Scary moment!

Laura6544

Laura6544

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16 November 2008
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www.petportraitsbylauracooper.co.uk
Horse had a massive bronching fit tonight, seemingly out of nowhere and I didn't come off, I'm feeling an odd mixture of elation and despair. I havn't posted for a while but a quick recap on my situation. Had my mare since she was a 5 yr old, shes now 21, 4 yrs ago she had a similair bronching episode which put me on the floor with a broken back. She spent 3 yrs unridden till I decided to see if I could ride her again. Had new saddle, back checked, went VERY slowly. Everything went brilliant, even riding her in the field in the summer which was always a risky business involving bolting/bucking etc, she was an angel. Started to ride in the indoor again with the wet weather again brilliant, tonight she was fine, normal self, then out of nowhere HUGE bronching. My friend was in the school with me at the time and was shocked, the bronchs went into double figures and she tells me it looked just like a rodeo display off the tv. She has done this at random throughout her life and at her age I'm unlikely to stop it but wondered if anyone else's horse does this? I would love to know whats going off in her head, there is no warning its like someones flicked a switch and shes off. When I was younger and had little fear I would kick her on and canter her out of it but I'm only to aware of my mortality now so after the bronching I trotted her up the school then chickened out, got off and lunged her before getting back on. At least I sat it though, after a 3 yr break at least I've kept a reasonably effective seat!
G & T for getting this far!
 
I am not surprised you found that a scary moment after the broken back. I am so sorry, I cannot advise as I do have experience of a horse who bucks in this way. I just wanted to say well done for getting back on and I hope someone with experience can give some good advice to help you out as I am useless here.
 
My pony did this ( the one in the black and white pic below) he was put to sleep earlier this month due to various health issues.
He used to hack fine, was fab in traffic, but in the school, and occasionally hacking, it was like a switch would be flicked and he would buck and buck until the rider came off, they were huge great bucks and he would sometimes get all 4 feet off the floor. Vet checked his back, neck etc and couldnt find anything majorly wrong but advised for my saftey i should maybe just hack him as this seemed to be when he was less likely to do it. Also had a new saddle fitted to him but it made no difference, he would still just start broncing like a wild thing totally out of the blue.
To cut a long story short he was retired about 5 years ago with arthritis in his hocks and cushings. when we had the vet out to see him shortly before he was PTS, as he was going downhill, she gave him a thorough examination and was 99% certain he had a brain tumour or at least some neurological problem. when i explained how he had been in his ridden life she said this all made perfect sense, that it could have been a very long standing problem that was never detected. Not meaning to scare you or anything hun, I'm sure your mare has nothing like this but it's just my boys behaviour was very similar.
 
I have a 13.1 showpony gelding who does exacly the same thing , but he does it more often than your mare , i have had his teeth , back and everthing checked but its like a light bulb that switches on in his brain , my horses dentist is sort of like a horse whisperer who always listens reallly close to the horses and said tht ed (my gelding ) has very sensitive skin and its nothing to do with back or anythin he just has problems in his head. I have had enough of this problem, he is fantastic in all ways except that rodeo buck or , i would keep him!
 
It sounds very scary, especially with your previous injury.

I know you've had your girl for a very long time, but maybe it's time to think about retiring her. It will be a really tough decision but if her bronking is so unpredictable it's not worth getting hurt (again) over it.
 
Thanks for everyones comments interesting stuff! Lexie, intrigued by what you said re neurological problem, my mare has an indent on the front right side of her head below her ear, its been there all her life and doesn't appear to have any scar tissue or anything but I've always wondered if praps she had a blow to her head when she was younger? Thinking about what happened last night and a few minutes before the explosion another livery took her horse past the school, you can't see out so this spooked her a little but she settled back down, but whilst riding round her ears kept flicking towards the corner of the school as if there were noises outside, I just wonder whether she felt there was some nasty tiger out there and it just got to the point where she felt unsafe.
As far as retiring her, I didn't come to the decision to ride her again lightly, she has done this all her life and if it was a weekly or even monthly occurance I probably would've sold her years ago, She has been ridden for nearly a year without putting a foot wrong. Equally if she didn't enjoy the excersize I wouldn't have continued but she is a different horse from last year, when I tack her up she lights up, her condition and zest for life has greatly improved, frankly last year she looked her age but now she looks like a 10 yr old. I admit to asking myself if its worth the risk, the only thing is I've managed to sit these episodes for the past 16 yrs bar 2 occasions, the first time I rode her after buying her (wasn't expecting it) and when I broke my back (riding round on the buckle, bad idea!) so part of me thinks this was never an issue for me till I got injured it was just what my mare did and I dealt with it. I shall think on.
 
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