Feeling stuck

J_sarahd

J_sarahd

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As some of you know, Shadow was diagnosed with bilateral hind PSD in May this year along with flat plantar angles. We have been rehabbing, quite successfully for the past few weeks. We have done 6 weeks of walking and 1 week of trotting.

However, I’m a bit stuck. I noticed his saddle wasn’t fitting him well. It’s just a cheap Wintec that he came in that I’ve had checked twice since being with me. It was changed to a MW in November/December last year and just reflocked at the second fitting a few weeks before he was diagnosed. It was always my plan to have it checked during the early stages of rehab anyway. However, I recently noticed it just wasn’t fitting - he has chunked up a lot since it was last checked (gone from looking like a 2 year old to looking like a green 6 year old connemara). He has been off ridden work since I noticed and is thankfully getting it checked today.

But I have also noticed an increase in reactivity to being touched. It seems worse over his flanks, lumbar and belly, but he has a general dislike for being touched. I can groom him without a reaction, but I have to go slowly. He isn’t as bad if he was a headcollar on and he is fine in the field or if I touch him during one of our in-hand walks.

Another thing I’ve noticed, which may be a red herring, is he tends to stand with his right hind under slightly more so than his left. As in, left hind is stood perfectly but right hind is more under his body and I have yet to see it the other way round. I have seen him stand squarely behind and not camped under though.

Is it likely a reaction to the saddle not fitting right? Hind gut issues with the autumn flush (our grass is luminous)? Ulcers? Time off has either aggravated the suspensory or shown a new problem?

I’m driving myself crazy. I’ve bought him a supplement to help his hind gut and obviously will be straight on the phone to the vet if it either doesn’t get better with the supplement/saddle/physio or anyone sees a massive red flag that I’m missing. He is doing well in himself in every other way - before his break, the trot was so much better than before; more forward, less resistance and much more even. Annoyingly though, the vet who did his PSD diagnosis and treatment has moved.
 
I think you've already identified the probable likely culprits. Saddle, and downstream issues from that, or the gut. I think I wouldn't start looking for anything more nefarious until he's seen the physio as well as it could just be a tightness or compensation that would be easily sorted. Very hard NOT to drive yourself insane but rehab changes a lot and you want that, even if it sometimes throws a spanner in somewhere. Focus on the really good progress, you will sort the little niggles as they come ❤
 
Thank you! You’ve said what I was hoping to hear and what the “sensible” side of my brain is saying. I’m just a massive overthinker and have been driving myself a bit crazy, convinced he has kissing spine, major stifle issues, the works!
 
I've got gut flare ups here with the grass flush and 2 ponies who think electric fencing is optional. I can definitely feel a slight change in right hind stride so they are back on their peptin supplement.

I think gut, physio, saddler before panicking!
 
J_sarahd said:
Thank you! You’ve said what I was hoping to hear and what the “sensible” side of my brain is saying. I’m just a massive overthinker and have been driving myself a bit crazy, convinced he has kissing spine, major stifle issues, the works!
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Literally had the same chat with a friend yesterday, after having to have it with myself over the weekend! It is a constant battle to be watchful enough to spot what needs to be spotted without losing your whole mind!
 
SEL said:
I've got gut flare ups here with the grass flush and 2 ponies who think electric fencing is optional. I can definitely feel a slight change in right hind stride so they are back on their peptin supplement.

I think gut, physio, saddler before panicking!
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Phew glad I was on the right sort of track by thinking it might be gut flare up. And interesting about the right hind - that was his worse suspensory, but the link between the gut and the right hind is important.
smolmaus said:
Literally had the same chat with a friend yesterday, after having to have it with myself over the weekend! It is a constant battle to be watchful enough to spot what needs to be spotted without losing your whole mind!
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Honestly, I’d spend every single penny I ever owned at the vets the way my mind works. It’s gone in favour of Nova and Shadow in the past but I need to remind myself that every negative behaviour isn’t a catastrophic degenerative condition! Some things have causes that are more easily (and cheaply!) resolved than a trip to the vets and to work through those first before sending him in for a full work up!
 
J_sarahd said:
Phew glad I was on the right sort of track by thinking it might be gut flare up. And interesting about the right hind - that was his worse suspensory, but the link between the gut and the right hind is important.

