one sided horse

lucky7

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Hi, am getting desperate here!

Also in tack room under a different title.

Basically i have a very one sided cob. She is rising 6 and always had this problem, it first showed after about 4 months after being backed, she had a head tilt to the left. I turned her away for a year at 4 due to personal circumstances. She has been back in work since early spring. The head tilt has improved but she is very very strong in the left hand when in a snaffle - arm throbs after about 10 mins due to her leaning.
I swapped to a myler hanging cheek and the leaning stopped although She finds bending to the right very difficult and is never straight, always has a slight look to the left. Saying that she does seem to be working from her back end into a rounded soft contact, I have had a GP trainer ride her a few times and shes the same regarding the bending/crookedness issue, she thinks its mouth related or maybe even neurological and seems to think if i push her she will break.
Cob seems 100% SOUND. Had the vet out to check her over, teeth where done no problems and vet had me lunge her again nothing spotted (think September time)
Saddle has been checked out 2 x by saddler, she has a gp saddle and a dressage and goes the same in both.
Leans the worst in any kind of snaffle. In a myler hanging cheek or a pelham with a port she is much better as she doesn't/cannot lean but still difficult to bend through correctly right.
She jumps, is forward going, seems to track up well, her fitness levels are improving. She does soften and goes quite nice in a myler or pelham (pelham she is soft and forward and light and very different to ride) in a snaffle she's stiff and leaning on the left and like a barge boat - i feel the myler and pelham mask whatever problems are going on. She is generally a happy horse, never narky, aggressive etc and is very laid back.
Out hacking if shes in a snaffle she hangs onto the left and which causes her to swing quarters out slightly toward road. Ridden on a loose rein in the snaffle she still leans/heavy contact on the left rein.
She carrot stretches regulary right round with ease on both sides with no problems and also beween her legs. When tried in a halter (groundwork) and rope is used as reins both sides she turns both ways with no resistance which makes me think mouth problems. I have yet to try riding in a bitless bridle. In the snaffle/with a bit she does resist slightly.

Last week she took to throwing her head violently when right rein applied - something new -
Equine dentist came out at weekend, rasped teeth gave her a *bit seat* to make extra room but couldn't see any problems. Wolf teeth removed when she was 4. No signs of any remains according to dentist apart from a few sharps couldn't see anything wrong.
Rode today in a snaffle (thicker bit as suggested by dentist) and she was awful, leaning heavy etc.....the thing she didn't do was throw her head but that was probably unrelated and solved by having her teeth rasped at the weekend)

I know if i popped the pelham in she would feel good again, albeit a bit stiff to turn right but light and forward and not leaning. However its not solving the problem.........besides how long would it be before she resisted again?!

I am going to give the vet a call after Christmas as am busy in work up untill then now and wont get much riding time. I feel x rays around her head to rule out dental/jaw problems and perhaps a full lameness work up are needed.

I am also trying to get in touch with the physiotherapist see if she can shed light. She was excellent with my past mare

Has anyone had any thoughts/ideas/experiences with any of the above? good or bad.

She is a lovely cob with nice conformation and a lovely personality. I wanted to be able to do a bit of dressage and some showing classes but atm its not possible as she isnt straight so isnt going well enough /


Thanks
 
I my humble experience, all horses are one sided to lesser or more degrees...find yourself a Good instructor pref classical and have lessons,( have a vid made of you riding and compare in 6 months...) It will take correct work but you will get there, also maybe consider a Equine muscle release therapist or a recommended physio to body check...
 
Interesting one. While I wouldn't rule out some sort of physical issue (so worth getting the physio, vet, etc, checks you've mentioned), it could also be a training issue compounded by the bit being used. Most horses are slightly one-sided and youngsters can be fussy in the mouth (one of mine wasn't, current one is). What type of snaffle are you using? Is it worth getting a bit specialist to help? It took me three years to get one of my older mares to go in a - read: one, very particular - snaffle without violent headshaking, leaning, crookedness and tantrums. It wasn't a medical issue (ruled those out), she just loathed most types of snaffle bit. Spent a fortune on the vet and various different snaffles, and a lot of time riding in a pelham, before I finally found one she did like!
 
Not horses but I once bought a dog with a very good pedigree and a head tilt for a client. The dog held it's head at a distinct angle, i.e. not square on but with one side higher than the other, if you follow me.

The vet diagnosed an ear problem (probably as a result of some ear infection that had damaged the semi-circular canals). I got him to issue a certificate confirming that so the client would have no come back later (even though he had been informed of the condition). He wanted the dog for breeding and probably not genetic in that case.

As I am sure you know, the semi-circular canals contain the sensory elements which tell us where we are which is why we feel dizzy when we are spun around on, for example, on a roundabout. If that area is damaged, it could account for a head tilt.
 
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