Advice please - bunny hop type canter

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Ellietotz

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Hello everyone.

Brief explanation, my mare ended up with a very sore back as my saddler who I previously trusted 'fitted' my saddle which turned out to not fit at all and cause some damage. She has been off for about two months and had physio sessions during with someone who is very reputable so I do currently trust them a lot. On the first session, she was very stiff on walk and trot up on her right hind, reluctant to stretch hamstring at first but got there eventually after a long session. Had a week off then lunged for 10 minutes every other day doing only walk and trot, started working long and low, looking to improve well. Had the follow up physio two weeks after the last, improving a lot and no longer looking stiff in walk and trot up but did have to be pushed into a fast trot on the lunge to stop her from what it seemed like ceasing up to not make her back hurt again. Continued the same program for a couple of weeks, lunging every other day for 10 minutes and increasing to canter eventually.
I finally have my saddle sorted after a long wait for my new saddle fitter as she is so booked up. Rode in it during the appointment, she really stretched her neck down after a few minutes after a little bit of reluctance and walked/trotted really nicely. We had a short canter on both reins and it was only until we cantered on the left rein that the back right didn't come forward properly and it kind of went at the same time as the inside leg like she was bunny hopping.
Physio came later that day anyway, wasn't lame or stiff in walk/trot up and was a successful session.
I lunged the other day in the saddle, a couple of days after the season, she was stiff again at first but after pushing her a bit more to see what would happen, she did eventually move properly.

Could this be a separate issue or just reluctance as she thinks it might hurt?

Thank you!
 
It sounds like time for the physio to refer back to your vet, it sounds to me as if there is an underlying issue that is causing her to keep stiffening up and they should not keep treating a horse that is not responding to treatment, it is possible it is remembered pain but as she has continued to stiffen up before you got back on I suspect there is more to it.
 
Hi,
Had the bunny hop thing with my horse in canter on the left...it was actually picked up by my trainer that my outside leg was coming forwards when actually she needed support from it...and my inside leg was being totes ineffective! Sorted out my legs...which sorted out the bunny hop which is a thing of the past.
Hope this helps :)
Bryndu
 
scats said:
Bunny hopping in canter can be a sign of PSD, SI and hock issues.
My horse started doing it and she had all three of the above.

I wouldn’t bother with the physio at the moment, I would get a vet.
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^^ yup, agreed. Hope it's nothing so serious OP but does sound like it's time to get the vet involved.
 
I'm a great believer in physio for niggles but you arent describing a niggle. You describing a lame horse showing symptoms of a number of conditions. Its vet time and I'd be changing physio as she should have referred you to the vet quite a while ago.
 
Ellietotz said:
And why is she only like this in the school but fine out hacking? :/
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Because you're constantly bending in the school, or because of the footing, or because schooling transfers the weight to the hind end or all of them.
 
ycbm said:
Because you're constantly bending in the school, or because of the footing, or because schooling transfers the weight to the hind end or all of them.
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But lunging is fine too. I know the vet will be able to tell me but I just don't understand why she's okay for lunging and hacking. Even in the school, she eventually started to work properly after the initial bucking.
 
Ellietotz said:
But lunging is fine too. I know the vet will be able to tell me but I just don't understand why she's okay for lunging and hacking. Even in the school, she eventually started to work properly after the initial bucking.
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SI issues often don't show up unless ridden.

http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-xmodnewsrss_detail/sijointresearch.html

The majority of horses in the study had SI joint region pain and hindlimb lameness. Although clear improvement in lameness in hand was seen in some horses after removing the source of pain in the lame limb, ridden exercise highlighted the persistence of another source of pain, which was sometimes worse after abolishing the lameness. This again emphasises the crucial importance of ridden exercise in both trot and canter when assessing lameness and poor performance.
 
It could be that she doesn't like the saddle and it's a separate issue. On the otber hand if it's something like arthritis somewhere she'll get better as she warms up, but it still needs a vet to check. I have seen bunny hopping canter for hocks, SI and stifles - the first may be something to work through with bute, but it certainly needs checking unless you can pinpoint it quickly and confidently to the saddle. Personally I'd get a vet first.
 
Ellietotz said:
But lunging is fine too. I know the vet will be able to tell me but I just don't understand why she's okay for lunging and hacking. Even in the school, she eventually started to work properly after the initial bucking.
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The extra weight in the saddle exposes the problem. After warming up she either tolerates the pain or it reduces.
 
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