Honestly, I’d spend every single penny I ever owned at the vets the way my mind works. It’s gone in favour of Nova and Shadow in the past but I need to remind myself that every negative behaviour isn’t a catastrophic degenerative condition! Some things have causes that are more easily (and cheaply!) resolved than a trip to the vets and to work through those first before sending him in for a full work up!
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Yep! I am still not over the shame of calling the vet out for a workup when pony just had a touch of thrush in a front frog that I was already treating that explained everything 🙃 but I would still rather be this way and only cause extreme mental distress to myself than not notice something 😂
 
Thanks everyone - saddle was checked yesterday and he’s gone from a MW to a W so it’s giving me some relief that it is likely to have caused some, if not all, of the problems I’ve seen. She commented that he was weak behind the saddle and not using his core properly in the ridden bit (which was very short, especially the trot) but then I guess how can he be expected to use his core/build muscle behind if the saddle is uncomfortable. She did say I would probably need a new saddle when he fills out even more but we can worry about that later.

He has physio today to hopefully help with any muscle soreness the saddle has caused and hopefully slowly pick him back up by the weekend. I have no plans to even canter him this year so doing another week or so of walk is no bother.

I will still obviously supplement him to help with any gut issues he may be having and keeping a close eye on him. But definitely feeling less frantic and panicked!!
 
I feel your pain. Wig has just started cantering in his rehab and the paranoia is real. EVERYBODY - vet, farrier, physio, 3 instructors, 2 of whom are also list 1/2 judges - tells me he's sound but I'm convinced I can still feel him being off.

We had the opposite saddle issue, I had to buy him a new one when he came back into work as he'd put on so much weight and got very round. I bought a cheap second hand Wintec and he's already gone down 2 gullet widths. He hasn't lost much weight but has changed shape dramatically. I'm hoping we'll be back in our normal saddle very soon as I hate the Wintec!

I noticed he was getting tense when I mounted a while back (holding his breath and tensing all his muscles, the worst he will ever do, bless him) and had everyone out straight away. Saddler put him down a width, physio and vet declared him excellent. I know I just have to crack on and stop being so worried but it's much easier said than done.
 
I know there's a lot of focus on walk exercises to improve the core - and that's essential in rehab - but I tend to find their strength really builds once canter is introduced.

I noticed my smaller cob lost some topline over summer when the ground was hard. I will only walk her on hard ground because of her old injuries but she's starting to look a lot better now we can do faster work. So don't panic, just keep plodding on!
 
Annagain said:
I feel your pain. Wig has just started cantering in his rehab and the paranoia is real. EVERYBODY - vet, farrier, physio, 3 instructors, 2 of whom are also list 1/2 judges - tells me he's sound but I'm convinced I can still feel him being off.

We had the opposite saddle issue, I had to buy him a new one when he came back into work as he'd put on so much weight and got very round. I bought a cheap second hand Wintec and he's already gone down 2 gullet widths. He hasn't lost much weight but has changed shape dramatically. I'm hoping we'll be back in our normal saddle very soon as I hate the Wintec!

I noticed he was getting tense when I mounted a while back (holding his breath and tensing all his muscles, the worst he will ever do, bless him) and had everyone out straight away. Saddler put him down a width, physio and vet declared him excellent. I know I just have to crack on and stop being so worried but it's much easier said than done.
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Definitely! It’s so hard to not overthink everything when you’re mid-way through rehab. But like smolmaus said, I’d rather be this way than be someone who ignores every sign of discomfort in their horse.
 
Physio came yesterday and it was so eye opening! He started off a bit grumpy with her (but not as bad as he usually is and it was just a face pulled in between mouthfuls of grass nuts/hay) but when she did his lumbosacral area, oh my god it was like she switched him off. He just stood there falling asleep and even stretched out his hind legs. Afterwards, he was as nice as anything to handle. So we have definitely found an area of tension but she said the rest of him was good, which is such a positive as before his PSD diagnosis, he was tense EVERYWHERE (understandably).
 
my connie x tb can be like this when his tummy isn't right, I've always thought it was due to having ulcers in the past and now having a sensitive gut! but i've recently heard of KPU disorder and this sounds like it could explain a lot about why my boy has been so sensitive his whole life! so would say, maybe look that up and see if you think that might be consistent with what yours is feeling?
 
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