Major Head Throwing & Pulling

[Scheffers]

Hi everyone,

Bit of a long one, sorry.

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on what my TB mare is doing as she's driving me mad.

Background - she is 16 yrs old, ex racehorse (about 12 yrs ago last race) I am the sharer.

As long as I have known her which is 6 yrs now she has never been school trained properly and I've only ever ridden her as a happy hacker. This in itself has never really been an issue. She loves to hack.

She is a typical mare and has always had some behavioural issues concerning most things really but she is amazing to ride when going well.

However last yr she tore the ligament in her hind leg cannon and was off real work for about 8 months +.

The vet signed her off with the all clear in June this year. (I should say that previous to the injury I had been away for a year so had not ridden her for a long time as she had the injury as I came back) As I started riding again properly hacking out and building up her work again she was weak on it and kept dropping/dipping on it but over time this has gotten better as she has gotten stronger.

However in the last few months she has started throwing & tossing her head majorly. Pulling down on the bit all the time, evading all the time and getting extremely worked up as soon as you ask her to canter. It's gotten to the point where she can't canter in a straight line due to the severity of shaking.

We have had a physio come that was suggested by the vet who has changed her saddle & fitted it specially for her, had her teeth checked and spoke with farrier to make sure everything is ok.

The physio said the first time she came she was massively out of alignment and her pelvis was out. After she 'put it back' the week or so afterwards she went like an absolute dream! I couldn't believe it!! However after 3-4 weeks the symptoms returned, the physio came back and said she'd done it again. She's done it and been out of alignment completely 4 times now in the last 5 months. The physio has said next time the vet must come too. But the vet so far has said on the phone her leg is absolutely fine and shouldn’t be a factor.

She is not lame & is as forward going as ever, but it's just this head thing. It's driving me crazy. She wears a plain snaffle as that's always been her comfort bit. I brought a hanging cheek comfort myler snaffle which worked for a while but then she was exactly the same again so went back to the plain snaffle. She has always worn a martingale.

Now I'm stumped. We don't have a school where we are, the owner doesn't really ride her at all & i'm not technically good enough really. But suggestions to go back to basics won't work with her as she's a nightmare in the school anyway and we don't have the means.

Any other suggestions or thoughts would be gratefully accepted. I'm thinking of asking the physio to come into the forest with me to see her in action as failing that I have no idea what to do next.

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[be positive]

Has the physio given you any exercises to do with her or shown you how she wants her ridden.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Frankly, I'd get a new physio - I thought it was only quack back people who said stupid things like "her pelvis was out" and she's "put it back"! Anyone who has ever looked at the skeleton of a horse - remembering the huge amount of flesh, muscles, ligaments that cover it would know how ridiculous these statements are!!

I would expect that following her leg injury - when the mare avoided using the painful leg and put extra strain on the opposing limb and all the connecting muscles and ligaments as she 'saved herself' - that she would have some tight, contracted muscles - and that she would also have uneven muscle development.

In a case like this, my physio would treat all the affected muscles with electro-stimulation and/or laser. He would set me 'homework' by way of leg stretches, in hand work to help build up the muscles etc etc etc.

And if my vet declined to come out because he assumed the leg couldn't be related to her back problems - hell, he'd go too!!

The head behaviour sounds like pain - it could be teeth (did your vet check her teeth - if so, I'd get a good EDT to do it again!) - or it could be back pain. It could even be unrelated to the back problems and be due to a painful haemorrhagic follicle!!

 

[Scheffers]

@ Bepositive: No we've not been given any exercises & told to ride her as normal.

@ JanetGeorge - thanks for advice. I think I might mention getting a second opinion - you're right, it does sound a little suspect from what I've researched on the subject of 'having a pelvis out'. I will look into the hair follicle thing as she does have a benign cyst on her back which we've always had checked and been told can't be taken out as it's on the spine. But maybe it's gotten biger under the skin or could have changed in someway. Thanks! Her teeth have been checked but again maybe a second opinion is worth a try and checking the bits we're using.

Can anyone recommend a good physio around Epping Forest, Essex?

 

[be positive]

My questions also related to the post that followed, a good physio does not usually use terms such as yours has and should give you exercises to do as a routine to help build the muscles correctly.
I cannot recommend any one in your area but am sure someone will.