Horse started rearing

[Oscarpop]

Hello, my mare has been out of work and just long lining about 4 times a week as she’s had a bad back. I’ve been working with the physio and she’s really pleased with her progress. She’s a 5 year old sport horse mare.

she’s always had a bit about her, she’ll buck and nap on hacks sometimes. But recently she’s started rearing up completely vertical- she’s done it about 4 times now when I’m exercising her. She’s absolutely foot perfect round the school.

she reared up vertical a couple of times long lining her round the fields completely randomly. I was given the go ahead by the physio to start riding her lightly again, I rode her in the school the first time after about 7 weeks off and she was golden, I walked her round the fields by our yard and she was perfect, then out of nowhere she just went completely vertical and had me off. She’s just done it again when I’ve been long lining her round the fields.

I’ve seen her go up a couple of times when she’s been playing in the field but she’s started doing it now when I’m exercising her. How do I nip it in the bud to stop her doing it?

 

[Gloi]

What did the vet say was wrong with her back?

 

[Oscarpop]

What did the vet say was wrong with her back?

Sore from poor fitting saddle, her previous owners did too much with her too soon also

 

[Gloi]

Sore from poor fitting saddle, her previous owners did too much with her too soon also

How long have you had her and for how long in that time was she behaving herself or were you riding for before she had her time off?

 

[Oscarpop]

How long have you had her and for how long in that time was she behaving herself or were you riding for before she had her time off?

I was riding her before she had time off, didn’t know her back was sore and had the vet check her over when I noticed she was a bit tender. I’ve had her nearly 7 months now l, physio first came out to her about 10 weeks ago. I’ve had saddle refitted since, vet and physio both happy with her progress so far

 

[AmyMay]

Time to get the vet back.

 

[quizzie]

...were x-rays of back taken?

 

[Oscarpop]

...were x-rays of back taken?

Vets been back since and doesn’t think it’s missing spine, all seems muscular related

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Please don't ride her again until you have got this sorted, both for your safety and her comfort, unless you think certain that you might giving her mixed signals, asking for forward movement, while stopping her moving forwards. In which case, involve a good instructor.

 

[Identityincrisis]

Are ulcers a possibility? This kind of extreme reaction can point to them

 

[Fred66]

Had this happen with a pony years ago and it turned out she had a brain tumour.
Obviously this was exceptionally rare and unlikely to be the case for your mare, but I would be looking to rule out any neurological issues if it is out of character and nothing physiological is found

 

[Gloi]

From the way you are saying she reacts it does sound like it is a reaction to a sudden pain rather than rearing as a napping reaction to something.
I would have been wanting the vet to take X rays.

 

[bubsqueaks]

Vets been back since and doesn’t think it’s missing spine, all seems muscular related

Sorry with such extreme dangerous behaviour I wouldnt take the Vets word for "doesnt think its kissing spine" - with my life on the line & possibly others I would want an xray asap - your life is worth far more than the cost of the scan.

 

[Melody Grey]

“Doesn’t think it’s kissing spine”

Sorry, but I wouldn’t trust any vet who said this. They have no way of telling without x-ray and nerve blocking. I think you need a full work- up of this horse, even if that’s to rule things out rather than in. No horse goes up vertical for something minor.

 

[paddi22]

no decent vet will rule out kissing spine without xrays, there is just absolutely no way to know. is this a vet from a proper equine vets or a small local vet? in my experience, small local vets can be very slow to diagnose this kind of stuff and revert to 'behavioural' very often instead

 

[Errin Paddywack]

The fact that she is doing this in the field and on the long lines would seriously worry me. There is no way I would get on a horse like this. Something, somewhere is badly wrong.

 

[Birker2020]

Hello, my mare has been out of work and just long lining about 4 times a week as she’s had a bad back. I’ve been working with the physio and she’s really pleased with her progress. She’s a 5 year old sport horse mare.

she’s always had a bit about her, she’ll buck and nap on hacks sometimes. But recently she’s started rearing up completely vertical- she’s done it about 4 times now when I’m exercising her. She’s absolutely foot perfect round the school.

she reared up vertical a couple of times long lining her round the fields completely randomly. I was given the go ahead by the physio to start riding her lightly again, I rode her in the school the first time after about 7 weeks off and she was golden, I walked her round the fields by our yard and she was perfect, then out of nowhere she just went completely vertical and had me off. She’s just done it again when I’ve been long lining her round the fields.

I’ve seen her go up a couple of times when she’s been playing in the field but she’s started doing it now when I’m exercising her. How do I nip it in the bud to stop her doing it?

I wouldn't ride her until you have a definitive answer. I'd book in with your vet for some xrays - from memory when they checked Bails back she had six xrays - that was enough to check all the vetebrae from C4 to T12 I think it was. That was for a 17.1hh horse.

But in order to get a decent xray I'd go to your vets practice and not use a portable xray machine at your yard as it can be tricky to xray backs as this explains.

https://blog.imv-imaging.co.uk/blog/2019/august/radiography-of-the-equine-back

 

[lme]

One of mine started rearing vertically when asked todo specific things. After x-rays to rule out KS, she had scintography and it turned out to be a strained super-spinous ligament. She was fine once it was healed.