BBP
Well-Known Member
I decided after my last lesson, and after a general feeling of all not being 100% with the bonkers black pony, I would start the year with a bit of an MOT for him. I was convinced that I was sitting wonky, making his saddle pressure uneven and causing him discomfort. So having seen a recent post here on thermal imaging I decided to get him done out of interest.
His current issues under saddle are that we are completely incapable of a soft relaxed forwards canter. Often to the right I get ears pinned back in the transition and throughout the gait, sometimes grinding to a near halt, flexed to the outside with a head tilt and generally not that happy for such a willing pony. He has no real engine and doesn't really use his back end. This photo actually looks a lot better than he is:
I always new there was some issue but he has had vet, physio and saddler all of whom said no real problems, perhaps my wonky back affecting him but nothing sinister.
Interestingly, the thermal images didn't pick up a significant hotspot in relation to his saddle or my riding. What it did pick up however was a hot spot along his spine, a la kissing spines type, and also a hot band across his thorasic and pelvis area, both before and after exercise: Left is before exercise, right is after ridden exercise.
So two days later I had a new physio out, told her I had had him imaged and she said to let her have a feel of him so her judgement wasn't clouded. Sure enough, she picked up tension across his thorasic area, with poor development of the glutes on one side and over developed on the other and tightness in his inner thigh. All show that he is trying to avoid using his right hind (which interestingly is his popping fetlock...cracks like a gunshot at times) and isn't physically able to bring it under him properly. She said his inverted posture (a lifetime of head up gawking at stuff...like so...)
plus the blocked back end, is leading him to compress his vertebrae in the area of his back shown in the image, causing inflammation of the multifidius muscles. She said his poll was pretty locked up and that he was likely to head tilt and flex left. All in all physically unable to work in a soft relaxed outline because he cant round his back and engage his quarters. Bingo. I showed her the images and it all makes complete sense.
Poor lad, he tries so hard but his body is all locked up. So from now on its massage pad prior to work, long reining over poles and through mazes, pole work, stretching work and carrot stretches and back lifting stretches back at the yard after exercise.
I'm so glad I decided to get some other experts out to get extra insight into his health. The pictures have really helped me to visualise what the physio is saying. I can't wait to see how he muscles up and works once we have done some serious rehab work!
This is a summer shot, but pretty similar to his musculature now:
Thought other people might be interested in case they also have horses who aren't working that well.
His current issues under saddle are that we are completely incapable of a soft relaxed forwards canter. Often to the right I get ears pinned back in the transition and throughout the gait, sometimes grinding to a near halt, flexed to the outside with a head tilt and generally not that happy for such a willing pony. He has no real engine and doesn't really use his back end. This photo actually looks a lot better than he is:
I always new there was some issue but he has had vet, physio and saddler all of whom said no real problems, perhaps my wonky back affecting him but nothing sinister.
Interestingly, the thermal images didn't pick up a significant hotspot in relation to his saddle or my riding. What it did pick up however was a hot spot along his spine, a la kissing spines type, and also a hot band across his thorasic and pelvis area, both before and after exercise: Left is before exercise, right is after ridden exercise.
So two days later I had a new physio out, told her I had had him imaged and she said to let her have a feel of him so her judgement wasn't clouded. Sure enough, she picked up tension across his thorasic area, with poor development of the glutes on one side and over developed on the other and tightness in his inner thigh. All show that he is trying to avoid using his right hind (which interestingly is his popping fetlock...cracks like a gunshot at times) and isn't physically able to bring it under him properly. She said his inverted posture (a lifetime of head up gawking at stuff...like so...)
plus the blocked back end, is leading him to compress his vertebrae in the area of his back shown in the image, causing inflammation of the multifidius muscles. She said his poll was pretty locked up and that he was likely to head tilt and flex left. All in all physically unable to work in a soft relaxed outline because he cant round his back and engage his quarters. Bingo. I showed her the images and it all makes complete sense.
Poor lad, he tries so hard but his body is all locked up. So from now on its massage pad prior to work, long reining over poles and through mazes, pole work, stretching work and carrot stretches and back lifting stretches back at the yard after exercise.
I'm so glad I decided to get some other experts out to get extra insight into his health. The pictures have really helped me to visualise what the physio is saying. I can't wait to see how he muscles up and works once we have done some serious rehab work!
This is a summer shot, but pretty similar to his musculature now:
Thought other people might be interested in case they also have horses who aren't working that well.
