Possible ulcers or just messing?

O

Olliepoppy

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 June 2014
Messages
265
Location
Brechin
Visit site
Hi my rising 7 cob fidgets for getting his saddle on. He sees it coming and moves away. The fidgeting - moving side to side or walking forwards/backwards lasts for two or three minutes then he stands still and lets me do up his girth. Would anyone suspect ulcers from this behaviour or is he just having a wee protest?? He lives out 24/7 has access to ad lib hay and gets Baileys Lo-Cal Balancer once a day (usually just before he is ridden). Any thoughts appreciated.
 
He's telling you he's not happy about something. Detective work needed to find out what it is though :)
Could be saddle type, saddle fit, girth type, ulcers, hind gut issues, pectoral muscle strain, sore ribs...

If a horse is going to "mess around", logic suggests they will mess around at every opportunity, not confine their behaviour to one specific situation.
 
He is on his 3rd saddle - this one professionally fitted with a lovely soft wintec girth, back has been checked, has been given a once over by a knowledgeable friend, at a loss now.. Could it be worth a vet check?
 
Hey. My horse does this with the tack. Just had his saddle refitted today. I will be getting him scopped this year however. If it wad me I would get your saddle checked,his back Checked and then get the vet down.
 
Thanks Jim bob, I've booked the saddle fitter although she is not up my way for a few weeks and will hunt for someone to check his back. Fingers crossed the vet is not needed!
 
hi I have the same issue how ever my stallion has always had girthing issues, i have had a saddle custom made for him, i have had the chiro and when he stroked his belly by the girth, he flinched very badly almost kicked the guys head off,he then ruled ulcer possibly, he is weak on his hind and so we had some lessons last week to encourage lateral work and engaging his hind, because his an endurance horse i need to teach him flying changing so that we can change our lead often when doing a long endurance ride.
So here is my problem we did our lesson on Friday and towards the end of our hour we started getting iffy about my right leg aids to encourage his left lead,
Monday i tried what i learnt in the arena and he had none of it, every time i tried to trot and applied right leg aid he'd stop and swing his head to by foot almost biting like at me.
Today Wednesday i thought we'd go for a training ride out to get some distance,and the minute i ask for a simple trot, and apply any right leg aid, his turning straight away for my leg.......i have him on the Honeyvale Ulcer meds and now starting the Acid buffer as well.
Is this an Ulcer? His attitude? Or something else? or all of the above?
 
Telma said:
hi I have the same issue how ever my stallion has always had girthing issues, i have had a saddle custom made for him, i have had the chiro and when he stroked his belly by the girth, he flinched very badly almost kicked the guys head off,he then ruled ulcer possibly, he is weak on his hind and so we had some lessons last week to encourage lateral work and engaging his hind, because his an endurance horse i need to teach him flying changing so that we can change our lead often when doing a long endurance ride.
So here is my problem we did our lesson on Friday and towards the end of our hour we started getting iffy about my right leg aids to encourage his left lead,
Monday i tried what i learnt in the arena and he had none of it, every time i tried to trot and applied right leg aid he'd stop and swing his head to by foot almost biting like at me.
Today Wednesday i thought we'd go for a training ride out to get some distance,and the minute i ask for a simple trot, and apply any right leg aid, his turning straight away for my leg.......i have him on the Honeyvale Ulcer meds and now starting the Acid buffer as well.
Is this an Ulcer? His attitude? Or something else? or all of the above?
Click to expand...

That literally screams ulcers to me and if he's going to bite your leg when ridden, chances are they are high grade and extremely uncomfortable for him. There is a lot you can do to make the digestive system a healthier place, but it really is worth getting a vet out to scope him and go from there.
 
_GG_ said:
That literally screams ulcers to me and if he's going to bite your leg when ridden, chances are they are high grade and extremely uncomfortable for him. There is a lot you can do to make the digestive system a healthier place, but it really is worth getting a vet out to scope him and go from there.
Click to expand...

This. I'd also quit riding him if I were you, or at least severely minimise the amount that you're doing with him. If it is ulcers then the best thing for him is to be out in the field, with constant access to forage and minimal stress.
 
Telma said:
Thanks GG, i am starting him on Acid Buffer and he is already on the honeyvale gastro/ulcer.
will this help him at all or go for the Omneprocote...
Click to expand...

SpringArising said:
This. I'd also quit riding him if I were you, or at least severely minimise the amount that you're doing with him. If it is ulcers then the best thing for him is to be out in the field, with constant access to forage and minimal stress.
Click to expand...

