he did, he repeated, which is why I use the word "nerd", really beacame pain in the butt at times, but he made us laugh!

[Bluey]

Are you sure he is welsh/TB this can be a sign of HYPP but it is only in QH bloodlines that trace to the stallion Impressive

That occurred to me as a differential diagnosis, as some symptoms similar to those are part of some HyPP episodes.

If you don't find something and are not very sure of his breeding, the small cost of a HyPP test may sure help eliminate that from consideration.

[pixie]

She seemed pretty confident that it had to do with his casting reflex. Apparently horses have an area that by reflex you could actually get the horse to lay down. It is around the girth area. This in conjuction with sore pectoral musscles (from sore front feet) most likely made him super sensitive to that reflex. She said if I picked up a front leg while he was in this state he would have fallen down. Since the episode happened shortly after he was girthed up it makes sense to me.
So for a while we will ride in a looser girth and work at getting his front feet to feel better.