Only lunges on one rein? Sight problem?

Montyforever

Montyforever

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Honey will only lunge on one rein, she hasn't always been like this she used to be fine both ways. But for a while now she's been perfect on one rein but panicking and turning in/around. It really is a fear thing, she starts sweating, rearing and snorting :( I tried longreining on a circle so I could turn her head back out and get her moving forward but she was turning round still and getting tangled so I stopped before she ripped her mouth or worse. I've noticed it's when her offside is on the outside and you cant lead her from that side either as she just goes to the other side or walks directly behind.
Could she possibly be slightly blind/deaf on that side? There's no cloudyness in that eye and she still turns that ear and looks like shes listening but I just can't understand why shes so scared??
 
I agree with wagtail - it is far more likely to be a discomfort issue. Do you have help up the yard that could hold her head while you try to get the lungeing sorted out? I would certainly try the long-reining again as that will help to keep her out on the circle but you dont just have to long-rein in circles, you can walk down the long side too whilst still placing yourself to one side but if you do it in trot you have to run yourself! Stick with it - sounds like an evasion to me.
 
Wagtail - shes got a bit of athritis so that was my first thought but I got my mum to lead her from the outside while I lunged and she calmed down and worked fine straight away :confused: she was kicked in the shoulder last year and it's when that shoulder is on the inside. But she's not lame or flinching when I touch it and she's not a pony that puts up with you touching her sore bits. I'm sure my ponies are working competing to see who can have the most injuries/illness :o
 
How is she on that side when being ridden? My mare can be hard to lunge to the right and she tends to get stiff on that side when under saddle too. Don't discount that she may be trying an evasion tactic (possibly stemming from some discomfort so do get that checked out too). Missy started to refuse to lunge to the right and after I let her get away with it she stopped lunging completely. One lunge lesson later and we are back to work so maybe try and get some expert advice for your next session? A second pair of eyes can really help in these kind of situations.
 
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Mine has started to do this, however if i make the circle smaller she will go round with no problems. I have booked her in for physio on the 13th because i know she needs doing anyway so this will bring up any issues.
 
My pony was the same, didn't like to lunge one way, and preferred to walk on a certain side of me, and yes, it turned out she had lost most of her sight on one eye. She was better when long reined that way as I think she preferred having more guidance. We never had major probems though, it just obviously took her a while to adapt to having imperfect vision. She much preferred hacking in the open spaces of Cambridgeshire though, we moved her to bath for a year where much of the hacking was on narrow tracks surrounded by hedges on each side and she was much more nervy and jumpy. (She didn't have a cloudy eye either)
 
Hippophilia - Shes not ridden so cant say if she would be the same then. She longreins from behind nicely and I can get her to walk round on the track for lunging easily from behind both ways which is why I think I'm going out of her sight when I'm lunging on that rein as she turns in and looks straight at me with her other eye. It's very strange
 
Don't worry too much, just get a vet to pop out and have a look to put your mind at rest. My pony was 23 (I think) when we found out she had lost sight in that eye (I think hers was due to a trauma just before we bought her, she was kicked very badly in the head but no-one realised it had affected her sight). She was still being ridden and did little shows and jumping til she was 30, and then had another 9 very happy years retirement. It didn't stop her doing much, I just had to take it into consideration when working around her so I didn't take her by surprise!
 
If you do a Google search there are a few easy ways to check her sight, it was something I did consider with Miss as she is 22 but she passed all the tests grand. Hope you get to the bottom of it and that it's nothing too serious.
 
Mine was the same. I taught her to lunge, she was fine. Couple of months after she just refused to do anything on one rein. She would turn in and buck. Got the vet and found out she had injured her stifle so it was hard work for her to work in one direction. Stifle is fine now though.
 
I had a horse who started refusing to lunge on one rein. I ended up having the vet who told me to get a physio out to him. It turned out he was doing it due to pain in his shoulder.

I would get vet out to give the once over to set your mind at rest.
 
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