Introducing Toby

Having seen your posts here and FB I really have to say that you are too hard on yourself. You ride Toby well and he looks like such a sweetheart, you can see he wants to please. He's not Amber and never will be BUT he IS Toby and that could be a wonderful thing ❤ I'm definitely #TeamToby lol ???
 
So as some may have seen from other threads, I sent Toby to a water trradmill place for a week to - supposedly - strenghten him up and straighten him as he still has a tendency to go crooked. And he came bacl 10X worse! So I booked into a clinic with Tom Beech - Vet and Osteo.

So here is what Tom thought:

Toby was parrot mouthed at the start. His upper incisors were about 1.5cm in front of the lower ones. He was fixed in the poll, tight in the jaw and struggled to bend his neck. His hyoid bone was very tight.

Withers, shoulders, back, sacro iliac were all fine.

Quarters and spine in that area were far too low. And there was a hump where one of the vertebrae was sticking up as a reaction to the low rump. Like instead of a curving spine there was a bit of a pivot around that vertebra.

Tom didn’t know if the hind one was causing the problems with the head/neck or vice versa.

He sedated him then did a load of manipulations to that end to get his back lifted and soft. You could see a visible difference by the end. Then he looked at the mouth again and the incisors were aligned which was very weird! But it showed that the problem was in the hind end and not in the head/neck/jaw. The problems there are just him tensing against pain further back.

He popped the gag on to feel his palate and there is a sharp ridge/hump in the palate where it should be flat. Not the normal ripples you can feel but much further back. That was caused by being broken in roughly and winched into a frame. It long predates me. That probably can’t improve much now. His palate has literally buckled by being under too much tension too young which breaks my heart! The trouble with horses is they are far too willing and generous sometimes. If that was Amber she’d have told them to feck right off! As she should!! Any hint of pain and I was on the deck and she was saying “find me a new saddle this one won’t do anymore!”

So Toby being very fussy in the mouth and anxious when you first pick up a contact is probably remembered pain, and not stretching forward and down etc is because he finds it really hard because his quarters are not strong enough, his core is not strong enough, his back is not lifted enough. And it’s a vicious cycle because it means he works hollow and then everything gets even tighter. He spent 8 days on the the treadmill working hollow! Tom wants me to do 3 months rehab with his head out in front and low. Eyes aligned with hips. Starting with groundwork and hacking.

Toby is so safe and tries so hard but he really is sensitive too. That has always puzzled me because he is so laid back in many ways - unfazed by flappy bales, terrible weather, new environments, huge vehicles etc etc. But he does get panicky when he is put under any pressure. Not in an unsafe way - he still tries and he still looks after me - he just goes to pieces mentally. Which makes complete sense now I know what his early ridden days were like. Why do people treat horses like that? He is covered in scars too, round his legs and face. Poor Toby. And yet he is still so friendle, gentle and willing. Sometimes we just don't deserve them :(:(
 
This is really interesting to read. I have the vet back out on Friday for more blocks to try and pin point a mild, intermittent lameness with Bear. If we can’t find anything I will be contacting Tom Beech for sure.

I am finding it tricky to understand because bar an issue with the canter lead, he only improves in the school and tonight went the best he ever has.

Horses eh. Hope Toby feels much better when you get back on.
 
Charlie has thoroughly enjoyed his rehab. I also got Dan wain to do a video assessment and some exercises to compliment it. I definitely feel he's stronger and more powerful now, and better able to sit now. Its 100% worth it, and your lovely boy will appreciate all that you're doing for him
 
How interesting. Hopefully this will give you what you need to go onwards and upwards with him. Will be really interested to hear how you get on with him in rehab.

How old is he now? And out of interest, how much of his history do you know?
 
Poor Toby. He sounds so sweet too :(

The beast was winched and sawed in a frame too by his previous owner. He was also very stiff, unbalanced and one sided. He inverted as soon as you picked up the reins. A physio, schooling and patience made the world of difference to him. His previous owner is a good person though. He just didnt know any better.
 
I think people forget sometimes that they are sitting on a living animal. I'm pretty sure in my younger days I did stuff that today I would be horrified by and i think there are some teaching methods that need to move on and be more horse focussed.

I'm glad for you and Toby you have a way forward. We can't turn back the clock for our broken horses but we can certainly try and make their futures better.
 
Squeak said:
How interesting. Hopefully this will give you what you need to go onwards and upwards with him. Will be really interested to hear how you get on with him in rehab.

How old is he now? And out of interest, how much of his history do you know?
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He is 6 this year. I know nothing about his history. I bought him from a dealer with a reasonable reputation locally. But there were inconsistencies in the story I got from the dealer and what the groom said when he was delivered as the dealer was stuck in Ireland because of storms stopping the boats running when Toby actually arrived. Dealer said he'd been hacked for 6 months- ie well started - and was a sales livery. Groom said he'd only been with dealer for 10 days and was owned by the dealer. I suspect the latter is true. So who knows what happened to him aged 0-5. I believe that he came over from Ireland shortly before I bought him.
 
Ambers Echo said:
He is 6 this year. I know nothing about his history. I bought him from a dealer with a reasonable reputation locally. But there were inconsistencies in the story I got from the dealer and what the groom said when he was delivered as the dealer was stuck in Ireland because of storms stopping the boats running when Toby actually arrived. Dealer said he'd been hacked for 6 months- ie well started - and was a sales livery. Groom said he'd only been with dealer for 10 days and was owned by the dealer. I suspect the latter is true. So who knows what happened to him aged 0-5. I believe that he came over from Ireland shortly before I bought him.
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It's so sad when they have a hard time when they're that young. Frustrating that the dealer wasn't just open about him but I guess in the long run it doesn't matter. It sounds like you've got a good plan to move forwards now and at just rising 6 hopefully a couple of months of strengthening work will pay off hugely for the future.
 
I feel so sad for lovely Toby that he wasn't given a great start to his ridden life. He sounds an absolute treasure (and looks gorgeous). I'm very glad for him that you own him, and hope that the remedial work makes him much more comfortable. He could yet turn out to be the right horse for you, once his physical issues improve! He sounds horse of a lifetime material, with his nature and attitude.
 
It's one thing after another with my poor Toby :(

Dentist came today and she happened to notice his eye was cloudy. Same on both sides. Vision appears affected to a degree. No wonder he's clumsy and plows through fences sometimes! Poor horse can't bl00dy see properly. She would not be drawn on what it might be and has referred for a specialist opinion. I asked bluntly if this could be serious and she said yes.

I had noticed he had a cloudy patch in his eyes but so does my husband and it's harmless. Eyes were checked at the vetting so I thought nothing of it. But apparently it is never normal in horses.

Vet coming Friday. So the wait begins to get answers.....
 
Aw, Jesus, AE. Fingers crossed it's nothing. Gypsum has had a cloudy patch on one eye for 21 years (at least), and it has never affected her vision, as far as anyone can tell. When I first trained her to jump at seven, she didn't quite get it and would plow into things. But once she learned how to jump, she was sh1t hot over fences for a very long time, until arthritis finally got the better of her this year.
 
Poor Toby and poor you. I hope you manage to get to the bottom of the eye issue and it is fixable.

The report you gave on his appointment was so interesting. And upsetting at the same time. some horses are too sweet for their own good. hopefully you will get him more comfy in his work.
 
I guess it depends where and how they look as well - my Tom Beech was in an American barn style stable, well lit but not like being outside in daylight, and I suppose Tom was coming at it from a different point of view - assessing his body and crookedness maybe.
Either way sending you some good positive vibes
 
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