Broncing Pony - In Pain or Just Naughty?!

[KillarneyISH]

Hello

My 19yr old welsh c pony seems reluctant to go forward, often getting his head down and threatening to bronc or buck when transitioning into trot (accompanied occasionally by not trotting at all for a while) and even more so from trot to canter. He has recently bucked and bronced a few times with both me and my young sharer. He can also be quite nappy out hacking when alone, with a variety of riders!

His back is done regularly as he is sensitive backed. His teeth are done, feet are good, I ride him in a Christ lamfelle pad so saddle fit is not a problem (unless the pad is hurting him in some way).

The only two options I’m left with are he needs a second opinion on the back or ulcers. But he is not a textbook ulcer type.

He has been worse since we moved yards in December but this does correlate with him being in more work and getting fitter. He is generally quite a sensitive type, or at least he has been since I bought him a year and a half ago - he had been passed from
Pillar to post for a year or so prior to me getting him.

Just wanted some opinions and if anyone had experienced anything similar.

Sounds like what I experienced with my new pony - he went from a very good pony to pretty spooky and resistant over a couple of months when we started working him. A vet chiropractor determined that his saddle had too narrow a tree and too narrow a channel, and also did not fit his short flat back. A pad will not help with a saddle that just doesn't fit. For us, a change in saddles, with time off from riding and using an Equicore system to strengthen his core while his back was recovering has changed him back to the pony he was before. I also put him on Gastroguard after a fecal blood test was positive.