If this was your Pony WWYD - getting desperate now

Blondie1

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Ok this is going to be a bit long, but please bear with me, I have tried to keep it a short as i can with as much info as i can.

I desperately need opinions, views, experiences and what you would do if in my situation. I am starting to loose the will to live as this is suppose to be my little showjumping pony and he has not been ridden consistantly for over a year now.

Below is his little diary.

Oct 2011 – Moved fields from Herd of approx 4 geldings to 1 mare
Also was put on a diet - cut down overnight hay from adlib to 8lb soaked hay

Nov 2011 – Performance dropped – not wanting to canter (would just trot v.fast)
Started windsucking

Dec 2011 – Refusing to jump – when normally you would have to hold him back from jumps.

Jan 2012 – Vet visit – took bloods – bloods showed muscle damage.

Given a week off – massage – then slowly brought back into work on the lunge.

Feb 2012 – Vet visit – advised to start riding – building everything up slowly.

Started riding – all going well

April 2012 – Reluctant to have tack put on – Bucking when ridden – bucking and bolting on lunge.

May 2012 – Vet visit – took bloods – bloods showed slight liver damage

Given 1 month off work – turned out 24/7 – fed Hifi Lite and Corn oil morning and night

June 2012 – Vet visit – Took bloods again – Results showed a lot better but not 100% - Vet advised 1 more week rest – then to begin riding – slowly building up.

Started hacking out – walk only – going well for 4 days then 5th day half way out hacking started bucking until I came off then wouldn’t let me get back on – settled once I was on foot with him.

This happened 2 more times. So then gave him time off and Contacted Catherine Edwards for Communication and Iridology.

Aug 2012 – Catherine Edwards Visit

Outcome of visit was
Problems with Liver, Kidneys, Spleen.
Communication showed that he was bucking because his kidneys were hurting and when I either fell off or dis mounted the pain went away.

Went on a course of Protexin Recover Aid, Liver tonic and various supplements to support the kidneys, liver and digestive system.

After 2 weeks off started leading out in hand – that was fine.
After 1 week of walking out in hand started riding in walk – was ok on some days and other days he would shake his head frantically and feel like he would buck so I would dis mount. But would walk fine in hand.
Tried lunging and he would bolt and buck on lunge most times.

Sept 2012 – Catherine Edwards visit 2.

Given the all ok. Told that the bucking and bolting was due to feeling better and to just push through it.

Oct 2012 – I had a Relationship break-up. Which meant I didn’t ride much but when I did ride he was a little resistant but no bucking or bolting.

Nov 2012 – Decided to give him the winter off – turned out 24/7 as much as possible.

Dec 2012 / Jan 2013 – Lunged for 1 week – walk and trot – ok but with the occasional explosion of bolting and bucking.

Week 2 – Lunged and then rode him. Walked fine but was hesitant in trot and didn’t want to push it so stuck mainly to walk.

Week 3 – Decided to push him more in trot which he was reluctant to trot at first then would trot half way around the school and then start bucking and bolting across the school. I pushed him on and this would happen again. After 4 times of this I decided to dismount and call it a day, due to nearly falling off.

Thank you for reading and look forward to hearing your replies.
xxx
 
I would suggest that you ask your vet to refer your horse to a specialist equine hospital such as Rossdales in Newmarket so that he can be thoroughly checked out to diagnose exactly what is wrong with him.
 
Get him back to the vets for a proper work up - not just blood tests. It could be anything from kissing spines, to ulcers, to saddle not fitting.
 
Get a professional in to ride him for a bit or have an instructor round whilst you ride to offer tips, sounds like you have lost your confidence and trust somewhat and now he is feeling better he is taking full advantage of the situation.

good luck :)

The horse has had previous health issues, and some that would appear to be either ongoing or new.....
Until he is seen by a vet and had all the revelent tests done, no professional worth his salt will get on, if told his background.
They will say the same thing....which is get a chuffing good equine vet out and get to the bottom of why he seems to be in pain.
 
if i am right he has not been seen by a vet for 7 months?

what exactly does C E do?

i would be contacting the vets again.

Catherine Edwards does horse communication and Iridology. Iridology is to do with looking into the horses iris, which can show up any illness, conditions (apparently! I am still a little sceptical over this)

No he hasn't been seen by vet for 7 months - I felt that he wasn't doing enough and seemed like it was all trial and error.
 
