Possible PSSM or something else

[spamiad]

Hi all, after your advice,

Went to horse camp this weekend at Somerford park and was really looking forward to it, until i got on.

I ramped her mix and feed up the week running up to camp and moved her onto some better grass (had to use it before new horses moved on).

She has always had a good buck in her, but i always thought this was just the way she was and been young, she is a 6 year old ID x Pony suspected Appaloosa due to her spots, but this time last year she had an episode of excessive bucking, which resulted in the usual Physio checks and a new saddle (saddle was on the cards anyway) i gave her the winter off after the saddle fitting as she seemed so lazy and backward thinking and been ID cross at 5 years i thought she might be growing, turned her away until march this year, bought her back into work and she did seem to come back a bit better and a bit more forward, but over the last few months the bucking and unwillingness to go forward has returned although i have been trying to work through it thinking it was her attitude, Camp has been the last straw, she is used to going out to shows and has been out jumping most weekends through the summer so i know its not landing in a strange place, but she was off all fours all three days of camp and rearing which is not like her, god know how i stayed on through the first XC session, show jumping became worse and she was bucking every other stride so much so my back couldn't take any more, we tried early on Sunday morning to get her going forward again thinking it may be her attitude to send her forward round the arena, this proved to not work, i now think something is wrong somewhere, she also finds it difficult to hold her back legs up for the farrier, the muscles seem to tremble and has to have regular breaks whist shoeing behind, she was checked by the physio two weeks before we went to camp and she was happy with her general feel, he saddle is fine and has been checked, teeth have also been done the same week as physio, we are speaking to our vet, which my Mom works for and are looking into getting some tests done but would love to know your thoughts.

Thanks

sam

 

[Tiddlypom]

Firstly, you should feed a horse according to the work done rather than in anticipation to work to be done, so ramping up the hard feed and grazing before camp was not the best move. Presumably it is stabling only at camp, so no turn out there either?

Having said that, you say that the horse has been having issues behind for a while, so there would seem to be something amiss. My own PSSM mare was transformed for the better within 48 hours just by the addition of vit E to her diet, so it is worth trying simple dietary and management tweaks to see if that helps. There are various PSSM threads on here if you do a search. Maybe try that before getting the vets involved for a work up, which would be the next logical step.

 

[SEL]

Given the genetic test for type 1 is only about £30 and you don't need the cost of a vet it would be (& was) my first point of call.

Sadly for mine it looks like untreated muscle tightness has caused arthritic changes elsewhere, but at least I know what's wrong and we can try and work with it.