my horse is not the same

Question
Hi my name is Ally and i desperately need some ones help. Ive been around horses since I was 5 and am now 15. I purchased a horse about four years ago as an experienced rider. I absoloutely fell in love with him but I couldn't afford to keep him all on my own, so after buying him I continued to let him be used in a few lessons at the stable I had bought him from to keep board price down. However when I discovered that he was being overused I quickly brought him to a new barn too far away for me to frequently visit. He was about 12 or 13 then. So he lived for a year and a half to two years at this beautiful ranch where all day he was turned out with other horses but wasn't ridden. After him being there for so long and the board being $500 a month finances became an issue again.  Unfortunately I could not find any place in which he could stay at little or no cost. I did find one program in which children and a few adults with disabilities were doing light riding on horses and ponies. I decided to let them do a thirty day trial on my horse to see if he could be part of their program. When he arrived there everyone fell in love with him he was very well behaved and got along with all the other horses. Coming to an end of the thirty day trial the people who run the program decided that he would be a good fit for their program. So I gave up my horse figuring that he was doing a wonderful thing and he would be happy with very light riding. I decided to volunteer there so I could keep an eye on my former horse and participate in such a good program myself. However almost immediately after the thirty day trail his behavior began to change. Now he is a grumpy horse which was never who he was. Lately he has been biting people, which he has done once or twice in the past but for good reasons. Also he has kicked people which is something that is completely unheard of from my horse. He also pins his ears and bobs his head whenever you tack him up. This was something he did when i first bought him but he outgrew. Another new behavior he has now is whenever he is taken out of his stall to be ridden he pins his ears and tries to bite the person walking him and also tries to almost run them over. Also he tries to run away from the mounting block. Not only does he act angry when he is going to be ridden, but when some one takes him to be turned out and when I take him up to graze. I have no idea what is going on he was always a sweet and happy horse who loved riding and always had his ears forward whenever taken out of his stall. The riders at the program rarely do hard riding on him, however because of his poor behavior they are having some riders get on him thihnking that he needs to be schooled. He went from no work to cantering and jumping in thirty days. Possibly that is part of the problem but I don't think that is it. please some one help me my heart is breaking for him to see him so unhappy is there anything i can do to have my happy horse back again? And also he has not shedded his winter coat yet. He is still a young horse and he always shedded it come winter time. I'm not sure what to do some one if you can offer any advice please help me.

Answer
Ally,

You've got a couple of things going on here.  As to the long hair coat, I would suggest that you have the horse tested for Cushings.  A long hair coat is one of the classic symptoms of Cushings.  Could be a couple of other things too, but given the age of the horse I would bet he's developing Cushings.  Don't let anyone tell you it's an "old horse" disease.  The more research that's been done the more they are finding that it occurs in much younger horses.  Do some research of your own on it on the Internet.  I had a friend have to put down a 14 yr. old Arab of hers who had developed Cushings and suffered the other common problem associated with it, laminitis (founder) and subsequent coffin bone rotation.  There is medication for it which will help enormously.  The present most common test is the dexamethasone suppression test.  


Another possibility is also stomach ulcers.  Those can give a horse a really sour disposition and can be present in many horses without any other symptoms.  At present the most common way to diagnose ulcers is to put an endoscope down into the horse's stomach but there is a newer test that involves testing the urine for sugar much the same way you would a diabetic.  Much simpler and not at all invasive.  Heck of a lot cheaper too!  

As to the behavior problem everyone is taking the usual tack, that the horse needs schooling.  How about that he's hurting and needs to be looked at?  My guess is that he could stand to see a chiropractor for one, and some massage work from a trained therapist would undoubtedly do wonders also.  I work on so many horses that have poor behavior because of physical problems.  Backs out, hips out, shoulders out.  Backs get out in many horses and face it, would you want to carry someone around on your back if it was hurting?  You need to get a good vet out to take a long look at this horse and see if they can figure out where his problems are.  If you can get a vet who does chiropractic work so much the better.  Don't know about the availability of massage therapists in your area but it's worth looking into.  When you see this sort of attitude change in a horse there's a reason for it, you just have to figure it out. You will need a good, knowledgeable vet to work with on this.  One who keeps up to date on the latest research.
Good luck, keep in touch.  This is not going to be quick and easy, nor cheap.  A lot depends upon how strong your commitment to this horse is.  I've pointed you in the right direction, now it's up to you.  

Let me know how it works out.