Sensitive Girth Area?

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Shiraz

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I knew my TB was "cold-backed" when I bought her and you have to go through a girthing up and mounting routine etc. I got her home in July and gave her 6wks off to settle in/chill out and then ever since we have been plauged with injuries meaning that apart from a handful of times lunging her and taking her out for in-hand walks I've not been able to do much with her let along sit on her.

However I was mucking about with her in the stable last night and was "girthing" her with my scarf really gently. She was kicking at it and trying to bite me. I was honestly being so gentle and it's a long, soft, stretchy scarf. Now it could just be she didn't like the colour of it because in no way did those stripes co-ordinate with her headcollar/rug/boots/grooming kit but it just might be that she is sensitive in her girth/chest/barrel area rather than her back?

What do you suggest for that? I'll continue to do my "scarf work" (hmm, wonder if I can market that for £95?) to see if I can de-sensitise her but could it be she has pain in that area?

I know that some horses that are cold backed are actually sore in the chest and tight in that area. What would help? Physio etc?

In August I had a McTimmoney-Corely lady look and her and she said skeleton/muscles are fine; there is a bit of tightness in her left shoulder and more developed in one side than the other but nothing major that wouldn't come right when I started working her equally on both sides and I'd only need her once or twice a year for maintainance if that was a route I wanted to go down. So not sure of physio would be more suitable or if I am barking up the totally wrong tree.

Any help or advice welcomed, thanks
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I would say try another back person just in case. If you had her regulary massaged that might help. My mare is a bit troublesome like that and having a "sports massage" every month has helped her to a mild grumble from nashing teeth!
 
I would definitely want to talk to a vet as a starting point. Reacting to a scarf seems quite an extreme reaction to me and one that I would want an answer to
 
Yip, she was 5 stage vetted before I bought her and passed as the seller told me all about her so I already knew she was cold backed and could weave.

Her saddle does fit but she's not been ridden since I got her (19 July) so it's not saddle pain and before that she was ridden in a racing saddle. It's a saddle company saddle that is adjusted to her but she's only had it on for getting fitted.

She's had massages from an EBW and I massage her myself and use a massage brush that she loves. We also do gentle stretching exercises.

She's just been on a weeks box-rest and 8 day course of anti-biotics (high dose) as she had an infected puncture wound. So I do think she has a bit of a sore stomach as she has also bitten her door frame which is a new one (crib stop now on door frame). She gets mint in with her feeds and is now on a 10 day course of probiotics and will then go onto pink powder. She finished the anti-biotics on Sunday am.

So I am aware that it might be a sore stomach but she only starting grumping when I put the scarf round and it was not in any way tight and she was "cold backed"/sensitive to girth before I bought her so it is not a new problem.
 
The vet is out on a regular basis (unforunately) as my 3 seem to like him visiting - A LOT
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but he has given her a clean bill of health
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There is tightness in her left shoulder which can cause her to raise her left leg when massaging that area by hand or with the brush but she seems to enjoy it rather than be reacting in pain? She is fine to brush in her girth area?
 
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What's been going on with her since 19th July??

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It's a long story, you better put the kettle on...

She got 6wks off as planned as she was homebred and been on her yard in Hereford her whole life so I thought it was a big change putting her on a lorry for 2 days (she got breaks and overnight stays - it was Eric Gillie that brought her up to Scotland) to come up here, change of enviroment/routine/horses/feed etc.

I was changing jobs and had 3wks off so my plan was to start her then and we'd entered our first in-hand ex-racer class. So then she went lame. I thought it was near fore but vet couldn't tell. Her right pastern is slightly more upright than her left and he spotted it just before he left he started freaking out about it. He started saying there could be lesions and all sorts on it and that she'd never jump/event and I could sue the practice that passed her. cue 2wks of worry and no sleep that she has all sorts wrong with her and would never be sound. X-rays were clear and she was booked into vet hospital for urgent scan when the night before an abcess burst out of her pastern
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so more box-rest, anti-biotics and poltices...

The vet had pulled her shoes and half her hooves off so she was foot sore for ages and the farrier had nothing to work with. Finally got some horn but due to the mud at my old yard she kept pulling the shoes (only shod in front and wears o/r boots).

She was lame/footsore with no shoes but nothing I could do. I moved yards and got shoes on her (that have stayed on) 3wks ago. So finally got a chance to start her. She came in with a cut that ballooned up so she couldn't walk (thought she'd broken a leg - have video on my phone but no idea how to upload it onto pc) cue a week of box rest, antibitoics and poltices.

She went out for the first time on Saturday, in Sunday because of snow and out today. Booted up the max. Off pain killers and anit-biotics. Almost 100% sound but cut is still healing over.

So that is how I've had her 4mths and 3wks and not even managed to get on her
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I could have been
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I did pull it a bit tighter so I could hold both ends in one hand and pull her mane with the other hand (she oddly finds this relaxing and doses when I do it...)

The mane pulling seemed to distract her as she got stuck back into her haylage.

That's my plan - if she'd just stay sound long enough. hopefully this time!!
 
Dont know if it would be of interest but I have come across this alot.
Especially as you say she was ridden in a racing saddle.
Try using a dressage saddle or get dressage girth straps added to your saddle.
When you girth up a regular GP saddle it tends to pull the girth up to the saddle and some horses are tender.
Dressage type girths pull the saddle down onto there backs so they dont object. it may take a little while for them to realize it no longer hurts and if you are getting treatment ask them to have a look around the breast bone area.
This has even worked on an arab that used to throw itself down on the floor when girthed up.
Hope this helps
 
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