COLD BACKED - Dropping to FLoor ...please help

B

b8xey

Active Member
Joined
1 May 2011
Messages
42
Visit site
Hi all, a few days ago i posted a message about a Westphalian broodmare i had, and the possibilty of trying to ride her. i was gonig to go back to basics and start from square one and see what happens. i know the chap that had her before me, know he never rode her, and i cant contact him, however he got her from a big proffessional yard.
Ive been informed that some one has seen photo;s of the Mare being ridden by some one at the big posh yard, aparantly, quite a young, small girl.
i was also told when this chap had her, when he tried to get on her, she 'dropped to the floor'.
Now ive not had many dealings with cold backed horses, and i wondered if this is pretty much what a cold backed horse does? as well as lunging forward dropping etc?
Now would this also account for the fact a small, slight girl could ride the Mare fine? i apologise for my utter nievity, i just want to know what im dealing with, to know what i can do for the best for the Horse and for me if i get on her. i was under the understanding that cold-backed horses could be lunged before riding and were generally ok.
Is this cold backed, bad manners or should i get this mare vetted before trying to do anything more with her?
Plus if the small girl got away with it, do you think i would? the chap was a big bloke 6ft about 15 stone and i weigh 10.5 stone, the mare is 16.2hh, and has had 2 years off as she has had to lovely foals. would i be better off leaving her as a brood mare or is this something that can be addressed and worked round?
any advice would be fantastic, as i feel a little out of my depth with this, thanksxx
 
Firstly I'd have her checked out for other conditions such as kissing spines, if all else is ruled out then ensure the saddle is 100% correct in fit. Once all that is done girth up slowly, start with it loose then walk a few strides then put up a hole then walk again, and so on. It could be cold backed or it could have been a bruised back or kissing spines, but 2 years off if brusing would have sorted it out. I'd also invest in having her massaged so you can keep blood flowing through the back muscles well, and they can tell you if she starts to feel tight through it.
 
You can do several things, ask the last yard she was at if she will make a riding horse
You can send her to be re-broken and pay someone to find out if she will ever make a hack, or whatever you want to do
You can re-break, doing all the work yourself.
You can keep her a brood mare
You can sell her as a brood mare
You can sell as a project horse.
It sounds as if you are not confident to just lunge and jump on, and neither would most people knowing what you have said about her.
There has to be a reason for her being put in foal, and guess what, a common reason is that they are not suited to the job they were designed for.
 
Last edited:
Hi, thank you for that, i never thought she could be rode, so i have done little with her, only a little bit of lunging etc. Really apreciate your advice with this. i will make sure the saddle is fitted correctly and take your advice. im having the vet out soon to passport the foal, so i will seek their advice with the things you have said, it will be a long steday process to, with her not being in work for two years. my friends horse i think had suspected kissing spine, but she is still ridden, would you think this was along those lines as apposed to being cold backed? ive never had any dealings with it before, so i am sorry if i sound a little stupid on the subject, it was the 'dropping to the floor' that confused me. Thanks
 
Mrs D123, thank you for that. 4 years ago i fell off my horse and broke a vertabrae in my spine, im ok now apart from not having confidence!! She is a big horse for me too, im about 5f 2inch and she is 16.2, and quite a large buiild so i just want to be careful what i am doing, i have had people offer to get on her for me, but want to do what is right by them and the mare also, that why i thought it was worth asking on here.
Off the floor she is an extremly resepctful girl, she is excellent to handle and be around, and if it was not for that then i would not even consider trying to do mre. She is 11years old, and so i thought if there was any chance to further her education to try now, i know age is not completly on her side but its worth a shot.
Ive lunged, free schooled and put a saddle on, no girth as she was early in foal, but she did all of this with no hesitation, no bad manners and she is very respnsive, wish also makes me suspicious why she was not rode by the chap that had her but as far as i know he was a novice.
either way i cant contact him, and i dont actually know of the yard she came from other than on her vaccs records it was in Mkt Rasen. many thanks for your help.
 
And yes i know brood mares are normally broodmares as they cant be ridden which was one of the reasons i was unsure about trying her as a riding horse.xx
 
As others have said get vet check ,start her again etc.
I did have a slightly cold backed mare that just one time went down when I got on,my fault I rushed and mounted as soon as I had tightened girth,:eek:
She never did it again so I must have slightly caught her skin I think.
S it is possible yours had a similar experience with her last owner,but do be careful,I had had mine for over a year before it happened so trusted her and continued to ride.
 
Hi, a very useful link, thank you. i think by spending a lot more time with her, and judging her reaction to certain things i may do, like girth saddle etc, if i feel she looks uncomfortable in any way, i will get the vet out to her and get a proper opinion, i do not want to cause her pain or discomfort, thanks alot.x
 
The trouble is that when riding an unknown quantity you need both skill and confidence in depth, if she is pretty quiet and you want to get her going, I would suggest you do all the ground work necessary to bring her up to a reasonable level of fitness, that is it say about six to eight weeks, by which time she should be doing thirty minutes of road work,[long reining] and thirty minutes in the manege, including cantering on the lunge and jumping.
You can then send her to someone for three weeks who will be able to do some work on her due to her fitness, and fully assess her.
 
be positive - the hardest thing is just that i have had no dealings with this so dont really know what im up against or in for!! i would not even consider it if i did not trust her, which i do, she is just one big chunk of a girl and i was worried im going to be faceplanting in the menage, which i dont need with my back! really apreciate all the help, i think with some work etc, i can hopefully weigh up the situation a little before i do get on her!xx
 
MrsD, yes it is the unkonwn part that bothers me the most, and being quiet off the ground does not mean she will be that way if i get on her. She has been out of work for 2 years, and so everything that you said was my plan, and to do it gradual, hopefully build up her muscle etc and her confidence as she is a little nervy, nothing dangerous, just unsure. i have confidence with her off the ground, it is on the back of an unknown horse when my bottle plummets!! im willing to put as much time into her as she needs, and long rein etc, she is good on roads too, which is a bonus. but i think your idea about sending her away could be the best, as if i am nervy getting on her, it is not going to help either of us, some one confident and who knows what they are doing is going to be alot better for her. thank you.x
 
Yes that is your problem you dont know her so well and would not see or feel any "warning signs" as you would if you had previously ridden or seen her ridden.
All the advice given is good and I would get someone else to sit on first. It will be money well spent either way.
Good luck.
 
My mare once did this when someone went to get on her - we immediately had her checked over, she wasn't "cold backed" she had a problem with her back & pelvis and it was a reaction to the pain, a short course of treatment, change of saddle fitter and new saddle, and careful return to work over just a few weeks did the trick - she was a different horse and worked much much better for it. I would always start with a vet check "just in case" - rule out any other problem, then go from there.
 
Yes, to be honest i think that may be the best way, get her checked over first, then address if there is or isnt a problem, i can get the saddle fitter to come out also and take it from there, hopefully i wont injure myself if i make sure she is nt in any pain, plus, its only fair on her to mane sure she is ok, i dont want her to be in pain or uncomfortable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top