Standard neck rugs hurting horses back, possible?

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My 15hh WelshxTB is sharp and twitchy at best of times she has always been cold backed despite xrays and whole host of vet test from ulcer scoping to ultra sounding her overies, physios, chiropractors, new saddles and different fitters, dentist visits.

She always improves alot in summer and gradually gets worse over winter, I also put this down to more turnout and exercise during summer, this winters undesirable behaviour has increased 10 fold in last month have started and broncing etc when ridden and now got to point where she is constantly on edge and can't even groom her without her trying to kick your head off!

I have been thinking about other possible triggers and I keep coming back to rugs, the really bad behavior started when I swapped from her full neck LW turnout (which I used purely to keep her clean) to MW standard neck turnout . I swapped her rug to full neck yesterday and this morning her behavior is noticably better.

She has always been particularly twitchy around withers and has white hairs just behind them so something has obviously caused damage there in the past which has been checked by various people and treated approiately if sore, so wondering whether standard neck rugs agreivate some old injury does this sound possible?

I have already booked a Bowen session for her friday and Mctimoneys on 28th to give her full check out again.

Has anyone else ever experienced standard neck rugs causing problems like this?

Any other ideas or possible triggers that maybe I haven't thought about?

Thanks in advance x
 
Badly fitted rugs can easily cause pressure points. So I would certainly not rule that out.

Other things to consider - do you change her feed or hay/haylage over winter? Some mares can be a little irrational when their cycles start winding down. I knew one mare where the owners thought the change in daylight triggered irrational behavior (she was improved under extended UV lights).
 
A badly fitting standard neck rug can slide behind the wither and make the rug painfully tight across the withers and chest. Perhaps this has happened to her before, hence the white hairs, and she is remembering it when she feels the the normal pressures from a std neck? Long shot, but you never know.
 
When I brought her she got sent with an horrendously fitting rug that slipped back, used it for about 2 days until I could get replacement, I always put white hairs down to this. So maybe a remenbered pain and a full neck is different feeling so she doesn't relate it to pain. Hmmm.. seems possible as she is veru intelligent and remenbers everything.

Her feed stays exactly the same all year round as I have very little grazing so always gets same bucket feed and access to haylage.
 
It could well be the rug. If the neck opening is too large they can slip back and wedge behind the withers and be tight across the chest. A good fitting standard neck should always sit at the base of the neck and not on or behind the withers. Full neck rugs cannot slip back the same and the pressure is shared over a greater area.
 
I have horrible trouble with my horse, not with them slipping behind his withers, but being far to tight above his withers, I have been paranoid about it for years and have periodically changed my rugs as his neck has developed, thought I was alone, but recently saw something about damage being caused to the neck causing a hollow above the withers - can't remeber where I saw it though.
I personally think any hair rubbing. mane removal or white hairs are a cue something is wrong.
 
mjcssjw2 said:
I have horrible trouble with my horse, not with them slipping behind his withers, but being far to tight above his withers, I have been paranoid about it for years and have periodically changed my rugs as his neck has developed, thought I was alone, but recently saw something about damage being caused to the neck causing a hollow above the withers - can't remeber where I saw it though.
I personally think any hair rubbing. mane removal or white hairs are a cue something is wrong.
Click to expand...

This is the article, I think? http://sreinhold.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/horse-winter-blankets-how-much-damage-can-they-do/

I don't know the credentials of the writer, but the article was shared on Facebook by my horse's physio, and she commented that she sees quite a lot of this kind of problem.

So I think I'll be shopping for a wug type rug - my big fluffy doesn't wear a rug much, but wears a LW turnout when it pours rain, and I do notice that the neck sits exactly where the photos show the problems arise. It may or may not be an issue, but no harm taking action.
 
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