Pidge is poorly - need some help please?

Pidgeon

Pidgeon

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Really need some help here please?
Went Somerford Park yesterday and did the farm ride. Was out for 2 ½ hours and Pidge was a tad warm when we got back as we gallop up the hill and along for about 500m. Nothing out of the ordinary work wise or Pidge wise though. Cooled them off ok, took him back to lorry, stripped him, hosed and cooling wash, thermatex on and back home, again same as normal.
Got home and he has two patches on him the size of your hand just where the bottom of the saddle cloth and back edge of the girth go, if that makes sense and both are sticky. So I shampooed him off rinsed well and slapped some Aloe Vera on him.
Brought him in this morning as fields are being topped today and they are worse than yesterday, very hot and swollen, cold hosed and there was steam coming off him. Rang vets who came out on the way to the practice (my vets are excellent BTW) He’s given him a cortisteroid jab, pirition tablets and Noromectin (I think?) and said he should start to improve in 24-48 hours. No riding until I can touch the areas with no reaction from Pidge. Pidge is very tetchy and flinches before you even get to touch the sticky bits (vet says its serum) on him.
So am after any thoughts on what has caused this please? I haven’t changed the washing powder I use on his numnahs. His girth is a Stubben string girth that gets washed in water only and then dries naturally. My boots are Ariat and get cleaned when really dirty, more often than not just washed off and treated say once every two weeks. My chaps get cleaned but the inside bit that touches Pidge is suede so I don’t clean that.
So as you can see I’m running out of ideas as to what could have caused this! Very frustrating as he was so sore this morning I was in tears when on the phone to the vets. Do I change everything, numnah, girth, my boots and chaps or just try swapping one things at a time once he’s better but running the risk of this happening again? Really don’t want him to have this again as he is in a lot of discomfort.
 
Aww poor Pidge
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I think I'd change the girth to start with. Monty will only tolerate a Thorowgood padded elasticated girth or a humane girth; I always think string girths look a bit uncomfortable so it might be that it rubbed when he got hot? Not wanting to sound horrible but when was your saddle last checked? It might be that he's changed shape a bit and saddle could be moving around - that could cause the rubs in those areas possibly. They could be more like friction burns if there was some movement? It might only need to be a tiny bit of movement if he was hot anyway.

Hope he's on the mend soon xx
 
This might be far off base but did you go thought the river with him? If so how high up was the water it could be a reaction to something in the water.

Just a thought???????
 
Agree with getting saddle checked, and also was your girth as tight as normal? If not may have caused some movement. I wouldnt go down the route of changing everything, just make sure everything is lying flat and not moving. Never known the string girths cause a problem.
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Has he started malting? Have you changed the "cooling wash" you use?
 
had same girth for 17months with no problems. Saddle checked in March. Saddlecloth did move back a bit during the ride could that have caused this? I never overgirth as would rather it was a tad loose than too tight.
Thanks
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I might be way off, but a friedns horse had the same and it was due to an allergic reaction to something he'd rolled on in the field.
Anyway, I hope Pide is better soon
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It could be the Lavendar. My horse had a horrendous reaction to a fly repellent containg Lavender and when we rang the company they said it was almost certainly the lavendar as it did cause some horses to react.
 
have used the lavendar cooling wash for over four years on him with no problem, vet said if it was that it would be all over his body
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have you changed what you clean your boots and chaps with?? could the suede on your chaps have come into contact with anything new??
 
just used Passier saddle soap which is pretty normal as use that or Ariat stuff. If the chaps were a bit rough would that have caused this?
 
Perhaps it was the saddlecloth moving and irritating him combined with his coat changing though it seems a bit extreme - poor Pidge.

Does he generally have sensitive skin - Global Herbs appear to do a range of products that may help?
 
coming to the conclusion that may be the case! Yes he quite a sensitive chestnut beastie
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ooh have you a link?
 
Sounds like a combination of heat, and chaffing - with you being on his back for so long. Poor lad, he must be quite sore. Hope he feels better.
 
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Sounds like a combination of heat, and chaffing - with you being on his back for so long.

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I agree, sounds like where he may have got a bit warm, and his coat is starting to change, its just rubbed him more than normal and he is feeling sensitive!
 
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