Sacroiliac issues

[KittyinAus]

Feedback on sacroiliac issues in horses please. Made a beginner mistake and posted about this in The Tack Room forum first. My horse has a sacroiliac issue. A local non-specialist vet tried to tell me that there was nothing wrong, so it cannot be a catastrophic problem. The specialist who saw him when he was still at the re-homing centre was of the opinion that worse case scenario that the horse would end up doing light hacking and that's worse case. Sadly my life went to hell in a handcart and he's been on a very long holiday. Looking to move him closer and start rehabilitating him.

 

[Red-1]

I think that the feedback will be very varied, as SI issues are very hard to diagnose. So, your SI issue won't be like others.

However, I think the biggest difference of all is that some horses are quite stoic and will carry on regardless, whilst others are uncompromising and throw the towel in where work is concerned.

I would say the best person to listen to is your horse. See what they are comfortable with.

 

[paddi22]

this article showed the signs my lad had
https://thehorse.com/111719/six-signs-of-sacroiliac-disease-in-horses/

Sacroiliac is a tricky one. I knew something was wrong with one of mine when he was relectant to canter and felt uncomfortable walking down hills. I had 2 different vets out and neither could spot any lameness and just told me he was being nappy or bold, but you know yourself when they aren't happy.

Sacroiliac rarely shows up as a lameness apparently, so it can be difficult to spot. with my lad it was a reluctance to canter forward properly and he wasn't happy to take weight on his hind end (like coming downhills). from chatting to others with SI issues their symptoms were fairly similar. horse will look sound in field and only show it during certain ridden work.

there is no way that specialist in the rehoming centre can give that opinion without a full exploration and X-rays etc and seeing the horse in work. when mine was X-rayed he had damage around the sacroiliac to some of his ligaments as a result of it. every SI is different and it broke my heart that I couldn't even keep mine in light hacking as he wasn't happy. mine did get injections and they did work for a short period where he felt good.

every horse is different though and until you start doing the ridden work it's hard to tel how they will cope. it's a serious thing for them to have unfortunately and I really hope your guy can be helped and only has it very mild.

 

[scats]

I have just successfully rehabbed a horse with severe SI joint disease and PSD. This horse got so bad that if you asked her to walk forwards she would reverse and then rear. Hospital vet advice 2 years ago was she would never be a ridden horse and put her to sleep if that’s what I wanted. I opted to do things my way, she had 12 months off ridden work with regular vet chiro sessions and long reining. Then another 12 months bringing her back into very light ridden work, continuing with interspersed long reining work. My vet chiro came yesterday for her 6 monthly check and said she was the soundest horse she had seen that day. SI issues and PSD are now successfully managed. Horse now does light school work and hacking. She stands, holds herself and moves like a different horse. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of money but we got there.

I am very careful with the horses workload, watch her like a hawk and jump on any issues as soon as I see them. She still does regular long reining too.

 

[KittyinAus]

I have just successfully rehabbed a horse with severe SI joint disease and PSD. This horse got so bad that if you asked her to walk forwards she would reverse and then rear. Hospital vet advice 2 years ago was she would never be a ridden horse and put her to sleep if that’s what I wanted. I opted to do things my way, she had 12 months off ridden work with regular vet chiro sessions and long reining. Then another 12 months bringing her back into very light ridden work, continuing with interspersed long reining work. My vet chiro came yesterday for her 6 monthly check and said she was the soundest horse she had seen that day. SI issues and PSD are now successfully managed. Horse now does light school work and hacking. She stands, holds herself and moves like a different horse. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of money but we got there.

I am very careful with the horses workload, watch her like a hawk and jump on any issues as soon as I see them. She still does regular long reining too.

That's great. Really impressed with your success. If my horse never does anything useful, I am fine with that.

 

[ycbm]

You posted first asking what weight he can carry, and on this post you have missed out the details that the horse was a harness racer until 6 or 7, retired with SI issues, has never been ridden and is now 11 years old and you intend to break him to ride.

