LisaCarismo
New User
Hey guys!
First of all: English is not my native tongue, and even though I have some proficiency in English, I usually never converse about horses in English, so please forgive me if some things I'm going to say are expressed poorly.
I have a horse, 8 years old, that I bought 3.5 years ago. He was 4 then, and I was no where near a newbie then! I got him because my old horse died of colic, but this old horse, I got him when he was 5 and I was 13, and we fought our way up in levels, until I taught him tempi changes and similar stuff. I also competed successfully in dressage competitions until the level where counter canter is introduced (don't know how that class is called overseas.)
However, my sparky, the "new" horse, is a bit stubborn. He is a good horse, but I have had problems from the start. He is sensitive, but won't react to the leg the way i was used to from other horses. 3 months after buying him, he started napping! And ever since, it has never gone away! He will nap in the indoor arena, and outside arena even worse because it doesnt have fencing and he will just run backwards out of the exits with me!
We tried a lot of things over these last 3 years, and there were always phases were it was getting better, even some days without one incident at all! But those phases never last more than 2-3 months, and the next "bad "phase just keeps getting worse each time! I tried getting help from various trainers before, and also other, more courageous riders riding him! However, I noticed that with other riders, he will be very angsty and they need to apply only 1/10 of the pressure for him to already move, not because he's happy to do so but to "run away" from their pressure because he's fearful of them.
All of my trainers have either come to the solution that I need to beat him until he forgets, give him to someone professional to fix it, or have just told me to sell him. You guys see, he is the last thing I have from my mom who died in 2022 when I was 22 years old, and I do love him even though riding is so frustrating.
I have noticed that whenever "a bad phase" kicked in again, meaning phases with napping that won't be resolved by perseverance or applying much pressure, he did have some medical problems.
I have tried various saddles over the years, fitting very well and not fitting, never made a difference , tried doing yoga, focused on my seat as much as you can do with a horse that won't comply. Obviously, chiropractics have also seen him. He does have arthrosis in his neck, between C6 and C7. The vet once gave him a shot for that into the joint. His gait got better when lunging, but he never 100% stopped the napping after that. Also last year, I had him treated for back pain due to a saddle illfitiing that year, but even after the back wasnt painful anymore after bute treatment and rest, he would continue napping. At the same time, I had him treated for stomach ulcers because he showed some signs of stomach pain, which dissolved after 28 days of gastroguard, but napping still persistet!
Some treatments have shown to reduce napping, but never fully! Recently we did have an unusual long lasting good phase, which was interrupted by 1 bad week, but I figured he had something twisted, but after the chiro treated him he was back to good! But ever since 3 weeks or so, he started napping again so badly, and that one lesson my instructor hit him with the whip from the ground and then he reared vertically. Now she is my ex instructor.
Now some details to the napping:
It only every occurs once I either ask for trot, or he gets the hang that I will soon ask for trot. When I ride him with the sweat rug in walk, he won't do it. Then, he will do it excessively at the start of a lesson. Ever since a year or so, I will have someone accompany me from the ground who will use the whip , as if they were lunging him, whenever he stops to help me get him forward. But recently, even that only works partially. but something odd: he will ALWAYS keep getting better and better during the ride, and in the end, he will ALWAYS be perfectly normal, responds to everything perfectly. I can trot and canter wherever I want and do some exercise. However, the next ride we will START COMPLETELY ALL OVER again! He never remembers! Without help from the ground these days, I do not manage to get him to move at all.
I've noticed its worse when he hasnt pooped. Unfortunately, he never poops in motion. Never in the meadow, never on the lunge, never while riding trot. Best I ever got was a poop in walk. After pooping, it often is way better. But when he stresses himself out, he just doesnt poop during the ride and keeps tightening up.
When I lunge him using a cavesson, he NEVER stops (unless he's pooping, but he will always do it during warm up on the lunge never in trot or canter)
However, whenever he has some uncomfortable times regarding stomach or neck I presume ( eg in times of cold weather or stress), he will show discomfort on the lunge in the trot for the first 5-10 minutes. But he never stops or naps when lunging.
Im slowly loosing my faith. Nothing I ever do makes a difference. Nobody knows how to help. I feel helpless. Unfortunately, my barn is living hell with people who are toxic and the living conditions for the horses are not good. Too short turnout, very bad hay, no adequate arenas, overall stressful atmosphere. But I'm still in University and my dad pays the horse bills, and he loves this barn, so I'm not allowed to change barns until I make my own money in hopefully 2-3 months when I graduate.
Next steps I'm planning:
- have my vet scan his neck again and maybe give him a new shot into the neck for refreshing
- do a gastroscopy and treat stomach again
- giving him away for 2-3 months to a pro rider, who will ride him alone for 2-3 weeks to get him sensitive again (but only in my presence!) and then still rides him 2-3 days a week and the other days they will give my lessons of how to handle him
- Im also thinking of getting him tested for PSSM /MIM
These are my last straws but require waiting as I first need a job.
Sorry, it got very long, but its a very detailled problem. I hope someone reads up until here, I can also provide a video link if someone wants that?
