Horse short behind on canter

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dickybobx

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Hi
I am longreining my fiive year old and was doing little beit of canter on ciricle work today. she is fine on the left rein but on the right.. she is bucking then once in canter disunited and short behind .what do you think this may be? she seems to be reluctant for me to lift her back legs also =[

thanks
 
I have had this problem with my five year old horse. Really not bring one hind leg through, he was also spooking a lot. I had the Chiro Vet this week, he was very sore in the back. At five they are prone to problems like this as they are still building muscle and still growing. I am lucky to be able to call in someone who is both a vet and a chiropractor, as well as doing acupuncture, who is also approved by my vet. I would not leave this as without the correct treatment it will not heal it will only compound and get worst. My horse was treated and given time off and is now back under saddle on light work and I have taken the hint his body has given me and he will be on light work, with time over over the winter, before starting to up the game late next spring. They do need time to grow into themselves at times. That is imo.
 
I would second (third? fourth?) the vet, but I would also check the saddle fit, as if it is a bit close, bending laterally or longitudinally may bring it into contact and over time cause avoidance behaviour.

I have known a change in saddle "cure" this with no further schooling with three different horses over the course of a few weeks. With all of them the saddle appeared to fit when stationary but did not in locomotion, when a horse can change shape as it carries itself differently, and as the horse bends the side of the wither can be pinched.

Hence always using a saddler who watches horses ridden as well as standing still. With the last one we had to go to the trouble of a computer bluetoothed to a pressure pad to find it was pinching right back under the saddle, next to the spine.
 
Definitely get in touch with a vet :) ringing the vet doesn't mean there's something catastrophically wrong with your girl, it just means something's up and you need a bit of advice. The cure could be something as simple as rest and relaxation.
 
dickybobx said:
Just anxious it's something bad and that will be her not be able to ride. I was feeling before and she is sore over pelvis area
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Well just not knowing what is going on/ignoring it doesn't mean it isn't there/is going to get better. Much more chance of that if you get her looked at and treated.
 
Perhaps get a chiro out to have a look. It maybe purely down to a minor strain or where she's still growing but given as you have felt that she is sore and she's disuniting and bucking you need to get it checked. A chiro will cost around £50 to come out and if the chiro feels something else is going on will tell you that the vet needs to come out.
 
But a chiro/physio should get vets referral before treating anyway. Especially if not seen the horse before/not a recurring problem.
 
chiro's and physios don't need a referral from the vet, just the vet's permission to see the horse. The reason for that is so no further harm can be caused. They rarely say no unless they have reason to suspect there is something else going on or an underlying reason such as a pregnancy or operation recovery where it wouldn't be suitable to do a treatment
 
ester said:
But a chiro/physio should get vets referral before treating anyway. Especially if not seen the horse before/not a recurring problem.
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I have a chiro coming on Wednesday. She knows the horse and has seen her before. I will try contact the vets but it will b Monday now before I can as there not open tomorrow
 
I really don't get why people don't just get a vet out rather than getting a chiro out first. Chiro's are not qualified to diagnose veterinary problems.
 
I do agree with what you are saying Moomin but why get a vet when they are likely to tell you to get a chiro/physio to check them over. A qualified chiro/physio will refer to the vet anyway if there's something more serious going on. Most vets tend to be quite clueless when it comes to problems in the hip area unless it's a blindingly obvious lameness problem. A horse on my yard has been under the vet and the chiro for a pelvis problem. He has had scans and injections into his pelvis after a referral to a veterinary hospital where all that was discovered was abnormal bone growth of his sacroilliac region. He also went onto tildren and other medications.Thankfully they were insured as the costs were rather huge for all of that. She still has no real answers though as to what the actual problem is, just a horse she hasn't been able to ride as he was bucking. She got the vet thinking it may have been kissing spines originally. He is now having regular chiro treatments at the decision of the treating vets with a view to attempt rebacking him but nobody has any answers as to whether it will be successful or not.
 
