I forgot what a thick skin you need for dressage!

last post from me i promise but just to clarify... my original confusion/frustration was that i'd ridden a Novice for the same judge 40 mins before the elementary... and there was no mention of him being lame, just the comments about he should be scoring 8's and 9's but no advice. The irregularity was only mentioned in the Elem with regards to the 15m circles at the beginning. He didn't feel lame to me at the time and no one commented on him looking that way on the day.

I appreciate everyone's opinions and AM getting the vet out asap to check him over and in the meantime i've had a knowledable friend look at him too. He is my horse of a lifetime so of course i'd rather there be nothing wrong with him, so maybe the undertones of me being denial were due to that but i can assure all he will be looked at by a vet.

thanks again.
 
Good luck with the vet - I hope it's something treatable and manageable. I'm not always very good at spotting lameness but from that video he doesn't look right behind to me. Let us know how you get on. I would definitely show the vet that video so he can see what was going on that day.

Re the comments about tack room vs c&t - I'm almost certain that you would have got almost identical comments. Everyone has said that they feel the horse is lame and no one would lie to you on that front - your horse's health is at stake.
 
Jadey B, the movements are more demanding in the elementary, hence if something (something such as stiffness or inadequate warm up) isn't quite right its more likely to show in an elementary test than a novice.
My horse is getting a little older and I can feel he isn't as supple as he used to be on the 10 m circles for example.
Hope you get to the bottom of it.
 
amymay said:
Sorry Op, my comment wasn't meant to be offensive. The Wife's post simply has no bearing on your original post, that's all.
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Maybe not but the point I was using is that we all have bad days and sometimes you do feel like banging your head against a brick wall when put in front of some judges, regardless of if the animal is unlevel or not.

JadeyB, wishing you all the best, Don't lose heart on it in the future, as you said he had probably just stood on a stone going in. Good luck, let us know how you get on with whatever route you choose to go down.
 
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Great news! The vet had a look at my boy and said that although he is a little stiff on the nearside hind he responded well to the flexion test so she didn't feel that there was any obvious major problems. We discussed his past, workload, conformation, age, etc at length and agreed that for now we will put him on a new joint supplement which they are seeing good results for and just keep monitoring him, but just to be safe i'll scrap the Elementary level stressage. :)
 
Good luck, what supplement did vet recommend my mare is starting to get a bit stiff at times and would rather prevent now than later!
 
Thanks for the update. Do I remember correctly that you were asked to go early at short notice in that test? Definitely don't agree to that again! With a few more minutes of loosening up I bet that he wouldn't have looked as stiff behind as he did.

These more mature types can keep going well for years with the right management. You are clearly on the case, so good luck!
 
That's good news I hope the supplement helps .
You are on it now and there is a lot of things vets can do to keep horses comfy as they age .
I would make a point of watching him lunge and being ridden ( if poss ) every couple of months and lunge on the hard so you can see changes and perhaps use video to monitor what's going on.
Turnout as much as you can as well.
And at shows arrive soon enough to spend time leading about after travel and before riding as that often helps older ones
Feeding micronised linseed has definatly helped on of our hunters so that worth a go.
 
Great news, glad its nothing serious, and i wouldnt write off elementary just yet, with a decent suppliment and correct amount time and exercises warming up, you both might do much better, but how lovely to see someone listening to their horse and happy to stop at the horses level if thats the case.
 
dianchi said:
Good luck, what supplement did vet recommend my mare is starting to get a bit stiff at times and would rather prevent now than later!
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It's Nutraquin+ he's not keen on the taste but luckily he likes his food so still ate it regardless. Not sure what the price is yet, haven't had the bill! eek!
 
JadeyB said:
It's Nutraquin+ he's not keen on the taste but luckily he likes his food so still ate it regardless. Not sure what the price is yet, haven't had the bill! eek!
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Interesting - it's got boswellia in it which I was wondering about lately. Might have a gander. Glad nothing serious OP and good luck with the training etc!
 
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