Advice needed: possible ulcers? or complications from injury?

[redsnapper]

Sorry for using my first post to ask for opinions/advice but with the vet coming tomorrow, I'm trying to work out what questions to ask/ things to suggest and I was hoping the wealth of experience on this board might be able to help. Really sorry this is so long, but I wanted to paint a full picture.

I have just got back from helping my parents move house and took my pony with me, as I was there for a month. Whilst he was in his temporary home, he suffered an injury to his left hind, a little below his hock. He was never seriously lame on it and the vet prescribed antibiotics and bute, which reduced the swelling almost immediately. The wound is healing up nicely now, though still a little swollen. He finished his antibiotics course 3 weeks ago tomorrow.

I rode him a few times whilst we were away and he was initially a little stiff and reluctant to bend in the school, but fine out on some very slow-paced hacks.

Then last Thursday he became very reluctant to go forward, stopping and backing up, spinning and threatening to buck. This is VERY unlike him - his normal reaction to things he doesn't like is to go faster, not slower. However, as my sister also had a ride on him that day I thought he might just be a little unsettled (she was on the lead rein as she hasn't ridden in years) and maybe playing up a little.

The following day he went on a faster hack and was fine to go forwards into walk, trot, and canter - in canter however, his breathing seemed heavier than usual. I didn't have to use my leg much as there were horses in front of us, so it was more a case of holding him back than asking him forward.

We returned home (4ish hour journey for him in the horsebox) on Sunday and yesterday I did some groundwork with him and he seemed fine. Today, however, I rode him and he behaved exactly as he had last Thursday. I asked my friend to get on him (she has ridden him previously) and she agreed that he definitely did not feel normal. I am 100% sure this isn't naughtiness. He is fine to walk around, but as soon as you ask him to go faster he stops and becomes very resistant.

He was girthier than normal today, though he has always been quite girthy and will sometimes (seemingly at random) be more stroppy than at other times. He has always been quite sensitive round his stomach.

These things and his reluctance to go forward, coupled with the fact he has recently spent quite a long time travelling make me wonder whether his issues might be ulcer related. However, he has been turned out 24/7 since mid-May bar the first night he was away from home (when he did get quite stressed), he is fed an exclusively fibre diet and is not in anything like proper hard work. His coat is shiny and he loves his food.

There are a few other things: he has the odd lump here and there which look like they might be a slight reaction to fly bites. And weirdly, the skin on the left side of his face seemed a bit taut today - the outline of his cheekbone/jaw was visible even when he wasn't chewing: again not normal, though I have no idea if that's connected with anything!

So I guess I'm asking whether:

a) the injury to his leg could be causing this reluctance to go forward, despite the fact he's not lame?

b) whether he could have gastric ulcers, without the loss of appetite/condition etc?

c) if there's any other reasons you could suggest?

Thanks so much for reading this, and I would massively appreciate any help/advice/shared experiences you can offer.

N.B. His back has been checked very recently, as has saddle.

 

[Birker2020]

I was actually thinking of azoturia (pronounced azz oh too rear) but I may be way out on that.

http://www.equinehospital.net/azoturia.htm for a link to symptoms particularly as in the clinical symptoms section it lists the increased respiration, reluctance to move and stiffness that you describe.

If this is the case you should put your horse on electrolytes for a few days, and cut down on hard feed if you do not ride the horse, not on the day but the day(s) before. If the wee is dark coloured or red then this is indicative of Azoturia. The horse may have a condition called PSSM which is more serious but the vet can take bloods to test for this.

Of course it might not be any of these things, and something simple like a brusied foot or corn or something.

Incidently girthiness is normally (but not always) a symptom of a horse with back pain (sometimes Kissing Spine but not always) and sometimes it just might have sore muscles due to an ill fitting saddle which causes the muscles running down from the front of the saddle to the girth (forgot name) to become sore. See what your vet says but please let us know the result!!!