Telma, as above, if you can stop riding him and just turn him out for a while, I would not necessarily rush to get him on gastro gard. I bought an ex racer last Wednesday that is absolutely riddled with high grade ulcers. He's been scoped and the vet could not believe he hadn't hurt someone as he's been like this for years bless him. We are not starting him on GG yet and we might not if he doesn't need it. There is thought that only gasto gard can fix ulcers as in actually treat and heal them but that is not true. If you create the absolute best environment for the horse and for its gut, they will clear up but with George, we will most likely have him on gastro gard in two weeks, we are just getting his gut in a better state before he starts it but it's only been 3 days on his new diet and he is noticeably less tense and his reaction to palpation is less severe.

For most things with horses, turning them out in a decent field with some form of company and letting Dr. Green go to work will do wonders. For ulcers, you can help by ensuring any supplements you give to help the gut are fed with gut friendly feeds. No starch or feeds that cause starch to be released. Feeding straights is good but can be tricky when not in work.

There are many people on this forum that know far more about ulcers than me though, so I will leave them to advise you on feeds but please be prepared to get your vet out...you really should have him scoped to assess the level and go from there, not least because if there's any chance it isn't ulcers, having a vet on board is important anyway. xx
 
Clearly you are concerned and, as others have said your horse clearly is unhappy about something.
I would have the vet look at him before spending money on supplements which might not ultimately help and cost money in the process.
Maybe I'm over cautious but I'd be wanting to know what I was dealing with.
Do hope you get sorted :)
 
hello every one a follow up on my boy, it all turned out to be nothing but boredom and evasion of work, his tired of being alone and training alone, non the less i have had him on a full 7 day aggressive ulcer course, just in case.
Rode him today and he did the same thing, rode in a group on the weekend and he was a happy as rain.
Cheaky monkey.......
 
Telma said:
hello every one a follow up on my boy, it all turned out to be nothing but boredom and evasion of work, his tired of being alone and training alone, non the less i have had him on a full 7 day aggressive ulcer course, just in case.
Rode him today and he did the same thing, rode in a group on the weekend and he was a happy as rain.
Cheaky monkey.......
Click to expand...

Did a vet scope him then?

The only course of ulcer treatment that will actually treat is Gastro Gard and that is prescription only. Also...being ridden in a group can literally take a horses mind off the pain so you may think he's not in pain when in fact, it's just being masked.

Would be interested to know if you did get the vet as those are strange methods of showing boredom. xx
 
Did have a vet out and we started Omepracote (might have spelt it wrong), this is SA. i did Ride him alone as well and after encouraging him along he did a whole turn around and became the horse i knew, and we had a fantastic ride, he was all perky with ears forward and loving his running through the sugar cane. Its really confusing, so my horsemanship trainer if i can say that, says i REALLY need to spice his training up. so today i through a whole new spanner in the work and dusted off the Wintec and did funny bush jumps and just messed around, and in the beginning he just didn't want to and after a little while he did a turn around and was loving it.
So i really cant make heads or tails of it.......
 
Telma said:
Did have a vet out and we started Omepracote (might have spelt it wrong), this is SA. i did Ride him alone as well and after encouraging him along he did a whole turn around and became the horse i knew, and we had a fantastic ride, he was all perky with ears forward and loving his running through the sugar cane. Its really confusing, so my horsemanship trainer if i can say that, says i REALLY need to spice his training up. so today i through a whole new spanner in the work and dusted off the Wintec and did funny bush jumps and just messed around, and in the beginning he just didn't want to and after a little while he did a turn around and was loving it.
So i really cant make heads or tails of it.......
Click to expand...

That will contain the same basic ingredient...can make a huge difference very quickly but exercise can cause splash of the acids in the stomach, so make sure you feed long fibre roughage before work. Basically, make sure he's eating hay for a good little while before you ride as this will help to reduce the splash and make work more comfortable for him :)

xx
 
Well Ulcers sorted, along with Chronic Sacroiliac still under treatment, and what has been the cause of alot of issues. just an underdiagnosed problem with hard signs to pick up on, after many telling me its behavioural, i followed my instinct that my boy was telling me his sore, not being naughty nor lazy. thank you every one that helped me with the ulcer advise.
 
Telma said:
Well Ulcers sorted, along with Chronic Sacroiliac still under treatment, and what has been the cause of alot of issues. just an underdiagnosed problem with hard signs to pick up on, after many telling me its behavioural, i followed my instinct that my boy was telling me his sore, not being naughty nor lazy. thank you every one that helped me with the ulcer advise.
Click to expand...

No problem. Ulcers and Sacroiliac issues can enter a vicious cycle as well of making each other worse. Ulcer pain causing muscle tension which in turn can cause bracing and exacerbate Si issues. SI issues causing pain and stress which can exacerbate Ulcers.

Very good to hear that you've got it all under control.
 
Thanks! i have never had either of these issues before, guess that from always owning a gelding and once a mare, never a stallion. Always keeping me on my toes. lol Love my crazy boy. :D :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top