Help needed!

[Charliechalk]

I have had my horse for 8 months and for 7 of these months he hasn't been quite right. He passed a 5 stage vetting and for the first month everything was fine, took him out to some unaff dressage and he went really well. After about a month he was reluctant to canter, bucked if i ever got him into canter and was becoming difficult to bridle and mount. I immediately thought it was a back problem, the vet saw him and agreed he was sore in the back and suggested an Equine physiotherapists. He was trotting up fine at this point and ok on the lunge. Teeth were also checked by the vet, all okay. Physio saw him and confirmed he was sore in the lower part of his back, behind the saddle. About the same time i found out from the YM that he had become cast a few weeks earlier. Physio worked on him and returned a week late, confirmed he was ok. I then had the saddler out, saddle fine. He was still reluctant to canter and difficult to bridle and get on. A equine massage lady was visiting the yard and she gave him a couple of treatments, confirmed he was still sore in the back but much better after a few visits. Still the bridling, mounting and cantering problems continued. Called vet out again, lunged him and he wasn't quite right on a circle but ok with flexion tests. He suggested a bute trial. Nothing changed. Then went for a full lameness work up but found nothing. My instructor suggested a mctimmony chiropractor, he was very thorough, agreed he didn't look right and said his pelvis was out a little and made some adjustments to his poll. After 3 treatments he was better to bridle and mount and started bringing him back into work slowly, lots of long and low etc, everything fine untill i cantered him. He exploded bucking etc, got of him, took his saddle off and he was sore in his back, so phoned chiropractor and he came out a few days later at which point he wasn't that sore and he found nothing of any significance! He suggested i have the saddle checked again, which i did, all was fine, but decided that if he was sensitive in his back it might be better to try a lighter saddle. So i changed my leather one for my isabell werth, saddler fitted it to him. He went fine in walk and trot but still resisted going into canter. A friend suggested Bowen therapy which he now has had 4 treatments of and all was ok, begun to hack in walk and trot, long and low work in the school etc, but still won't canter when ridden and i have to work really hard to get him to canter when free schooled. On monday i tried to put his bridle on and it was a struggle, put his saddle on no reaction but i just couldn't get on him, tried for half an hour and just gave up.
Have spoke to vet and Bowen therapist and chiro and they just don't know what to suggest. Vet will come out again, but the thing is he is not lame. Im just so frustrated.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Pretty sure its not behavioural, have tried being really firm but this doesn't change anything.
Sorry for the essay, mini eggs for everyone who got to the end

 

[LouS]

Yes, had two vets and a physio give my mare the all clear, riding her felt like an explosion waiting to happen, so tense, really headshy and tense in general on the ground.

Got second well recommended physio and found she was incredibly sore in both shoulders, her poll and various neck muscles, different horse now.

I would get someone else to look at her, I know you've had a lot, but the problem clearly hasn't been solved.

 

[Charliechalk]

Thats interesting to hear because i have always thought that the problem was in his neck / poll area as whenever i take his bridle off he rubs his poll area and face on anything he can find. He even managed to rub his mane out in this area when i first had him but the vet said that it was probably sweetitch although he doesn't rub anywhere else! He also has got unequal muscle on each side of his neck and is very tense in the neck when ridden. Prefers to be long and low and will back off when i try to shorten the reins. Will get another physio out and see what they think. Thanks

 

[LouS]

Where abouts are you based, PM me if you want, I'm not going to bad mouth anyone on here. But just a warning that the first physio I used is very highly regarded in our area and the whole yard still uses him, yet he missed all of it in my mare even though she was quite clearly in pain. I just knew it in my gut, she was so tense. She passed a 5 stage vetting like this! So its not about soundness. Some of them just tolerate more, she had been out jumping etc with previous owner with all this soreness. I could just see the relief in her when I had the second guy out, she was just shaking her head, it must have felt so strange for her. The difference in the way she goes now is fantastic.

I've just learnt to trust my gut, but its sad when you trust a qualified professional and they let you down. I don't understand how he could have missed all of it, he literally just poked about in her back and watched her work on the lunge and told me there's no way she'd move like that if she was in pain . Poor little mare.