hes not happy, where do i start?

weesophz

weesophz

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noticed the last couple of days that fox isnt happy to go faster than walk when being ridden.

hes absolutely fine at walk, ears forward looking at everything, but when i ask him to move up a gear the ears go flat back, and stay flat back the whole time hes going. was out a hack tonight with a friend and a lorry was coming behind us on a back road so we trotted to get to a place to let him pass, the whole time fox's ears were pinned back.

he's had his saddle checked a few months ago and refitted, his teeth are perfectly fine, checked up last month when he got his jags.

i dont know where to start with seeing what the problem could be. the first thing that comes to mind is that it could possibly be arthritis starting in his back legs, one always clicks in walk now, only in walk though..

hes always been a bit of a grump to ride but once he was going he was happy, but he doesnt seem right.

could it be arthritis or what else could i be looking at? thanks!
 
Is he worse in trot than canter? My boy has arthritis in his fronts and I know he struggles more in trot on the hard ground than he does in canter.
 
One of ours new ones went like this, vet & osteo found it to be digestion & gut issues making him very grouchy when leg was used to go forward. He's on the mend now but got so bad that I got of him & put my hands on the sides of his tummy & he was not happy..
 
If your in the south get Sarah bray to come and massage him. I had one of mine done last week as he didn't want to go into canter. He's now back to normal and so more chilled out. Its the best £40 I spent.
 
weesophz said:
noticed the last couple of days that fox isnt happy to go faster than walk when being ridden.

hes absolutely fine at walk, ears forward looking at everything, but when i ask him to move up a gear the ears go flat back, and stay flat back the whole time hes going. was out a hack tonight with a friend and a lorry was coming behind us on a back road so we trotted to get to a place to let him pass, the whole time fox's ears were pinned back.

he's had his saddle checked a few months ago and refitted, his teeth are perfectly fine, checked up last month when he got his jags.

i dont know where to start with seeing what the problem could be. the first thing that comes to mind is that it could possibly be arthritis starting in his back legs, one always clicks in walk now, only in walk though..

hes always been a bit of a grump to ride but once he was going he was happy, but he doesnt seem right.

could it be arthritis or what else could i be looking at? thanks!
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A hell of a lot can change physiologically in a month let alone three... Get saddle checked again, vet out to check him over, and a good physio/sports massage therapist also get farrier out to check feet... Then go from there... Basically a full mot. You do not say how old he is either... Within a month my youngster needed his teeth done again because he lost some caps and his teeth were sharp underneath... Check everything again and then go from there. No one here can diagnose your horse for you.
 
No point speculating at this stage - you'll only worry yourself silly.

If you're concerned, check back, tack and teeth. It's the mantra on here for a reason - you need to rule them out before you move on to the "bigger" issues. And for those, you need a vet. Nobody on here can diagnose your horse with any degree of certainty, and speculation is rarely good for the soul!
 
Vet. Don't faff with anyone else, vet out and let them advise you where to go next and where they think the issues are. It could be something tiny, or big and easily solvable, but you need a vet to tell you this...
 
thanks for the advice guys. QB sorry i should have said, hes a 12 yo ex racer. Bumper i was behind her when we were trotting, but he does it when we are working alone in the school too.
 
Vet first, all therapists need vet approval before they can treat any horse anyway.

Vet for a work up and then depending on what they find a therapist and perhaps an EDT. All good therapists will check your saddle fit and if required watch you ride.

Am I right in thinking that you're in Glasgow? Happy to recommend an EDT and some therapists in your area.
 
My one was like this fine in walk tense and unhappy in trot mixed with going lame and going off er hay. She has had X-rays, physio, saddle and dentist. Turned out she has flat pedal bones and very thin soles which we are working to solve now. It effected her whole body though especially through her back where she had been compensating on her feet.

Good luck with fox and hopefully it's something pretty simple :)
 
Agree with whoever said ulcers/vet - they need to be eliminated as being ok in walk but no faster is a classic sign I believe (going faster makes the stomach acid splash up where it shouldn't :().
 
Do you still have two sharers for him? if so have they mentioned the problem? It does sound physical but I guess there is the possibility that he could be stale or suffering from bad riding maybe?
 
thanks guys. skewby i was thinking his ulcers were coming back a a while ago, but he seemed fine again a couple of days before the vet came up to see him! vet said she can arrange a day for the specialist to come and scope the whole yard, so will look into this :)

v true lottie, will mention to vet aswell, though he doesnt have any problems with me picking them out, was pressing his frog and soles too as i was worried about an abcess but he didnt bother his arse. oh honey08 please dont mention the L word :(

welsh d nope only my one sharer thats had him for 2 years. didnt bother taking anyone else on. shes not mentioned anything to me, i text her to see if shed noticed a difference in him, she said he was grumpy but she said his mood was better after being ridden, this is the same with me.. she's still been doing canter work and jumping with him. hes never really been happy cantering tbh, but thats due to him being unbalanced i think
 
Whats he like tacked up and asked to trot on the lunge? If he's unhappy with that, what's he like trotting with no saddle or roller on the lunge?

If he's sore regardless then start with a vet
 
aside from all the usual checks being done.
Are you sure your horse isn't just being lazy?
You said its when you put your leg on to speed up.
But he's happy plodding along.

He could be lethargic because of the weather, heat, feed or even a virus or lacking something in his diet.


Start from the begining and checking everything.
Saddle, back, teeth etc, regardless of when they were last done.

I hope you get it sorted.
 
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