Odd reaction from horse when ridden

[Cop-Pop]

Just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or has any ideas.

My mare (who has always been difficult) has started to do a sort of passage when ridden. It started in a lesson in January 2014 - she was in season and was throwing her toys out of the pram. Thinking it was a new evasion for her (she has quite a few of them up her sleeves) I carried on riding her as we were only in walk and she reared for the first time in 10 years before totally losing the plot. I got off, walked her around in-hand and put her away for the night. My instructor said she hadn't ever seen anything like it before but agreed she thought it was a new evasion. The vet came a few days later and apart from noting her ovaries were painful they were happy with her back and in general. We discussed Regumate but the vet sad he didn't think it would work for her.

I left riding her until the beginning of Feb so she could finish her season and her teeth were due first week in Feb. Dentist came out and said there was nothing in her mouth to cause a problem. Mare's season finished so I started riding her and she began to do this weird passage again before throwing herself around. I got someone else to ride her to get another opinion and the horse totally lost it with them.

Got the vet out again and they couldn't find anything wrong with their equipment so I decided to give her a break and walk her out around the countryside in-hand for a few weeks (dodgy in itself as she bolts). We survived walking out in-hand so towards the end of the summer I prepared to get back on again only for her to go lame in her shoulder - the farrier had trimmed her foot badly meaning it had twisted. The vet said to let this grow out as I didn't want to put a shoe on, this took until the winter and I decided to wait until the lighter evenings before bringing her back into work as the lights in the school aren't very good and I'd put weight on so wanted that off before getting back on.

Fast forward to this summer. My extra weight was off, horse was sound on lunge and vet and physio was happy with her. New saddle was fitted so I got back on - cue horse doing passage after two minutes in walk when I asked her to stop napping. This escalated into her having a tantrum and as I was in wellies (I can't ride in wellies which was my own stupid fault and I should have been in proper boots) I got off and made her finish our intended 5 minutes walking in-hand and she started doing the passage thing in-hand which she hasn't done before. I kept her going and she settled down but the mental effort from it left her knackered.

As she has just come into season I'm going to get bloods done to see if I can put her on Regumate and see if it makes a difference, but I'm running out of ideas (and the will to live) so any ideas greatly appreciated. She isn't a horse you can force into doing anything - persistence is the key with her. The vet has agreed with me that she seems to have spikes of anxiety where she just loses it, the only thing that solved this previously has been valerian but not keen on this as it masked her being in pain.

Has anyone come across similar?

 

[Wagtail]

I would order a full lameness workup and some X-rays of her spine.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I would order a full lameness workup and some X-rays of her spine.

I agree with this it sounds like she is in pain somewhere.

 

[Templebar]

Agree with a full check, however she has had 18 months off so anything you find could be quite expensive to fix as most things should have healed in that time. There is also the point that you are reinforcing the behaviour, you get on she messes around, you get nervous and get off. She has a few minutes being led about and then goes back to jolly life with months off.

I would make sure you don't let her get into a habit of it, so try lunging her before you ride to stop the freshness, and if you have to get off back on the lunge.

 

[madlady]

I would be wondering why she is coming in season regularly in winter. None of mine come in until at least March sometimes April and then tend to be finished cycling by October/November latest, has she always done that or is it a new thing?

Has your vet scanned her to see if she has cysts or irregular odema?

As for the regumate, it does work but doesn't suit all and it can be very tricky to handle. If it does turn out to be something ovary related then it may be that the marble would work for her.

I think I'd be asking vet about all that as well as a full work up.

Hope you get to the bottom of it and that it's nothing serious.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I would order a full lameness workup and some X-rays of her spine.

This and I find it odd that your vet didn't put on regumate trial. Mine did when my mare was getting dangerous, under saddle and in hand (though she is now retired due to KS). Had a happy mare after a month.

Would defiantly get full lameness work up including spine X-rays.

 

[Kezzabell2]

As someone who has gone through very similar, I would recommend sending your horse in for a full lameness work up! i had no clue that my horse was lame, he started rearing and scared the living day lights out of me! I decided to sell him but wanted the vet to make sure he wasn't insane before he went anywhere!! guess what he was lame front and behind! I'd had 2 instructors who hasn't noticed this either!

He lets me know he's in pain, shakes his head, refuses to go forward, pins his ears back and if I don't listen he will revert to rearing!! he started again a couple of months ago, after 6 good months! and a few weeks later he was crippled lame again. when it started last year, we found numerous arthritic changes in his front feet and hocks, so he's been on ongoing treatment for those, which has clearly worn off now!

So I would say, please please please get her checked and if your vet can't find anything, get a second opinion!

 

[OWLIE185]

Send her to a specialist Equine hospital such as one of the ones in Newmarket so that she can be thoroughly checked out.

 

[Red-1]

I am sorry you are in this situation. A couple of observations...

I had a mare who was very difficult, and was easier on regumate, so we then had the marble as this was more permanent and cheaper long term. It actually hid the fact that she had cancerous ovaries, as the symptoms were reduced, and was not long term as the ovaries eventually got so bad she was in pain all of the time.

My mare was competing up to Intermediate BE, and was NEVER lame, and always jumped, never refused. I presumed that, with a vet check too, she was not in pain.

I now realise that just because the vet does not find anything wrong then there still maybe something wrong. Maybe Ulcers, maybe Ovaries, maybe hocks, back, stifles..... AND sometimes you just can't find what it is.

I would also agree that if she has not improved after 18 months of rest then it will not be an easy "fix".

Also agree with the person who says it is counter productive to stop riding and lead her if you suspect it is a behavioural issue. I would firstly do all the tests you can, then have a pro ride her. If they also think she is in pain then that is that, but if they think it is behavioural they can ride her through that.

If none of that worked I would PTS. A Pro advised me to have my mare PTS, but I was convinced it was "me" somehow, and sold her to a lovely and very experienced home, and they did find the cancer, but it also broke their hearts when they lost her. In the future I would do my very best to find what was wrong, I would long term rest, I would check tack, take to a specialist equine hospital for a week of tests, have a pro ride the horse, but after all that I would accept that something was wrong even though I could not find it, and next time I would have the courage to PTS myself.

I always worry that a horse showing pain symptoms when ridden is also in pain in the field. Especially as she has shown symptoms in-hand.

 

[Tammytoo]

I agree with the rest - get a comprehensive work up and xrays with an equine specialist. It does sound pain related as she is telling you very strongly! I do find it odd that the vet dismisses regumate without looking into it properly.

 

[EQUIDAE]

so we then had the marble as this was more permanent and cheaper long term. It actually hid the fact that she had cancerous ovaries, as the symptoms were reduced, and was not long term as the ovaries eventually got so bad she was in pain all of the time.
.

That's such a shame as marbles can be wonderful when they work.