Catherine Edwards does horse communication and Iridology. Iridology is to do with looking into the horses iris, which can show up any illness, conditions (apparently! I am still a little sceptical over this)

No he hasn't been seen by vet for 7 months - I felt that he wasn't doing enough and seemed like it was all trial and error.

i suppose the eye might reflect some issues that are going on in the body but i would debate it shows them all, like you i am sceptical. horse communication if it could really be done then i would like to think there would be no need for any horse to ever feel fear and if that was so they would all be a lot more predictable.

get a different vet to do a full work up on your pony to try and find out if there is an issue with his health and go from there. good luck
 
I'd also go back to the basics of teeth and saddle check. Did you ever get to the bottom of which muscle was damaged? That would be quite key in terms of future investigations, but I also agree a full vet work up.
 
I asked vet back in Dec 2011 to scope for Ulcers but he said due to it not being a nice proceedure he would suggest to take bloods first. I obviously take this on board as he is the professional here not me.

He has been back on ad lib hay when in for a year now. As soon as he started windsucking he went back onto adlib hay.

Anyone reccommend a good vet near Guildford, Surrey pls?
 
Ulcers is the first thing that comes to my mind. BUT I had a pony very like yours and spent so much money on him with no answers. Thermal imaging gave me my answers within mins and had my old pony back once sorted. Please do consider thermal imaging iv had great success with it on 3 occasions.
 
I'd have him scoped. Have you had his saddle checked? Its something a vet sadly doesn't usually ask if you have checked! I would also probably change vets, behavioural issues like that are often odd, I had a devil of a job getting answers from my vet, and tbh if I could do it all over again, I would get a second opinion much earlier on.
Afraid I wouldn't be using an alternative person such as you are without getting to the real cause. Where are you based, you may get some good recomendations on here for decent vets.
 
Just seen your post about scoping not being a nice procedure, sorry I've seen it done dozens of times, it is really no issue, any vet saying this I would seriously question!
 
I asked vet back in Dec 2011 to scope for Ulcers but he said due to it not being a nice proceedure he would suggest to take bloods first. I obviously take this on board as he is the professional here not me.

He has been back on ad lib hay when in for a year now. As soon as he started windsucking he went back onto adlib hay.

Anyone reccommend a good vet near Guildford, Surrey pls?

I would be getting a new vet pronto. It isn't the nicest of procedures, however it isn't nice for the Horse to have ulcers either! (if thats what it is) It isn't painful, its more uncomfortable for them, but its better to be sure. If this showed nothing, then I would ask to be refered to Rossdales for further tests. Good luck and I hope you get to the bottom of it soon!
 
Cribbing can be an indication of ulcers. It can also be an indication of pain elsewhere, or a boredom issue or a thousand other things.

Has anyone considered whether the OP should get a qualified physio out to assess the horse on the ground and then have a physio session to see what is wrong with it? Surely a physio or chiropractor would be the next logical step? It sounds like a pain related problem to me.
 
Sorry to here your prob's.....how frustrating for you & your lad.
I would say definately pain related i would be getting a second opinion on this pony with a well qualified experienced vet,try to find out via word of mouth who this might be in your area.
I personally would want to rule out kissing spines!Good luck & i hope you get some anwers soon.xx
 
Also if you are claiming on insurance your 12 months will be nearly up so I would ask for a referral to a specialist PDQ!
 
Hi, sorry to hear your troubles. How long have you had this horse? Are these threads about the same one or a different one?

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=486767

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=9118065#post9118065

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=406336

Sorry just trying to get into context whether you got him in October 2011, you've only started having problems since October 2011 or you've only noted things since then. :)

Hi, the thread from Sept 2011 is him but not the other 2. Sold Archie a while ago.
 
Catherine Edwards does horse communication and Iridology. Iridology is to do with looking into the horses iris, which can show up any illness, conditions (apparently! I am still a little sceptical over this)

No he hasn't been seen by vet for 7 months - I felt that he wasn't doing enough and seemed like it was all trial and error.

And your vet recommended this crack pot?? Sorry but I wouldn't be wasting my money and would be calling in a different vet! Others have said ulcers you can also check his teeth, one of mine years ago did the same and had teeth problems pull on the mouth and he would buck and bomb off to stop being hurt by the bit.

Did you get a 5* vetting when your brought your pony???
 
You are spoilt for choice with fantasitic vets there.
Adam Jackson or Dietrich from Southern Hills are both excellent vets (although Adam is far kinder on the eye!).
Or Chris or Olivia at Sound Equine.
 
I also would want to eliminate gastric ulcers then look at full work up if that was clear. my horse was scope and the worse part of it was starving him beforehand. the actual procedure was not distressing
 
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