I think that information is vital if people are going to give you sensible advice.,

 

[Tiddlypom]

Made a beginner mistake and posted about this in The Tack Room forum first.

And you got a lot of useful advice on that thread too, so not sure why you feel the need to post another thread? 33 replies and over 2000 views.
https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/how-much-can-this-horse-carry-photo.791120/

 

[scats]

I must have missed the original thread. I’ll go and have a proper look at that.

 

[KittyinAus]

You posted first asking what weight he can carry, and on this post you have missed out the details that the horse was a harness racer until 6 or 7, retired with SI issues, has never been ridden and is now 11 years old and you intend to break him to ride.

I think that information is vital if people are going to give you sensible advice.,

I am starting to thing that I need to take a writing course because people are not understanding what I write. I bought him when he was seven. He did not race until he was seven. His racing career was very brief. He spent several years after his racing career at a rehoming centre and I bought him when he was seven.

 

[ycbm]

I am starting to thing that I need to take a writing course because people are not understanding what I write. I bought him when he was seven. He did not race until he was seven. His racing career was very brief. He spent several years after his racing career at a rehoming centre and I bought him when he was seven.

You haven't said that before.


So, he raced for a couple of years and was retired unsound after doing very little work, has not been in work since and you are now proposing to back an eleven year old horse that didn't stand up to a small amount of harness racing, to do ridden work for the first time.

Is that right?

 

[Widgeon]

I thought that the OP had said he'd only raced a few times because he wasn't much good at it, then he stayed in the rehoming centre for quite a while because he's bigger than most of his breed, and potential rehomers didn't want that. I don't think she said anything to suggest he'd retired unsound? She also said that he hadn't been backed yet because she'd been having a hard time in other areas of her life. I cannot comment on his potential SI issues but it feels like people are being rather unkind for no particular reason. She has said throughout that it doesn't matter if she can't ever ride him, and that he'll always have a home with her.

 

[KittyinAus]

I thought that the OP had said he'd only raced a few times because he wasn't much good at it, then he stayed in the rehoming centre for quite a while because he's bigger than most of his breed, and potential rehomers didn't want that. I don't think she said anything to suggest he'd retired unsound? She also said that he hadn't been backed yet because she'd been having a hard time in other areas of her life. I cannot comment on his potential SI issues but it feels like people are being rather unkind for no particular reason. She has said throughout that it doesn't matter if she can't ever ride him, and that he'll always have a home with her.

Thank you for your support. My theory, though it's only a theory, is he's had a fall.

 

[Auslander]

Do you know what the issue is/has he had any diagnostic imaging done at any stage? The degree of damage to the SI joint rather defines if he could/should be ridden.

 

[Nudibranch]

The only one I've owned with SI issues was backed at 4, retired at 6 and pts at 7.

If the horse is to be ridden by the person in the picture on the other thread then I would say not suitable. If you can confirm, by proper imaging and a specialist vet, that the problem is not too serious then backing and riding on by a very lightweight rider might be possible.

However I can tell you from experience that anything SI has the potential to be complicated, frustratingly hard to diagnose properly, and have knock on effects on the rest of the horse, for example hock issues often go hand in hand.

I'm sure it's not what you want to hear, but if you want honest feedback then it is what it is.

 

[MiniMilton]

I guess the biggest problem you are going to face is trying to identify if the horse is reluctant to move forwards from pain or from greeness. My horse was very stuffy when first broken in. It took a good few months of really pushing him forwards to get him going nicely.
When he was older and very well schooled, if I needed that amount of coaxing to get him moving forward I'd know he was in pain.
When you begin to canter for example, you won't know if your horse in unbalanced because he is green, or unbalanced from injury.
Mine injured his SI through a rotational fall. SI I juries can be very very subtle. My horse was getting disunited in canter, and more difficult to get him to engage his hind quarters properly. These symptoms in a newly broken horse wouldn't be obvious as the horse wouldn't be expected to have a very balanced canter anyway at the beginning of its ridden career.