AmyMay
Situation normal
Which could be ulcers or saddle.
Ears back and not going forward in canter
- Thread starter Na1998
- Start date
Which could be ulcers or saddle.
AmyMay
Situation normal
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
If you've already done spine x rays then it sounds like you've been worried about this horse pretty much since you bought him. I'm very suspicious that you just haven't found out what's causing him pain yet. As he's 17.3 and very green then I assume he's also young and I think I would be tempted to turn him away for a year and let him grow into that enormous body. How old is he?
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Na1998
Well-Known Member
What do you mean?
Na1998
Well-Known Member
No I had pre purchase X-rays before I bought him along with a 5 stage vetting. He had an injury after I purchased him which was a cartilage tear, he had this operated on at a specialist equine hospital with one of the top vets in the UK. He then became ulcery due to the stress of 8 weeks box rest, there isn’t much more to it.
Na1998
Well-Known Member
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
So you x rayed his spine as part of the pre purchase exam?
How did he get a cartilage tear? How old is he?
Na1998
Well-Known Member
Yes I specifically asked for his back to be xrayed to ensure he didn’t have kissing spine before purchasing as well as the rest of the insurance requirements, I have all my horses throughly vetted before purchase due to their value. Cartilage tear was from slipping in the field and he is 7
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
He is very big and not yet full grown. If it's not fixed by a change of saddle I would think about turning him away for a while.
Ulcers, ime, are usually secondary to other pain.
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Ulcers, ime, are usually secondary to other pain.
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Na1998
Well-Known Member
He won’t live out, he absolutely hates long spells of time in the field. He just gets stressed so runs around and injurs himself
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Then if the saddle and a new round of ulcer treatment doesn't fix things I don't see you have any option than another performance workup.
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Na1998
Well-Known Member
Yep will give the ulcer treatment a go and swap back to old saddle
scats
Well-Known Member
I had similar problems with one of mine and it turned out to be PSD.
She went from swishy tailed and ears back in canter to standing bolt upright when asked. Be careful.
She went from swishy tailed and ears back in canter to standing bolt upright when asked. Be careful.
Red-1
I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
I think I have this as a timeline...
Bought last year, 6yo, fully vetted, initially went well in a saddle you have (or was he uncomfortable then?). How much work was he in at this stage? Was he able to canter well?
Had a stifle injury that needed an operation, was operated on. Was this from falling in the field? Or, was it from general lameness?
Was box rested after operation.
Back in work, presuming there was an issue here as he then was fitted with a new saddle? Or was he still fine at this stage? How much work was he in, was he fit and able to canter well after the operation at all? Or, how far down the re-fittening route was he in before he started to show issues?
New saddle.
Horse now showing signs of pain in trot and canter.
If he was working well in canter before, I would suspect he still has issues with the stifle (many of us who have had operations on a joint know that they can be fully operated on and 'fixed' but are still residually painful for some years, even, after. I broke my knee as a 15 year old and have had issues ever since as the joint was compromised in the process, even though it was supposedly 'fixed.'
Or, the new saddle doesn't fit.
Or, ulcers from either pain or being kept in and having stress, or both.
Or, there was an issue from the start (not knowing how he went before).
Or, injured falling in the field, if this was separate from lameness.
More information would be needed, I think, which is why someone has said the post doesn't add up.
Bought last year, 6yo, fully vetted, initially went well in a saddle you have (or was he uncomfortable then?). How much work was he in at this stage? Was he able to canter well?
Had a stifle injury that needed an operation, was operated on. Was this from falling in the field? Or, was it from general lameness?
Was box rested after operation.
Back in work, presuming there was an issue here as he then was fitted with a new saddle? Or was he still fine at this stage? How much work was he in, was he fit and able to canter well after the operation at all? Or, how far down the re-fittening route was he in before he started to show issues?
New saddle.
Horse now showing signs of pain in trot and canter.
If he was working well in canter before, I would suspect he still has issues with the stifle (many of us who have had operations on a joint know that they can be fully operated on and 'fixed' but are still residually painful for some years, even, after. I broke my knee as a 15 year old and have had issues ever since as the joint was compromised in the process, even though it was supposedly 'fixed.'
Or, the new saddle doesn't fit.
Or, ulcers from either pain or being kept in and having stress, or both.
Or, there was an issue from the start (not knowing how he went before).
Or, injured falling in the field, if this was separate from lameness.
More information would be needed, I think, which is why someone has said the post doesn't add up.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
Agree as above.
If OK, suggest only cantering away from the school, until stronger and better balanced.
If OK, suggest only cantering away from the school, until stronger and better balanced.
