Arnica / Headaches / Sacoiliac - help!

[Angelbones]

Had super physio lady out to see 13.2 pony for various reasons but the main one being he has been ridden in a tight standing martingale for 4 years and seemed unable to work without it and I was concerned about poll / neck / back etc.

Amongst other issues she said he has sacroiliac problems and has given us a work regime to build up his back muscles, get his hind legs moving under him etc (chambon + + ).

She told us to give him arnica tablets in his feed so I've been on the internet looking into it but have found several warnings not to feed it internally - is this right? Would it depend on what strength etc? She was talking about the ones you'd take yourself - does anyone else feed arnica to their horse and if so then what type / doseage?

She also said he has a permanent headache and it is possible to actually feel the heat to one side of his forehead - Anybody suggest what to do about this?

Any advice on how to help him with the sacroiliac rebuilding?

Chambon on order - apparently they only come in one size so will have to do lots of knots etc (yawn) and am worried about how to get it fitted correctly for him (have also ordered a book on chambons to enlighten myself but first hand knowledge would be helpful).

I am so cross with the previous owners for causing this all, the poor pony continued to do a good job for them but he must have been in pain / discomfort - just thinking about it all makes me feel sick.

Many thanks peeps

 

[dozzie]

You cant ride in a chambon, only lunge. Sorry if you already knew this but thought i would make the point just in case.

RE-Sacroiliac/SI
Did the physio give you any in-hand exercises for your horse? If not it would be worth asking her to show you some. I have some that I use but it is impossible to explain them!

With SI you have to encourage the horse to work through his back correctly so lots of long low work. Also you have to insist on the horse going forward and tracking up all the time. Try not to give him time off. A day or so is ok but from now on you will need to maintain his fitness all year round. With my mare I have found that I have to balance the schooling with hacking and inhand work/lungeing although I find she is able to be lazy on the lunge and hates being restricted.

I was told that hill work as a main part of a fittening program for SI was not a good idea but other people have been told differently. So I do some hills if I have to but dont do lots! Use of gadgets such as pessoa/chambon also met with mixed opinions.
The other thing you have to realise that with SI your horse will be compensating and this leads to pressure on other joints which can lead to problems in other legs, or in the neck. So maybe feed him a supplement as a preventative measure. I found ciderapple vinegar helps mine. I tried cortaflex but it didnt really help.

You also need to keep a close eye on the saddlefit. Maybe have 4 monthly checks for a while.

It takes a long time to get a horse back but with the right programme it can be done. You cant cure it but it can be managed. You just have to help your horse to cope with it through his own strength and fitness. Make sure you always warm up slowly, with at least 10 minutes of walk, insisting on forwardness. And always do a cool down in walk. I also try to keep my horse out as much as possible. If she is stabled i try to turn her out for an hour or so before i ride her. Just so she can loosen up a bit.

I dont know what behaviour your horse was displaying and unless you had real issues it may not be as bad as mine was. So you may find it is easier to help him.

Hope that is a bit helpful!
DM

 

[Angelbones]

Thank you dozziesmummy for that!

The pony, as said, came strapped down in a standing martingale and I like my neddies to be 'freed up' from all that jazz if at all possible. I have bought him a year before my daughter needs him so fortunately have the time to work on him. Off came the gear and he was ok to begin with and then started chucking his head up and down, and jogging etc. He wasn't lame or apparently in pain. So I started with saddle, bit, dentist etc and was starting to think I'd bought a headshaker, so called in the physio.

She believes that this is him finding his head, stretching, balancing, and of course reacting to pain/discomfort/weakness in his back, hence her diagnosis. To me it all sounds really bad but I have to keep some perspective. He was tracking up quite well, so much so in trot (a very 'hunter' pounding trot which we didn't like) on hacks that I got overreach boots for him as he hadn't been used to shoes before either. He doesn't track up so well in the school, in circles etc, but then he's been ridden in straight lines out hunting for the past 4 years so I didn't expect him to be particularly good laterally etc. Physio also found very sore muscles down near side hind leg that actually made pony kick out when she worked on him, and the corresponding off side fore has heat around the pastern and he isn't placing that foot properly, again the compensating thing going on. He is very built up around the neck, chest, shoulder, but all very tight knitted muscles which we did some work on and will continue to do more. She told us lunging over trot poles with left side raised to get that near hind working, chambon (not ridden), very slow walking on a long rein on hacks, slow trot up hills but always walk down, anything to get the back end working underneath him and build up the back muscles. And yes she did say that when he gets 'jiggy' to use leg to push him forward out of it, without restricting his neck/head at all, and lots more that I need to speak to her about again in order to make up a schedule of day to day rehab. It sounds (possibly) that your poor horse was worse than this pony, but it is encouraging to know that you able to manage the condition, and I think she is lucky to have you to care for her. Best wishes,

 

[ThomasTank]

Look up Helios in Tunbridge Wells and order your arnica from them....they should have a phone number on their web site

I would personally give arnica 30 in tablet form...pop one in a feed each day.
Dont touch the tablets, just pop onto the lid and put in feed....Have one yourself if you fall off

 

[k9h]

Arnica is perfectly fine to give internally. You only do not apply the tincture form to an open wound.
As TT said I would use 30c if you are going to be on it for some time. If not so long then I would go for a 200c or even 10M

Personally I would not give it with feed especially if there is garlic, mint or herbs in it as this will null & void the Arnica.

Just pop the tablet into his lip or in a small piece of apple or carrot & then give it to him.

I use this place & they are really helpfull & quick on delivery though you can get 30c from all chemists & boots.

They specialise in animal remedies
http://www.crossgatesfarm.co.uk/

 

[dozzie]

Definitely not as bad! I had the full bucking broncos! Still have issues with canter transitions and going forward although this is much better. I went through the saddle, bit. teeth and she was also cleared as sound by the vet but the physio found the problem. MRI scans confirmed it! It is the most frustrating thing! Your physio is the best person to help you.

 

[sunlover]

Ha! How is vesuvius? I had a flashback when reading thomasthetank re Arnica and distinctly remember gouging out hollows in apples to carefully insert arnica (without touching it). Sorry I didn't remember earlier xxx

 

[leo_04]

The physio told me my youngster had mild SI pain but really needed to start using his back end to reduce problems as he gets older. I use the pessoa but only loosely and it really encourages him to use his back end. Also long reining over poles has been good and lots of hill work (walking on a long rein), my physio is due out again in a few months so I will be interested to see what she thinks now.

With regards to arnica I really like it, I use it if I have jumped on hard ground, gone for a long hack or if he's banged himself in the field/stable-which seems to be a regular occurrance at the moment! I usually feed two tablets in his feed-I get them from boots usually but Holland and Barrett have a sale on at the moment so might be worth checking them out. Good luck.