Pain/behavioural issues.

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Emma1703

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I bought my mare in May 2015, I bought her as a confidence giver and she was as bombproof as they come. In October 2015 she started bucking as this was out of character I obviously had the full MOT done, was told it was her back, saddle, and her wolf tooth needed removing, all of which I had done. In June 2016 I had her scoped which showed grade 4 ulcers. She had a two month course of peptizole and came right again.
October 2016 - I was lunging her and she tripped in the school, I had her back checked the next day and she seemed fine.
Novemeber 2016 - started showing subtle lameness. Since then and July 2017, the lameness got worse (both back legs) and she’s had every test under the sun done. She had a full body bone scan at Newmarket which only came back with a very mild uptake on right side of sacroiliac, all leg x rays were clear. Vet gave her two cortisone injections on sacro, but this seems to make the lameness worse. Both back legs have been nerve blocked and she is almost completely sound when her hocks are blocked but whenever we medicate them she is more lame! Legs have been scanned, all clear. Had an orthopaedic specialist who was convinced it was her back and gave her 7 cortisone injections down her spine. In July I put her on grass livery hoping that some rest would help.
Her back keeps getting extremely sore despite not being in work. Her back was last done middle of jan which we noticed from the back her pelvis had dropped to the left so we assumed maybe deep soft tissue damage. She is now sound in a straight line but still lame on the lunge. Between me, the vet and my back lady we decided to have a light weight rider hack her in walk, in straight lines for a couple of months to see if building some muscle back up helps.
However she’s turned dangerous! Luckily the girl riding her for me is very confident but I’m having to sedate her and lead her. Yesterday I took her out just inhand she started bronking in the middle of the road for no reason whilst I had cars either side of me! She’s spooking at everything, I’ve tried walking her round the school and she’s even worse.
No nasty comments please just looking for some advice as I’m at my wits end! Not sure how to know if this is pain related or behavioural?
 
I am not sure where you go next but it certainly sounds as if she is shouting out that something hurts and that she cannot cope any longer, it has been ongoing for well over 2 years in one way or another and she may well have ulcers again, no horse should require sedating to be walked out unless it is on total box rest when I would accept it may be essential.

You seem to have had a fair amount of inconclusive diagnostics done with a similar amount of injections with little more than educated guesswork behind them, the only truly conclusive fact seems that the horse comes sound when the hocks are blocked and that steroids haven't helped but that does not mean the hocks are not the primary issue even if the bonescan showed nothing and nothing shows on xrays the fact she is sound when she cannot feel them means they hurt and probably require more investigation.
 
Back pain is often a sign of limb/foot pain.

Nothing helpful to add really other than if she's needing sedation to lead and is generally dangerous it may be time to call it a day.
 
Please don't think this is nasty because it certainly isn't meant to be but it sounds to me like you really have done everything you can and you might consider pts and putting your time and money into something else that would hopefully be more enjoyable and safer.
 
Thanks for your replies.
Having her pts isn’t an option, she’s more than happy in day to day life, she just changes into a mega spooky dangerous horse as soon as anything Work related is involved, hence I’m now questioning if it is behavioural.
 
She is lame so anything relating to work will cause her to be in more pain hence her now getting more dangerous to deal with, she can probably cope just mooching about being a horse but every time you try and work her, even just a walk in hand may be enough to trigger her concerns that more will follow, sets her back, it will become more ingrained and possibly more violent if you continue without getting a proper diagnosis and treatment, as she is happy generally maybe turn her away for 6 months if you don't want to continue with the investigations that have so far been inconclusive.
 
She was turned away July - December but unfortunately hasn’t made much of a difference. I’ve had multiple vets involved and everyone comes back with it being hock related.
Just out of possibilities what else if could be, even if she has to retire early just wanting an answer now :(
 
Emma1703 said:
She was turned away July - December but unfortunately hasn’t made much of a difference. I’ve had multiple vets involved and everyone comes back with it being hock related.
Just out of possibilities what else if could be, even if she has to retire early just wanting an answer now :(
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Why does it need to be anything else, you know it's hock related? It might just be that she hasn't responded to the treatment for her hocks.
 
Agree with be positive - sounds very similar to my retired boy, he had many niggling issues (mainly arthritic) but he associated work and tack with pain no matter how much we tried to fix him. He let me know by becoming very dangerous and unpredictable to ride - broncking, cold backed, kicking out at cars etc (he was a foot perfect well behaved horse when comfortable) I decided to stop taking him for treatments as he was by this time vet/needle phobic and retired him. He is happy in day to day life - out 24/7 in summer and in at night in winter, managed with a joint supplement and boswelia.
 
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