Thanks in advance, Lisa
First of all: English is not my native tongue, and even though I have some proficiency in English, I usually never converse about horses in English, so please forgive me if some things I'm going to say are expressed poorly.
I have a horse, 8 years old, that I bought 3.5 years ago. He was 4 then, and I was no where near a newbie then! I got him because my old horse died of colic, but this old horse, I got him when he was 5 and I was 13, and we fought our way up in levels, until I taught him tempi changes and similar stuff. I also competed successfully in dressage competitions until the level where counter canter is introduced (don't know how that class is called overseas.)
However, my sparky, the "new" horse, is a bit stubborn. He is a good horse, but I have had problems from the start. He is sensitive, but won't react to the leg the way i was used to from other horses. 3 months after buying him, he started napping! And ever since, it has never gone away! He will nap in the indoor arena, and outside arena even worse because it doesnt have fencing and he will just run backwards out of the exits with me!
We tried a lot of things over these last 3 years, and there were always phases were it was getting better, even some days without one incident at all! But those phases never last more than 2-3 months, and the next "bad "phase just keeps getting worse each time! I tried getting help from various trainers before, and also other, more courageous riders riding him! However, I noticed that with other riders, he will be very angsty and they need to apply only 1/10 of the pressure for him to already move, not because he's happy to do so but to "run away" from their pressure because he's fearful of them.
All of my trainers have either come to the solution that I need to beat him until he forgets, give him to someone professional to fix it, or have just told me to sell him. You guys see, he is the last thing I have from my mom who died in 2022 when I was 22 years old, and I do love him even though riding is so frustrating.
I have noticed that whenever "a bad phase" kicked in again, meaning phases with napping that won't be resolved by perseverance or applying much pressure, he did have some medical problems.
I have tried various saddles over the years, fitting very well and not fitting, never made a difference , tried doing yoga, focused on my seat as much as you can do with a horse that won't comply. Obviously, chiropractics have also seen him. He does have arthrosis in his neck, between C6 and C7. The vet once gave him a shot for that into the joint. His gait got better when lunging, but he never 100% stopped the napping after that. Also last year, I had him treated for back pain due to a saddle illfitiing that year, but even after the back wasnt painful anymore after bute treatment and rest, he would continue napping. At the same time, I had him treated for stomach ulcers because he showed some signs of stomach pain, which dissolved after 28 days of gastroguard, but napping still persistet!
Some treatments have shown to reduce napping, but never fully! Recently we did have an unusual long lasting good phase, which was interrupted by 1 bad week, but I figured he had something twisted, but after the chiro treated him he was back to good! But ever since 3 weeks or so, he started napping again so badly, and that one lesson my instructor hit him with the whip from the ground and then he reared vertically. Now she is my ex instructor.
Now some details to the napping:
It only every occurs once I either ask for trot, or he gets the hang that I will soon ask for trot. When I ride him with the sweat rug in walk, he won't do it. Then, he will do it excessively at the start of a lesson. Ever since a year or so, I will have someone accompany me from the ground who will use the whip , as if they were lunging him, whenever he stops to help me get him forward. But recently, even that only works partially. but something odd: he will ALWAYS keep getting better and better during the ride, and in the end, he will ALWAYS be perfectly normal, responds to everything perfectly. I can trot and canter wherever I want and do some exercise. However, the next ride we will START COMPLETELY ALL OVER again! He never remembers! Without help from the ground these days, I do not manage to get him to move at all.
I've noticed its worse when he hasnt pooped. Unfortunately, he never poops in motion. Never in the meadow, never on the lunge, never while riding trot. Best I ever got was a poop in walk. After pooping, it often is way better. But when he stresses himself out, he just doesnt poop during the ride and keeps tightening up.
When I lunge him using a cavesson, he NEVER stops (unless he's pooping, but he will always do it during warm up on the lunge never in trot or canter)
However, whenever he has some uncomfortable times regarding stomach or neck I presume ( eg in times of cold weather or stress), he will show discomfort on the lunge in the trot for the first 5-10 minutes. But he never stops or naps when lunging.
Im slowly loosing my faith. Nothing I ever do makes a difference. Nobody knows how to help. I feel helpless. Unfortunately, my barn is living hell with people who are toxic and the living conditions for the horses are not good. Too short turnout, very bad hay, no adequate arenas, overall stressful atmosphere. But I'm still in University and my dad pays the horse bills, and he loves this barn, so I'm not allowed to change barns until I make my own money in hopefully 2-3 months when I graduate.
Next steps I'm planning:
- have my vet scan his neck again and maybe give him a new shot into the neck for refreshing
- do a gastroscopy and treat stomach again
- giving him away for 2-3 months to a pro rider, who will ride him alone for 2-3 weeks to get him sensitive again (but only in my presence!) and then still rides him 2-3 days a week and the other days they will give my lessons of how to handle him
- Im also thinking of getting him tested for PSSM /MIM
These are my last straws but require waiting as I first need a job.
Sorry, it got very long, but its a very detailled problem. I hope someone reads up until here, I can also provide a video link if someone wants that?
Thanks in advance, Lisa
