Sometimes shes cold backed sometimes shes not...

kobi

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Hello I've got a little Irish mare who sometimes bronks when you get on (I'm talking major rodeo). Last summer we linked it to painful seasons (it happened religiously for 1 day every 23) so she's been put regumate and has been better but she still occasionally feels like an unexploded bomb and has had 1 minor getting on bronk. I suspected ulcers so started her on acid ease which has definitely led to significantly more good days, but shes still a bit up and down. She seems worse after a cold night (the recent bronking happened after a night that was forecast to be warm but wasn't so I'd under rugged). For those of you with ulcer horses are yours worse if they get cold? What else sets them off? She is out 247 with access to a bedded down shelter which she sleeps in and always has hay or grass. She is fed Thunderbrooks organic fusion to mix the regumate and acid ease into. I've got the vet coming next week for vaccinations so was planning to discuss scoping then.
 

whiteflower

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Have you had her back x-rayed ?? I have one with mild kissing spines who used to be much more reactive when cold. May be worth ruling it out if not. Hope you sort it, it can be hard when you know something is wrong but have issues locating what !
 

pastit

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Extremes of hot and cold conditions are always bad for arthritics. Sounds like the ulcers are the end result and not the primary cause. For me, knowing that she is likely to have ulcers, I wouldn't bother to scope which is an invasive procedure - I'd get the vet look for something else - check the ovaries maybe, and keep treating with the Acid ease.
 

kobi

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Im convinced the behaviour is linked to pain somewhere - she might be neurotic but she is a friendly little mare and never nasty. I'm also 100% convinced she has ulcers. In hindsight she had all the signs - wood chewing, soil licking, lying down a lot etc. I just need to find out why! She is a worryer which probably doesn't help. I've had her a year and she came over from Ireland in terrible condition. I had a load of acid ease left over from a previous horse so was feeding it as she was so poor and I didn't think it would do her any harm, then stopped when we put her on the regumate in January. Could it be that the original ulcers (possibly caused by a combination of previously bad management and painful seasons) were so bad they've never properly cleared up?
 

be positive

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Ulcers will not clear up if there is an underlying reason that has caused them, they may settle down and flare up at any time, I would start by trying to find the primary issue, which could be almost anywhere from what you say, has she been checked internally by the vet? rather than just scoping and treating the ulcers, if she has them, keeping her on acid ease will do no harm in the meantime.
Being a worrier is often a symptom of pain rather than just being the cause of ulcers although it can be hard when you have never known them before things went awry to decide which came first.
 

ycbm

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Have you had her back x-rayed ?? I have one with mild kissing spines who used to be much more reactive when cold. May be worth ruling it out if not. Hope you sort it, it can be hard when you know something is wrong but have issues locating what !


This. I kept my KS horse going for a year with poultry lights before having him operated on. Warmed up before riding, he had no issues.
 

pixie27

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Mine was like this. Some days fine, other days were interesting! He was better when he was ridden after coming in from the field, I would never get on him straight from the stable if he’d been in overnight. Would sometimes give him a lunge on the headcollar if it was cold or he was acting up, and that would take the fizz out. Also made sure he had a handful of chaff before being ridden (usually before I got his tack out), and he’d wear a back on track rug too.

I was half convinced it was kissing spines, so my physio/chiro helped me manage it through stretches and body work. When we did come round to x-ray, his back was perfectly clear but he had severe hock arthritis.

Not sure if it was just him, his ulcers (treated for and supplemented), or the hocks, but I just learnt to tell when ‘those days’ were going to happen. Getting on and staying in light seat until his back came down worked, as did training him to voice commands so I didn’t have to initially put my leg on! I also tended to hack him if his back was up.
 
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