Rehabbing back problem/tracking up

[SWP]

Hello
I'm in my second week of rehabbing my young mare for a back problem. After having extensive investigations she had the facet joints of T18/L1 medicated. Sadly it would seem in her previous home she had done too much too young with a rider who was too heavy, and I've spent the 6 months I've owned trying to get to the bottom of her problems and get her right!

Hopefully we are now on the right track, and the vet and physio are hopeful she might make a full recovery . However I took her out for a walk in hand today and when we tried to walk down a hill she became very reluctant and nappy, and looked a bit tense in her face. When she finally agreed to carry on walking she was in a rush and was not tracking up behind. She was still tracking up on the flat and was over tracking if anything when going up hill.

I'm aware I am probably hypersensitive to something being wrong after everything that has happened, but I'm wondering whether I ought to get the vet or physio back out to have a look a look at her? I'm hoping that perhaps she just didn't fancy going for a walk today, or that it is normal for her as she learns to balance and builds muscle? I've just got a little alarm bell in the back of my head so I would like to hear from others that have done the rehab thing please?

When she was getting short behind I found walk halt transitions seemed to help a lot.

Thanks and sorry for the long post!

 

[milliepops]

I don't have any experience of that specific issue (what's it been medicated for?) but I have rehabbed a lot of injuries and I've learned to trust my gut if things don't feel right - I'd at least pick up the phone to have a chat with the vet and see what they think.

 

[be positive]

I agree a call to the vet is a good idea but will add that she is still early in her rehab and that going downhill will tend to make them tighten up and shorten which is not what you need at this stage while she is learning how to use herself properly so for now I would stay on the flat if possible.
I have rehabbed a few from various injuries and going up our steep hills is usually no problem compared with coming back down in almost all of them, if they have a sore back or front feet it will often be the first sign, with any that have never worked on hills before they come here it can take even longer to learn how to walk down properly..

 

[SWP]

Thanks for your replies. I've texted the vet this morning so I will see what she thinks about it! It would be so much easier if horses could talk!!
She had the joint medicated with steroids because there was enlargement and boney changes that the vet thought could be arthritic ?.