Caramac71
Well-Known Member
We have a horse on trial with a view to buy. She's been with us 2 weeks (trial is for max 4 weeks) - she has surpassed all our expectations of her and so I have arranged to have her vetted next week.
However, since booking the vetting, she has started to look uncomfortable in canter. She has always tail swished to a degree and we have been able to identify times/situations when this is worse. She has occasionally picked up the wrong lead on left rein canter and when she gets her legs in a muddle she will put in a buck. She is young and very green, so we have put it down to that. She is also much more supple on left rein than she is on the right.
But the last couple of times she has been asked to canter, she has put in a different kind of buck, more like a sidekick and it seems to be worse on the right rein. She tail swishes more severely and has her ears back so I definitely think she is telling us she's uncomfortable.
On the lunge, with saddle on and without, she doesnt tail swish, or buck, or pick up the wrong canter lead.
Now if we already owned her I would be getting a saddle fitted, back checked, teeth checked etc. Without going into too much detail it is quite possible she has some issue with all these things.
But as we are going through the process of vetting (5 stage) I'm not sure how best to proceed now. Should I phone the vet and speak to him about my concerns in the next couple of days? Because presumably, even if he discovers an ill-fitting saddle, and/or muscular tension in back, and/or dental problems, he wont be able to know for sure this is what is causing her discomfort in canter will he?
I have been keeping a bit of a video diary from when we viewed her, to most of the days we have had her on trial. Unfortunately I've not yet taken any of the canter problems as the first time I didn't see it and yesterday I didn't have anything to video with. My plan is to go back tonight, with different saddlecloth to see if that helps saddle fit, and to video her on the flat, jumping, lunging with/without saddle, to help build up a picture. We haven't hacked her out yet as she is quite spooky so we were waiting until we could go with sensible company - but when hacked out from her owners she did a lovely canter uphill with no noticeable signs of discomfort.
Any suggestions on how to proceed with this? Do I just steam ahead with a vetting and wait to see what comes up, or do I try to pinpoint the problem before then? Do we continue to ask for canter or give her an easy time between now and vetting in case she's just tweaked something in the field?
In every other way she is exactly what we are looking for, she has more than proved her temperament in the last couple of weeks and I would be really loathed to walk away at this stage especially if it could be resolved fairly easily.
However, since booking the vetting, she has started to look uncomfortable in canter. She has always tail swished to a degree and we have been able to identify times/situations when this is worse. She has occasionally picked up the wrong lead on left rein canter and when she gets her legs in a muddle she will put in a buck. She is young and very green, so we have put it down to that. She is also much more supple on left rein than she is on the right.
But the last couple of times she has been asked to canter, she has put in a different kind of buck, more like a sidekick and it seems to be worse on the right rein. She tail swishes more severely and has her ears back so I definitely think she is telling us she's uncomfortable.
On the lunge, with saddle on and without, she doesnt tail swish, or buck, or pick up the wrong canter lead.
Now if we already owned her I would be getting a saddle fitted, back checked, teeth checked etc. Without going into too much detail it is quite possible she has some issue with all these things.
But as we are going through the process of vetting (5 stage) I'm not sure how best to proceed now. Should I phone the vet and speak to him about my concerns in the next couple of days? Because presumably, even if he discovers an ill-fitting saddle, and/or muscular tension in back, and/or dental problems, he wont be able to know for sure this is what is causing her discomfort in canter will he?
I have been keeping a bit of a video diary from when we viewed her, to most of the days we have had her on trial. Unfortunately I've not yet taken any of the canter problems as the first time I didn't see it and yesterday I didn't have anything to video with. My plan is to go back tonight, with different saddlecloth to see if that helps saddle fit, and to video her on the flat, jumping, lunging with/without saddle, to help build up a picture. We haven't hacked her out yet as she is quite spooky so we were waiting until we could go with sensible company - but when hacked out from her owners she did a lovely canter uphill with no noticeable signs of discomfort.
Any suggestions on how to proceed with this? Do I just steam ahead with a vetting and wait to see what comes up, or do I try to pinpoint the problem before then? Do we continue to ask for canter or give her an easy time between now and vetting in case she's just tweaked something in the field?
In every other way she is exactly what we are looking for, she has more than proved her temperament in the last couple of weeks and I would be really loathed to walk away at this stage especially if it could be resolved fairly easily.