spike123 said:
I do agree with what you are saying Moomin but why get a vet when they are likely to tell you to get a chiro/physio to check them over. A qualified chiro/physio will refer to the vet anyway if there's something more serious going on. Most vets tend to be quite clueless when it comes to problems in the hip area unless it's a blindingly obvious lameness problem. A horse on my yard has been under the vet and the chiro for a pelvis problem. He has had scans and injections into his pelvis after a referral to a veterinary hospital where all that was discovered was abnormal bone growth of his sacroilliac region. He also went onto tildren and other medications.Thankfully they were insured as the costs were rather huge for all of that. She still has no real answers though as to what the actual problem is, just a horse she hasn't been able to ride as he was bucking. She got the vet thinking it may have been kissing spines originally. He is now having regular chiro treatments at the decision of the treating vets with a view to attempt rebacking him but nobody has any answers as to whether it will be successful or not.
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That's the point - a vet CAN diagnose, a chiro can't. A vet may not find a cause, as in your example, but neither will the chiro if the vet can't. Therefore, a vet should always be the first port of call to try and establish and treat the cause (whether that be with the help of a chiro then fine). If the vet then suggests the chiro step in then fine. But IMO people should not be going to chiros straight out without having a vet look first.
 
spike123 said:
I do agree with what you are saying Moomin but why get a vet when they are likely to tell you to get a chiro/physio to check them over. A qualified chiro/physio will refer to the vet anyway if there's something more serious going on. Most vets tend to be quite clueless when it comes to problems in the hip area unless it's a blindingly obvious lameness problem.
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I've never read such a load of bunk in my life.
 
spike123 said:
chiro's and physios don't need a referral from the vet, just the vet's permission to see the horse. The reason for that is so no further harm can be caused. They rarely say no unless they have reason to suspect there is something else going on or an underlying reason such as a pregnancy or operation recovery where it wouldn't be suitable to do a treatment
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Yes I meant permission,

I think a vet would have reason to suspect given the way this horse is presenting that something else could be going on and should examine first.

I'm a huge chiro/physio fan and have used them before a vet visit before to help eliminate a muscular cause to a lameness but this sounds potentially complex in a young pony - not an old slightly stiff one like mine.
 
Moomin1 said:
I really don't get why people don't just get a vet out rather than getting a chiro out first. Chiro's are not qualified to diagnose veterinary problems.
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Totally agree with this. They can even make the problem worse. I can never understand people who get a physio out before a vet. It because of money but id you cant afford a vet you shouldn't have a horse
 
My young horse started with same problems , he has sacroilliac pain and is under the vet. Hes booked in for bone scan tomorrow as I feel theres secondary problem ,without proper diagnosis and plan he wont get better on his own.Im working with physio and vet to strengthen SI area, its very common in young horses to get inflammation.You might be delayed in enjoying your horse in early years but it will prolong his working life to get it diagnosed and treated early. believe me I know how disappointing and upsetting this is .
 
amymay said:
I've never read such a load of bunk in my life.
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Really! Do you have to always be so rude and blunt with your replies. Have you never heard of a vet telling someone to rest a horse if they are lame and the owner doesn't wish to carry out further investigations. While I agree that a vet is really the best option not every horse owner wants to go down the expensive route straight off with investigations. Im on a big yard and most owners regularly have chiro and physio visits to their horse. I have seen on more than a few occassions where they have come out and a horse has been lame and they have told the owners to get the vets in. They won't treat a lame horse but one showing stiffness is a different matter and any good qualified (notice the word qualified) chiro/physio will tell you if they notice something that warrants further investigation by a vet.
 
spike123 said:
. While I agree that a vet is really the best option not every horse owner wants to go down the expensive route straight off with investigations.
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No, they don't unfortunately. There lies the problem. Some people would rather go the cheap option and get a chiro out initially, who ISN'T qualified to make any diagnosis whatsoever.

There is nothing wrong with owners regularly having physios etc out, if that floats their boat, but where a problem such as the one the OP is describing is concerned, nobody other than a vet should be called initially. If, as I said earlier, the vet then recommends a chiro or physio to help out, fine.
 
Always get a vet out first if there's a problem. A chiro can inadvertently make matters worse. The only time I would get a physio or chiro out before a vet is when it is just a routine treatment for an already diagnosed and prescribed problem.
 
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