spotty_pony
...
As title.
A bit of background first. This is my friend's horse who I ride and look after. I have been riding him since he was 5 and he is now 8. He is a big 17 hands lad, pure friesian, and we mostly hack 3 times per week on average and have done some schooling in the past.
When I first met him, he had a locking stifle issue predominantly thought to be because of him being kept in a lot at previous yard and with him growing and the muscle not yet being strong enough to support. We managed to sort this issue with regular work and strengthening exercises and he also had the muscles injected last year to tighten the ligaments.
What we have noticed is when in walk, both under saddle and in hand and also in the field, his back legs give way every now and then. It is worse downhill, and sometimes happens when going from trot to walk too.
Vet came and has pinpointed the issue to his hip/SI area and says stifle is no longer the issue. She suggested a course of physio first to try and sort. He felt great after the first session and had another one a week later and all felt good. Physio said there was quite a lot of tightness in the back end and he had to have his pelvis adjusted. I have been working him as usual. A while back some may remember that I had issues with him not wanting to go forward. I presumed thi was a confidence issue as he is quite a spooky horse so we went back to basics and long reined him out and built on it until we could eventually hack anywhere again. The behaviour was almost like napping but there was no rhyme nor reason to it - it could happen away from and also towards home. He would plant, kick out and sometimes rear and go backwards.
I thought we had got past this stage but the other day we were out and I was on the way home when I asked him for a little bit of lateral work in walk as I sometimes do. He planted his feet, kicked out and we had a bit of a battle to send him forwards. I gave him his head and rode him through it but I am now questioning whether this behaviour is down to being asked to step under more behind and him not being comfortable doing it. We have booked another physio appointment for Thursday so will see what she says - he did fall over in the field last week running about in the wet but it didn't seem like he hurt himself but it could be this?
I am thinking this will probably end up being more of a veterinary investigation but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this before. It is a new one for me!
cake if you got this far! Sorry it's long!!
A bit of background first. This is my friend's horse who I ride and look after. I have been riding him since he was 5 and he is now 8. He is a big 17 hands lad, pure friesian, and we mostly hack 3 times per week on average and have done some schooling in the past.
When I first met him, he had a locking stifle issue predominantly thought to be because of him being kept in a lot at previous yard and with him growing and the muscle not yet being strong enough to support. We managed to sort this issue with regular work and strengthening exercises and he also had the muscles injected last year to tighten the ligaments.
What we have noticed is when in walk, both under saddle and in hand and also in the field, his back legs give way every now and then. It is worse downhill, and sometimes happens when going from trot to walk too.
Vet came and has pinpointed the issue to his hip/SI area and says stifle is no longer the issue. She suggested a course of physio first to try and sort. He felt great after the first session and had another one a week later and all felt good. Physio said there was quite a lot of tightness in the back end and he had to have his pelvis adjusted. I have been working him as usual. A while back some may remember that I had issues with him not wanting to go forward. I presumed thi was a confidence issue as he is quite a spooky horse so we went back to basics and long reined him out and built on it until we could eventually hack anywhere again. The behaviour was almost like napping but there was no rhyme nor reason to it - it could happen away from and also towards home. He would plant, kick out and sometimes rear and go backwards.
I thought we had got past this stage but the other day we were out and I was on the way home when I asked him for a little bit of lateral work in walk as I sometimes do. He planted his feet, kicked out and we had a bit of a battle to send him forwards. I gave him his head and rode him through it but I am now questioning whether this behaviour is down to being asked to step under more behind and him not being comfortable doing it. We have booked another physio appointment for Thursday so will see what she says - he did fall over in the field last week running about in the wet but it didn't seem like he hurt himself but it could be this?
I am thinking this will probably end up being more of a veterinary investigation but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this before. It is a new one for me!
cake if you got this far! Sorry it's long!!