Toby_Zaphod
Well-Known Member
Everything you've said sounds like pain from somewhere. I have my normal vets who attend & do the normal treatments, innoculation etc. If I get a loss of performance I have a different vet to see him & he is a specialist in lack of performance. y appointment with his was moved forward 24 house because he's had 2 horses fly in from Europe for treatment aso he's the real deal. I believe he had an extra year at university to study this issue. He sorted out both my horses & they are like different animals now. There are bound to be specialists in your area who offer this service although yoy don't say where you are in the country. I'll message you giving the details of the specialist I deal with. He sorts out many issues with pro rider's horses.
Na1998
Well-Known Member
Hey, yes mostly correct. No didn’t buy a new saddle because of issues, I just purchased a slightly nicer one. I had the vet scan his stifles 2 weeks ago to rule anything out and he said the scans were fine and no inflammation showing. He was injured from falling in the filled so he had an operation to see what the issue was. There was no issue at the start, worked fine and then did the injury shortly after purchasing him. He since returned to full work after this and the vet said he was fine to start work again after the stifle tear. I rehabbed him very carefully and hacked to build muscle up for 14 weeks and hacked 4-5 times per week. Starting at walk then gradually introduced the trot and canter over that period and he was absolutely fine
Na1998
Well-Known Member
Hey, I actually use a specialist lameness equine hospital in the UK. There are well known for being one of the best, I have full confidence in them. But please pm me and I’ll have a look
mariew
Well-Known Member
So when did he start being reluctant in canter? I'm guessing after new saddle? If so that's where I'd start.
If before new saddle, them maybe something else.
Where does this behaviour happen in relation to vet being out 3 weeks ago saying he was fine? Did you call him out for this issue?
It's all a bit confusing. I'd swap saddles and see what the reaction is. If still no good call vet again. Or if behaviour started before new saddle just get vet out. If old saddle frees him up then new saddle clearly doesn't fit.
If before new saddle, them maybe something else.
Where does this behaviour happen in relation to vet being out 3 weeks ago saying he was fine? Did you call him out for this issue?
It's all a bit confusing. I'd swap saddles and see what the reaction is. If still no good call vet again. Or if behaviour started before new saddle just get vet out. If old saddle frees him up then new saddle clearly doesn't fit.
blitznbobs
Well-Known Member
Snap
Red-1
I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
So he was back in work and this all started after the new saddle?
Sorry, the timeline is still confusing.
I would go back to the old one and leave it a few weeks, doing steadier work, before asking for canter again. If it is the same, then performance work-up.
Na1998
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone, thought I’d update he is almost a week into ulcer treatment and I asked him to canter today for the first time again and he was so much better, happily going forwards and being very much a normal horse which is brill news, looks like it was ulcers. We gave him a handful of chaf before riding as well. Much happier all round 
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ownedbyaconnie
Well-Known Member
This is great but I'm another who believes and has seen first hand that ulcers are 99% of the time secondary to pain. You'll finish this treatment and within a few weeks be back to square one. I've literally just been through thisHi everyone, thought I’d update he is almost a week into ulcer treatment and I asked him to canter today for the first time again and he was so much better, happily going forwards and being very much a normal horse which is brill news, looks like it was ulcers. We gave him a handful of chaf before riding as well. Much happier all round
my mare has been on ulcer treatment for about 12 weeks and they didn't start to noticeably improve until we found and treated the underlying problem.
ownedbyaconnie
Well-Known Member
Also just to add, how big is your school? A green 17.3hh horse is going to struggle to canter on a circle if the school is small. Personally I'd be sticking to cantering out in straight lines for a while.
Na1998
Well-Known Member
It’s a huge school, 60x40 on a good surface. We did only canter down the long side, we also have a gallop track which is straight so will take him on that when the weather improves
Na1998
Well-Known Member
I’ve had the vet fully check him over, and he is a specialist too. He said there is absolutely nothing wrong with him, perfectly sound and ready to get going again but I’ll take my time and wait until ulcer treatment is completedThis is great but I'm another who believes and has seen first hand that ulcers are 99% of the time secondary to pain. You'll finish this treatment and within a few weeks be back to square one. I've literally just been through this
Na1998
Well-Known Member
Also just to add, my vet believes the reason the ulcers are back is due to not weaning him off the omeprazole, there is a lot of acid rebound so not ideal to just stop it. This time we will wean him off it slowlyThis is great but I'm another who believes and has seen first hand that ulcers are 99% of the time secondary to pain. You'll finish this treatment and within a few weeks be back to square one. I've literally just been through this
MereChristmas
riding reluctantly into the sunset
Not sure if this applies to all horses given omeprazole but I wasn’t allowed to ride my pony until he was ulcer free. i.e. after the follow up scoping.
Na1998
Well-Known Member
I’m aloud to do light work/hacking but wanted to see if there was any difference with being on the omeprazole, vets were happy for me to check
MereChristmas
riding reluctantly into the sunset
I’m aloud to do light work/hacking but wanted to see if there was any difference with being on the omeprazole, vets were happy for me to check
I expect all cases vary