Am i the worst owner ever.....?

lennysmith

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..... for hoping Josie does actaully have something wrong with her back when back lady comes this afternoon?

I feel so bad for hoping there is, it's like I'm hoping that she's in pain!!
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Had her teeth done Saturday and there wasn't too much going on in there.

She's really not right, and getting worse. I wont get on her now as she's changed so much. She feels like she's going to bolt and buck any second. Her head tossing was so bad Sunday i got off and walked her back down the lane. Never once have I even felt the need to pull Josie up never mind get off her!

Guess I'm just hoping it's something physical that can be treated rather than a behavioural thing.

Wish us luck xx
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xx
 
No you arent. Physical problems are usually easier to solve than schooling / psychological issues
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You aren't the first and won't be the last owner to be hoping that a physio finds a problem in the back that will explain a behaviour issue
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she could have been cast in the stable overnight without you knowing a thing about it and ricked her back getting herself out again. The warmer weather has made a lot of horses want to roll more - esp as it's coat changing time as well (picking horsehair off jacket cuffs here !)
 
No, I completely understand. When Loops starts playing up I always hope that it's something physical that can be treated rather than to do with him not enjoying his work anymore or developing evasions.

I hope that it all gets sorted for you and you can solve whatever is causing the problem x
 
No not at all, I was the same last week and was so relieved when the physio found something on Patrick and I have to say he has been so much better since. Good luck!
 
Not at all - like everyone else has already said, physical issues are generally easier to treat than others x x x
 
No way, I was exactly the same with my horse. She was impossible to keep round and really really lent on my left hand. Couldn't fix it for hours of trying. I was so glad it turned out to be a back issue and a nice straightforward easy solution.
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I hope it works out for you.
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It is very interesting as i have been doing some diagnostic work with a vet on a couple of horses and we've had some long conversations on vices ,resistance and learnt behaviour.
I have been given a hunter to 'sort' he's alovely chap, bit stressy, but nice. Had a problem with mounting and then running backwards once working ; anyway to cut a long story short, he had a head shake after working for about 20 mins that is so bad he nearly put me through the fence! His ear would twist and it was almost like he had a fly in it.
We nerve blocked out the jaw high up just under the ear and he was a different horse. I had weight in both reins , not 20 tons in the right only , he started to let go in his back and was genrally much happier and relaxed.
On furher investigation, he had his gutteral pouches investigated, the one on the right fine, could get in no problem, the one on the left. could'nt get in. On xray the left pouch was full of 'stuff' dont know what yet but are now treating with antibiotics and pain relief, Rode him again yesterday and he is back to being a horse you can work and who wants to work.
For me the moral of this story is .. A horse really does'nt have the reasoning ability to stand in the box to think up methods to really p*** you off when you ride.
This horse resented the whole idea of being ridden because to him it = pain. So it is little wonder he ran backwards when taken to be mounted.
So whatever your problems with your horse i hope you are able to find the answer, its not always the obvious but i truley believe there will be an answer. So fingers crossed for you. Dont feel bad if the answer was some thing odd like i have described often when you deal with a problem every day you can't see the 'wood for the trees'. Thats why getting some one new to have a look can help.
 
What an interesting story. Thankyou.

I am sure she is uncomfortable somewhere, she just changed so quickly. Josie would have to practise being naughty for a good few weeks for it to be a naughtiness problem
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You shouldnt feel bad! It's only natural that you hope for a physical problem with a straightforward solution! What you need to be aware of that if it is a physical problem depending on how long its been there that behaviour may have become more ingrained as routine so you may still need some help or training towards riding when anything physical is solved. Horses are sensitive with great memories, sometimes just the memory of pain or discomfort can be enough to affect behaviour. So good luck with it all and think about some help, training or just moral support when it comes to getting back on!
 
Partoow, very interesting. Did he not show any other syptoms, i.e mucus draining from one nostril? I've been fortunate never to have experienced this so am interested to learn.
 
Oh sorry Josiejo, meant to say also, I hope your back lady finds the source of the problem, and don't worry, its not something you've done - I always think like that to - such a guilty concience with my horses - its only cos they can't tell you straight. Let us know what is was?
 
Hi ALWAYS_LATE , no there were no other really obvious physical symptoms. He had been sent back from a very well known and experienced showing/hunting person saying he was dangerous and to get rid. Thankfully the owner and i [she is very experienced horse woman herself and a vet] listened to what i had to say regarding his characture.He is on the whole kind and does not use situations as an excuse not to work. He is sensative, some animals have differing pain threshholds. The key has been us all trying to see things from the horses point of veiw not our human interpretation. He has presented with an unevenness in his muscles and the uneven connection would also be consistent with uneven build up of the muscles. The question was why was this so extreme and why did he resist straightening exercises so much? We had put him in a very mild bit and a drop nose band ;the drop nose band would have the effect of reducing the leverage in the jaw joint which is why i saw a little improvement. It is the fact that this vet spends alot of time managing top sports horese and works on prevention rather than just straight cure. We work a lot on preventative work.
A good example of this is foot balance issues frequently first presenting as a sore back. I have learnt always to question changes in behaviour or extreme reactions and like with my top horse slight changes in performance . I feel very lucky to work with such an amazing and knowlegable team of people and it is wonderful to develope a greater understanding of the horses we work with and produce.
So im sure for josiejo the back lady will be able to start the journey of improvement.
Sorry for babbling on its a subject that is fascinating
 
I hope you find out the problem.We bought a horse and within a week it was a nightmare ,the previous owner[dealer] came out and said we were feeding too much and being too soft.Then got on the horse and beat it up! We dropped the feed and rodeit verypositively[as soon as mounted trotted out of yard]it improved a bit but a month later I legged my daughter up at a show and it exploded breaking her leg.She never blamed the horse and told us to send it to a vet hospital,there they said it was back pain and he had £1000 worth of treatment and 4 months rest.When he came back to work we sent him to a professional event rider who within 2 weeks said get rid of him and arranged for a friend of his to buy him for an eighth of what we had paid for him.
He was again turned out as he had lost weight,within three weeks he died of liver failure,the vets never suspected it and we tried to do everything for him but couldn't risk my daughter being injured again.
I hope you find out the cause ,we were told the damage was done before we owned him but he was always trying to tell us he was in pain
 
you say she is head tossing - have you tried riding her in a nose net?

Before bloss got diagnosed with a pollen allergy she'd head toss like made when being ridden and try to charge off at every given instant just to try and 'get away' from the pollen.

This is prime time of year for tree pollen alergy aswell (which is the worst) Blossy is awful at the moment, i cant even leave her in her stable without a nosenet on all the time.
 
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