Horse trying to throw its self on the floor when doing girth up...

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wench

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Any idea why a horse might suddenly start doing this?

Back is fine. Saddle is fine (once your on no problems whatsoever, have discussed this with my saddler)

Horse puffs himself up when you put the girth round him, which doesnt help.

My latest trick is to put saddle on him bout 15 mins before you want to ride, you then have to lead him round and round, and try and do girth up very slowly.

Any ideas at all would help!
 
I swear there was someone else with this problem on here? Can't remember the outcome of it all but maybe have a search...
 
Sounds cold backed to me, how's his topline? Might just need more muscle. My share has gone a bit this way after being out of work over winter followed by a bruised frog. He's lost a bit of topline (although you wouldn't say it was bad, just not super muscled as he was before) and has taken to going in the other direction to yours on girth tightening. Even on 1st hole sometimes. I just walk him round in between each hole going up, and am working to get his topline back up.
 
It was me that had the problem. Sadly horse got worse and worse until he was a nightmare to mount/ride so he was PTS last week.
 
I had a horse that would 'buckle' at being girthed up, and/or having her legs stretched afterwards. Saddler and physio could find nothing wrong, and I got her referred to Rossdales, fully expecting kissing spine, it was in fact ligament damage to her back.
 
My horse did this. He had a M2M flair saddle from a very well known brand. The saddle rep came out, told me saddle was fine, but horse was lame. Vet said horse sound, but muscle wastage in saddle area, so check saddle and have Mctimoney chiro done. Mctimoney bloke (who is also a saddler) said defiantly saddle. He said the saddle panels didn't feel right, took the saddle apart to fine 2 deflated airbags, and all the bags had moved to the back of the saddle! He also said the saddle was the wrong shape and would never have fitter my horse, and I should never have been sold it!

So I would say get a second opinion on your saddle, and maybe get a vets to have a look. If all is OK, how about trying a humane girth (I have a airborne one)? My horse is now rather tempermental to girth (for obvious reasons) and a humane girth has really helped!
 
I would try a wintec cair girth - my horse was a nightmare to girth up, would leap around, try and bite me and walk very oddly - all crab like for a few mins. I was advised to try on of these girths and the difference was amazing - he is like a different character, doesn't get stroppy when I put the saddle on or do the girth up and walks out freely.
 
Mine doesnt like having his girth done, but is fine once it is. I usually tack him up in the stable as he has a tendancy to snap the string outside or if I leave him untied he runs off. He also rears, backs up, spins in circles, anything for it not to be done. I put it on the lowest holes each side, then do it up gradually one side at a time whilst walking him around for 5 or 10 mins, as soon as its on the first holes he's fine, I just like to do it up slowly. He has been checked out, his back, saddle etc is fine and he has a comfort girth. Between me and the physio we've concluded that he's super sensitive and that it looks like he's been pinched previously as he has a bald patch on his girth area (possibly from his polo days), so could possibly be psycological too.
 
Have you checked the horses sternum?
Ulcers?
Has the horse lost weight/muscle? Or is it a new saddle/girth? - if so saddling could trigger an involuntary reflex when a nerve is touched, causing a 'cold back' or other symptom including sitting down.

Obviously you need to find the cause first but i would also say to use as wide a girth as possible. Some only hold the saddle on over a few inches, which is a massive amount of pressure. I particularly dislike the humane girths- if you look where the pressure is its through a very narrow strip, not very humane at all.
 
thanks for the replys. He has two saddles, does it with both, neither are new, nor are the girths.

He has always been slightly cold backed, not helped by the fact that he puffs himself up when putting girth on him.

However, this behaviour has only started since he came back from the vet so i'm half tempted to think its something they have done.
 
gastric ulcers? - has he been on bute alot or had alot of stress? or not enough hay to much on at night
 
hes not had any bute. God knows what they were giving him at the vets, he should have had enough hay at home, if not he had plenty of straw to be going at. (out in field now)
 
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