A tricky project...

[SummerThePony]

Hi again ?,
So I recently gained a project, a 10 year-old gelding who was backed be ridden normally at his stud farm but when my mother bought him (aged 7), she got home and realised problems: The first few times she tried to ride him - he bucked her off straight away (but I think this may have been saddle issues), then we sent him to a schooling livery and he could only work for around 20 minutes before going into a mad "wild mode" and after the 20 minutes he will happily go backwards - but not forwards.
He has been diagnosed with Sacroiliac Joint Disease, which is cureable but requires gradual, frequent groundwork. My mum is currently at work so doesnt have time but I'm off school until September and my horse (who I've outgrown), has just gone on loan.
Perfect.
I've never had a project before so I need anything helpful, anything to do with project horses and how to train them would be amazing x

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I think I'd be retiring this horse.

 

[Chinchilla]

You need to speak to a vet before doing anything about an appropriate rehab strategy and to see if there is anything else going on.

 

[Red-1]

From other threads, this pony was in regular work as you were working her several times a week and were ready to do some competitions, with a saddle that didn't fit.

It also sounds like a vet hasn't seen the pony and diagnosis has been done by a physio, which the physio shouldn't have done. Your understanding of the SI joint being 'the last joint before the tail' is flawed (apparently told to you by a 'thermal specialist'. The gait analysis showing 'an odd yet even gait' usually means they are bi-laterally lame behind, not that they are not lame.

For the sake of the pony and your safety, please get a vet to examine this pony. I would book into the nearest main equine hospital so a full performance type workup can be done, rather than calling the local vet to your yard. It will likely work out cheaper in the end.

I would then listen to what the vet says and follow their advice.

 

[rabatsa]

When the vet diagnosed SI problems with mine he said that it was usually a secondary problem to something else. More often than not the hocks.

It sounds like your project needs a full work up to diagnose and then treat. Not cheap but essential. Mine retired three months after his diagnosis as that is how long the treatment lasted.

 

[Flicker]

I would also be advising a full lameness workup by an equine vet, if you haven’t already done this. SI dysfunction is manageable in some cases, but not ‘cureable’ because it usually arises following either injury or an arthritic change. Your vet should then give you a programme of gradual exercise to build and strengthen the core and topline, and depending on the severity of pain they may also prescribe pain relief to allow the horse to fully engage. Please don’t try all of this without expert help - you can do more harm than good.

 

[TPO]

From other threads, this pony was in regular work as you were working her several times a week and were ready to do some competitions, with a saddle that didn't fit.

It also sounds like a vet hasn't seen the pony and diagnosis has been done by a physio, which the physio shouldn't have done. Your understanding of the SI joint being 'the last joint before the tail' is flawed (apparently told to you by a 'thermal specialist'. The gait analysis showing 'an odd yet even gait' usually means they are bi-laterally lame behind, not that they are not lame.

For the sake of the pony and your safety, please get a vet to examine this pony. I would book into the nearest main equine hospital so a full performance type workup can be done, rather than calling the local vet to your yard. It will likely work out cheaper in the end.

I would then listen to what the vet says and follow their advice.

I read it differently (& in conjunction with the SI post in the vet forum).

The pony has been sold and the "project horse" in the posts is the mothers horse.

They bought it at 7 and it bucked then, partially as they didn't use fitting tack, then sent to someone else to ride where after every 20min session (making the assumption as this is written as a regular behaviour that they carried on despite horses discomfort) it could only go backwards.

They have had thermal imaging and a physio who has illegally diagnosed "SI disease".

Poster now has the horse as a "project" and is asking on here for a rehab plan.

Horse is 10 and they bought it aged 7. It displayed the pain behaviours as soon as they brought it home; it's now 3yrs later.

OP your mum needs to get a vet to this poor horse and get a full and proper workup done. If rehab is possible they will advise a rehab plan.

Do not try to "rehab" this horse without a proper diagnosis if what you've posted is true and accurate

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I read it differently (& in conjunction with the SI post in the vet forum).

The pony has been sold and the "project horse" in the posts is the mothers horse.

They bought it at 7 and it bucked then, partially as they didn't use fitting tack, then sent to someone else to ride where after every 20min session (making the assumption as this is written as a regular behaviour that they carried on despite horses discomfort) it could only go backwards.

They have had thermal imaging and a physio who has illegally diagnosed "SI disease".

Poster now has the horse as a "project" and is asking on here for a rehab plan.

Horse is 10 and they bought it aged 7. It displayed the pain behaviours as soon as they brought it home; it's now 3yrs later.

OP your mum needs to get a vet to this poor horse and get a full and proper workup done. If rehab is possible they will advise a rehab plan.

Do not try to "rehab" this horse without a proper diagnosis if what you've posted is true and accurate

Yes that's exactly how I read it.

The OP is school age and should not take this injured horse on as a 'project' now that Summer (the pony from earlier posts) has gone out on loan.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The other post about this situation.

Hey there!
So my horse had just gone on loan leaving me time to work with my mums 10 year-old gelding. He was backed and ridden normally at his stud farm but when my mother bought him (aged 7), she got home and realised problems: The first few times she tried to ride him - he bucked her off straight away (but I think this may have been saddle issues), then we sent him to a schooling livery and he could only work for around 20 minutes before going into a mad "wild mode" and after the 20 minutes he will happily go backwards - but not forwards.

We had a equine thermal specialist come to see him and she pointed out heat in his Sacroiliac joints (last vertabre before the tail bone).
He also a gait analysis - had a odd yet even gait but no lameness.
Aswell as being scoped for aulsors, clear.
None of this made any sense until we had a physiotherapist come to see him and she saw that his hamstring where very tight. She said it could be a Sacrol problem, like what the thermal specialist said.

As you can imagine, we've spent a fair bit trying to figure out the issue, he wasn't cheap in the first place either.

So my question is, have you ever had a horse with Sacroiliac Joint issues? How did you treat it?