Gutted! Advise please clever HHO peeps

0ldmare

0ldmare

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5 weeks ago I rode my mare and she felt unsound in trot (ok in walk but not as forward as she normally is). She was sound without a rider and no heat or swelling in legs so I got the (very good) physio out who found a lot of locked muscles and also thought the saddle might not be fitting too well. So had the saddle fitter out and saddle reflocked. Physio came back and said she was much better. For one reason or another I couldn't ride for a couple of weeks until today.... She is still not right!
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This is what happens (all in a straight line):

Walk - a bit stuffy

Trot on right diagonal: stuffy but not obviously lame

Trot left diagonal: lame

Sitting Trot: similar to right diagonal, not bad (but I do sit very still/dont bounce in sitting trot. (I'm not the best rider, but sitting trot I find easy
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Without rider: sound

Help! What would you do? What do you think it might be?
 
Time for the vet tomorrow I would think - it is obviously not improving so needs investigating. Hope it isn't too serious.
 
She is sound on the lunge (no rider)

I was riding her on a short hack on the roads today so don't think its the surface
 
have you tried her on the lunge with and without her saddle? sounds like its a back issue if its the addition of the rider that is causing the problem. get the vet and get a full lameness work up done- pricey but at least you should get to the bottom of it. fingers crossed its nothing serious
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Good point diggerbez, no I only lunged her without a saddle. Trouble is she is such a loon on the lunge its a bit hard to tell! (she thinks its massively good fun to roar round with a huge grin on her face rather than a work exercise
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But I think you are right the vet is probably now needed. Just very difficult when she is sound when not ridden...

By the way how is your lovely youngster? I have been enjoying reading about his progress
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If you are certain that she is sound when not ridden, I think you should look at the saddle again. You could try lunging with/without saddle (although I see what you say about her looning around on the lunge). It might also be worth you asking someone else to ride her so that you can see what happens then, just in case you maybe sit more to one side or the other and are affecting her way of going (don't want to offend but trying to suggest a way forward
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Obviously if none of this sheds any light then the vet is the next step, although I bet s/he will be puzzled too.
 
Try lunging on a harder surface and then on a softer surface, see if there are any noticeable differences.

Defo time for a vet visit m'thinks.

Do you trust your saddler implicitly? It took me four goes to find one that has actually made my horses happier under saddle.
 
I would get the vet out to be honest, no-one on here can second guess without seeing her.
From your name if she is old have you got her on a joint supplement already?
If not try one, we swap every time we finish a tub to a new one, and it seems to work better that way.
If it was anything like pus in her hoof it should have shown itself by now, plus it wouldn't disappear when riderless, and if the back person found lots of tightness in her shoulder it may still need treatment, I'm currently having acupuncture for tendonitis and it gets better then returns slightly less painful each time, so she may need more treatments.
It sounds good there is no heat or swelling but your Vet may find something you've missed.
Time to accept a visit is inevitable I'm afraid.
Good luck with the diagnosis.
 
Thanks for the extra replies, yes I think the vet is probably going to be making a visit this week
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She is no spring chicken, she's 18 so not impossible that this may be a factor.

Also, no I don't massively trust my saddler. He can't have been here more than 10 minutes and didn't even do up the girth. Also didn't come back to recheck the saddle after adjusting it which seems odd, but my friend says he never does. I'm certainly considering a 2nd opinion on the fit as it does seem so odd she is fine without a rider.

Also I'm not offended at all that it might be me sitting crooked, but the only thing is that she hadn't been ridden for 5 weeks and I could tell within a few minutes that she wasn't right (we know each other well!)
 
yeah my youngster is good thanks OM- he's just winding down now for his summer holidays- he's going to my trainers to play in the field with his surrogate mum (her broodmare)
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he'll have about 3/4 weeks off whilst i'm away and then will be brought back into work (hopeful not forgetting everything he's learnt so far
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) and will be going to Camp at Somerford Park at end of August so hopefully will get his XC career started then
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he now has a brand spanking new equissage machine
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which seems to be making a difference to his tenseness when getting on...maybe your mare has heard and would like you to buy her one?
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