gelding - scar tissue

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samiracle

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I have had the osteo out to my youngster, who has ongoing issues with his canter (bucking and cat-leaping) which eventually ended up with me spending 3 wks in hosp having my spleen removed !!!!!

He didn't find anything serious wrong with his back but he has found that when he was castrated it has healed badly and that there is a lesion on the right hand side which is causing pain - this would explain a lot of his behaviour...

Does anyone have any experience of this problem ?? - its not something that I've ever heard of !!

The osteo is going to try to 'release' it manually - if this doent work I'm wondering if it may need an operation of some sort
 
Gosh, poor you, can't risk that happening again...I'd get a good equine vet in to examine him straight away, ideally if you are already registered with an equine hospital, they may scan his abdomen and possibly take some digital xrays of the area and also his spine.
 
the trouble is we're in France and its not that easy to find a good equine vet here, never mind a hospital !!!!!!!
the osteo thinks that he can release it manually when he comes next time, but i'm not sure that the poor boy is going to let him do that - I may have to get him tranquilized.
It's something that I have never heard of before, but if thats what has caused our problems I am very happy to have found out about it
 
This is quite common and often the unrecognised cause of just the sort of behaviour you describe - it can also cause the noise geldings sometimes make at the trot.

If you feel the area of the gelding scar and it feels colder than the normal skin temperature, this can be an indication. Cant understand why your osteo had to make a second appt. though.

You can often release it by simply cupping your hand over the area and holding it there for a period, very gently beginning to move your hand as the area begins to warm up, in a circular, massaging motion, and increasing the movement within the comfort zone of the horse. It's not unpleasant for them, he shouldn't mind.

Or get a Bowen/Equine Touch practitioner to do it for you.
 
'Scuse my ignorance but what is the osteopath going to be "releasing"? If the castration site has healed badly I'm presuming the problem is scar tissue and/or adhesions. How is an osteopath (aren't they skeleton experts?) going to release scar tissue. Release it from what? Adhesions need to be surgically addressed with the cautionary note that further surgery can cause even more scar tissue and adhesions. If the osteopath would be working to gently stretch scar tissue then fine but, in the UK, he or she would need the OK from the vet first. And I would have expected such a stretching to take weeks or even months. Take care and try to get a proper diagnosis before you spend any more money. How long ago was your horse castrated? If it was years ago and this dangerous behaviour is new then I'd look for a simpler explanation eg saddle. For god's sake though, don't get on him again til this is sorted. Glad you're ok x
 
I was thinking the same thing as BoF. Scar tissue is essentially connective and soft tissue so release, if done, would surely need to be surgical? I fail to see how "cupping the area and moving in a circular fashion" can release scar tissue strong enough to cause pain. If it is adhesions they are usually stronger than the tissue they are attached to - which is why they pull and cause pain.

I have not heard of this before but it sounds perfectly reasonable as an explanation for pain - people get painful adhesions after surgery. However I would try to find a "proper" vet even if it takes a bit longer because they are hard to come by in France. A second opinion is never a bad thing:)
 
It would seem that the pain that occurrs with these adhesions is fascial pain, where the facia has been restricted by the underlying scar tissue, so it is perfectly reasonable that gentle stretching may ease and release the pain.

While I agree that veterinary permission is necessary for any intervention, an owner can massage their own horse, and I suggest that this is worth a try - it's certainly not going to hurt and may even help.

It has been successful in several cases I have worked with in the last few years.
 
Thanks for your comments everyone
It does make sense that this could be the problem but I am also a bit doubtful that anything the osteo can do would sort it out if the violent bucking that I've seen him doing on the lunge hasnt done it ?? - the reason for the second visit is that at the time he discovered it we were in the middle of a wet,windy, field as I cant get them home into boxes at the mo with my injuries (I'm not allowed to lead a horse yet) - will get a friend to help before the osteo comes back
He was gelded about 2 years ago and since I broke him in has had bucking fits in canter, but as he was not my horse at that point I couldn't get any sort of diagnosis - now he is mine and I've worked through the mental issues we are at last getting to the bottom of things - it has taken a long time as we just dont have the same access to equine experts here.
I will persevere with the osteo as he has at least given me some answers and then if we decide it needs some sort of surgical intervention I will have to take him to a vet hosp.........

Does anyone know what the correct term for this conditiona would be as I cant find anything on the internet
 
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