Standardbred Horse

Question
I currently own 3 Standardbred Horses for approximately 12 years.  Recenlty, "rescued" a 14 year old standardbred-gelding in semi-poor condition.  For the past 2 weeks he walks constantly, I understand "flies" can agravate but this seems a little excessive.  Some say animals will walk this way before they die.  Can you explain?

Answer
Hi Christina!
  I'm glad you discovered Standardbreds---they are a wonderful breed--on or off the race track. I had a gentleman ask me what Standardbreds can do---I told him with proper training there's nothing they can't do!
  I haven't had a standardbred walk constantly before they die. Is he in a stall or in a paddock? You say he is in semi poor condition. Have you had a vet look at him? Of course you know if his nutritional status isn't good, you need to give him a good diet but be carefully about pushing the groceries---you don't need a bad case of colic or a twisted gut.
  I think there are probably 4 main reasons he could be doing this:
 1) flies
 2) boredom
 3) pain
 4) stress from a change in environment
   It sounds strange, but horses are creatures of habit and even if he wasn't well treated at his last "home" it was home.
  If it won't stretch your budget too much, I'd suggest a few things.
 1) Horse toys
    You can buy toys in a tack shop, but milk jugs and orange plastic pylons can also be used. Had a horse that used to play with a basketball--he would actually pick it up in his teeth and throw it at you! I've also seen stuffed animals tied from the ceiling of the stall....but you need to be careful of button eyes and small pieces that could come off, and be careful that the twine isn't long enough to get wrapped around the horse's neck.
 2) Use of a fly spray or fly bait (Blue Streak is very good) around his stall if he's inside.
 3) Stress Dex
    This is a mineral/electrolyte combo for horses that are nervous/stressed. I've had some picky eaters and they all ate this. It's orange flavor powder and you put a scoop a day either in their feed or in their water bucket. You can get 4 lbs for about $7 to see if it helps....if it does, naturally it's cheaper if you buy a bigger bucket. Another possibility is turning him out with another horse or getting a cat or goat to keep him company if he's in a stall.
 4) Antiflam
     This is THE BEST pain med I've ever seen for horses. It's a liquid and is a combination of 5 different products. You can get a quart for about $40 to see if it helps. Bute is a lot cheaper but I've found Bute usually causes a lot of other problems.
  Not sure where you're located, but the tack shop I usually use is Big Dee's. Great prices, good service and the shipping is reasonable.
Big Dee's
Tack & Vet Supply
1-800-321-2142 or 1-330-626-5000
The web site is http://www.bigdweb.com
  Hope this info helps! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'd love to hear how your new friend does. And thanks for making the world a better place for our four legged friends! (If you need info on the standardbred, check out www.ustrotting.com.)
  Best wishes!
Anne Stepien