Owning a coldbacked horse...

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Holloa

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Hello everyone,
I wanted to get some advice for a friend of mine.
She's just bought a new horse and when she went to see it the horse displayed no signs of any discomfort/coldbackness when ridden. Unsaddled it was twitching when her hand ran down her back.
She had him vetted 2 stage,got him home and now he's rushing off in canter after she gets on. on saturday she had to go round the menage 1 and 1/2 laps before he went down to trot! My friend is a novice ride and once this horse finishes this rushing off he's a novice ride-very quiet and sensible, but her confidence is being knocked in having to deal with this everytime she gets on!
We've had his back checked(mctimoney) and we're getting his saddle checked (the saddle which came with him)
Does anyone have/ has had any similar experiences with their horse? She really loves this horse and apart from this issue he's really good. Lovely temp etc.
She doesn't want to give up on him- the previous owners didn't say anything about him being coldbacked at all.

Any advice/tips would be really really grateful! Thank you!
 
If I am being totally honest, this does not sound like a coldbacked horse to me. A coldbacked horse will tend to hunch up when you get on, and can be reluctant to move forwards, when they do move forwards it is normally with, or with the threat to, buck. I had a coldbacked horse that you could not put you leg on for the first five minutes or she would just bronco - you had to let her walk around and gradually relax.

To me this horse sounds like he is misbehaving. Can someone hold the horse while she gets on? If they can walk a few laps with her until she feels that she has complete control of the horse, this may make him realise that he can't take advantage and run away.

When you get the saddle checked, don't just look at it for fit, run your hand firmly along the underside, as sometimes staples and pins can come loose inside the saddle, invisible when just carrying it around, but when you add the weight of the rider, this can protrude through the leather and rub against the horses back.

Also check the saddle for a twisted tree (this might sound difficult to explain, its easier to show) - stand with your toes approximately 6 inches apart, place the pommel of the saddle between your front feet, with the cantle against your knees, and slowly push the cantly forwards - the cantle should eclipse your toes equally both sides. A twisted tree (and to be honest most trees are twisted, simply because we always get on and off from the same side) will show up really easily as one side will eclipse your toes faster. This could be also be causing discomfort, and throwing his shoulder out...
 
Is she getting on carefully, making sure she doesn't catch him at all?
She could try doing the girth up slowly whilst walking him around the arena, just to settle him.
If she is a novice owner, is the saddle in the right place?

Just the first couple of things that sprang to mind
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Did the back person confirm he was cold backed?? the reason I ask that is in my experience cantering off is not a characteristic symptom of a cold backed horse.

From my limited knowledge on the subject a cold backed horse will react anything from buckling when the girth is done up to 'humping' for a short while when the rider mounts.

Cantering off sounds like a pure pain response, where as cold backed imo is a nerve response.

Your friend is definately doing the right thing in having his back checked (might be worth a second opinion) and having the saddle checked - just a thought is it the same saddle that she tried him in?? Its not unheard of for sellers to include ill fitting tack in the sale just to boost / increase the selling potenial of the horse.

If it is confirmed that he is cold backed lunging or walking around in hand before the rider gets on and the girth is done up properly helps - but to be honest I would say its the saddle thats causing the problem.

I am no where near an expert though
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Agreed, this doesn't sound like a horse with a cold back, my warmblood had a cold back he never showed any signs of discomfort through his back when being groomed or vetted, however, if you got on him without warming up he would bronc and spin then stand hunched up while I dusted the sand off
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I always had to lung for a few minutes before getting on, total nightmare at shows!
 
On saturday when he went round the menage 1 and a half laps i did hold him when my friend got on, but then let him go once she was on, perhaps i should have led him on.
It just seems an odd thing to do, no bucking only running off.
Apparently the previous owner said that the saddle that came with him hasn't been checked since 2006- so that may be the big issue. I think its just a matter of ticking all the boxes ie saddle, back and then reassess.
 
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If I am being totally honest, this does not sound like a coldbacked horse to me. A coldbacked horse will tend to hunch up when you get on, and can be reluctant to move forwards, when they do move forwards it is normally with, or with the threat to, buck. I had a coldbacked horse that you could not put you leg on for the first five minutes or she would just bronco - you had to let her walk around and gradually relax.

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I agree with this ^^^^^ as my horse is coldbacked and this is exactly what he does - bucks a tiny bit and hunches up his back until he's settled, he never bolts off with me.
 
My mare became cold backed at one point with an ill fitting saddle. The saddler came to sort it and wanted to see me on her and she walked backwards, bucked, anything but walk on so I had to stand in my stirrups and just let her walk on slowly. Incidentily since I have had a new correctly fitted saddle she has not displayed any symptoms of being cold backed.
Was the horse fine when you were holding him? Sounds like he is either in some form of pain (not cold back) or he is taking the p*ss because your friend is a novice? (Thinks he can get away with it)
 
To be honest since she's had him he's done it intermittently. First thing she did when she got him was to get his back checked- he had quite a few pressure points and his pelvis was out.
Saturday was the worst and she did nothing different from the other times. He literally just runs off.
She's going to get the saddle checked this week. Eliminate that and then just see.
 
there is no such thing as cold backed - it is a catch all term for a horse that is either in pain - or has had pain. either saddle related or injury related. the saddle should be checked every six months as a horses shape can change dramatically and alter the fit of the saddle. Moving from one home to another can affect the shape, has he stressed off weight, is he now doing less work or more work than he was before. is he working in an outline now or then. So many things can affect the back.

Check the saddle - run your hands down the underside of the panel - are there any serious lumps and bumps or sharp nails sticking in him

does the new rider weigh more or less than the last one.

One of the classic signs of saddle related behaviour is a horse that reacts violently intially and then calms down., This is because the pressure/pain is almost absorbed. Sorry thats not explained well. imagine if you have tooth ache. If you touch it initially it is agony - but press harder and you almost numb the area and make it bearable. Well thats what its like if there is saddle related pain. Initially when you put it on and get on it hurts but after a short while the pain numbs. Which is why you find the extreme reaction calms down. So people assume it is a bad reaction to being saddled and sometimes lable it as a horse not wanting to work.

The fact he does it intermittantly suggests that somewhere in the saddle is something sharp - that only digs in when she does a certain thing.
 
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there is no such thing as cold backed - it is a catch all term for a horse that is either in pain - or has had pain.

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My horse was diagnosed as having a cold back by a vet, an osteopath and a saddler. The vet assured me that his behaviour was linked to his shivering was not in any way due to pain but a sensitivity of girth and back area. The osteopath described it as being similar to someone trickling cold water down your spine which would make him lurch.
I would hate to think for 6 years my horse was in pain due to a saddle or back problem and that every expert that had examined him had failed me.
 
I repeat - there is no such thing as cold backed - your horse had a problem linked to his shivering - it was not a diagnosis in itself. Its a bit like stating that 'the runs' is a diagnosis - it isn't that is the sympton of a gut problem or stress. So one of the symptoms of your horses shivering was an over sensitive back. If he had been broad brush diagnosed as cold backed then you would not have investigated the shivering. I would be very concerned with a vet that diagnosed a 'cold back' Saddlers - yes as they in many cases have no idea what they are doing and cold backed abdicates them of any responsibility for a bad saddle. And I don't just mean a badly fitting saddle. I mean a bad saddle - it could be the best fit in the world but if there is a sharp tack in that saddle somewhere it may well come through and cause sharp pain and the reactions of a 'cold backed horse'
 
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