Stiff/not tracking up on one rein?

[matt_m]

Hello,

I recently acquired an ex racehorse 7 year old mare and I have started reschooling her over the last couple of months. The plan was to do ROR competitions and particularly dressage with her in the future.

As time has gone on she has started to show that she is much happier on her left rein, but much more resistant and more likely to hollow on her right rein. She can sometimes look like two different horses from rein to rein in the same schooling session. The general thought is that she is weaker on her right hind and doesn't always use it properly or track up on it. She doesn't look lame at all and when at liberty tracks up perfectly on both sides and doesn't show any discomfort. I think it is a weakness/muscle issue and that she needs to strengthen on this rein but wondered if anyone might have any ideas? She also has a tendency on her right rein to swing her quarters in a little if she can, so I am working hard to prevent this (although at the moment she sees any leg as a forward aid so it is hard to put inside leg on to ask her to step out and around my leg).

Saddle and teeth etc are all fine. I am getting a chiro to look at her shortly. I wondered if anyone might have any tips for helping to strengthen and develop her more on her right rein?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Booboos]

Has she been seen by a vet? Not tracking up means she is lame. The vet will examine her on the hard, in a straight line, lunged on both reins and all this will give him information about the origin of the lameness. It could well be related to muscle wastage but I'd want to know why this has happened before going further.

No decent osteo should would agree to see the horse before it has been diagnosed by a vet.

 

[matt_m]

Not tracking up means lameness? This is news to me - I know that it CAN mean there is a lameness, but can it not also mean that the horse is not using itself correctly and is rushing on the forehand and not working from behind?

She does not track up to her full extent on her right hind when working on a right 20m circle initially - once she softens to the contact and drops rather than hollows, she does, but I have to initially work her through this uncomfortable choppy trot first before she starts to feel as though she is working better.

She hasn't been seen by a vet yet no, haven't thought of there being a need to as I do not consider her to be lame but being an ex racer I assumed she was having difficulty on her right rein perhaps due to never really having any schooling before and many ex racers being one sided. She is soon due for vaccinations so I will have it looked into then although it is only evident under saddle and as I say on a right circle initially.

Also news to me that no good osteo would see a horse without it first having been seen by a vet.

 

[Pinkvboots]

She should be tracking up evenly on both reins if she is not after a few minutes I would say she is lame, sounds like it may be arthritic issues as she improves after work I would get your vet out as it sounds like its a mild lameness so treatment options should be good, if you think of the horse going round on the right rein in a circle the inside leg has to really step underneath and its also taking most of the weight, which is why more often than not they look worse when the offending or lame leg is on the inside.

 

[shergar]

Google ulcers in horses ,one of the symptoms is lameness in the right hind leg and race horses because they have diets low in fibre are prone to them.

 

[matt_m]

Is it quite common for ulcer sufferers to not show any other symptoms? I.e. she is not girthy, not at all moody or typically marish in any way and doesn't show any strange behaviour around her feeding habits.

 

[atlantis]

She could be lame, she could have ulcers or she could just be very one sided.

The cheapest and easiest thing to do would be to assume the latter. I'd recommend in hand work to really enable you to see how she's working from the ground. I'm currently doing lots with my connemara who was stiff through the shoulder. Full lameness work up showed nothing but the Physio found lots of muscle tension. All horses are one sided and need work to straighten them up.

I've got a really good book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/386...+hand+book&dpPl=1&dpID=51A8IdlKdeL&ref=plSrch

And I've been watching and doing basic straightness training which may help. Just google it or search on you tube.

Any practitioner worth anything needs to get veterinary permission before seeing a horse. They don't need them to diagnose as it were, but the get us the only one who can legally diagnose. I value a good Physio opinion though.

 

[atlantis]

Ooh worth saying that if you don't see any improvement with some in hand stuff then vet might be a good idea.

 

[Paint it Lucky]

I'd agree that a good physio/osteo wouldn't agree to see her without a vet's permission. I'm assuming she's not been checked by a vet? As she's not quite right I would get the vet to look at her just to check there is no hidden issue, she may have had a fall or an old injury, you're right it could well be nothing but at least then you'll have the peace of mind. A good physio/osteo won't treat her without a vets say so for this reason, if she has an underlying fracture or something they could make it worse. I have an old horse who recently got injured, had vet out straight away as he was very lame but as injury was so new there was too much inflammation for vet to pin-point exactly what had caused it so I was told to just rest the horse for then. Anyway physio was due on the yard the next week so I thought I'd get him to have a look just to see what he thought as horse was still clearly lame. Physio didn't want to touch the horse. It's a good job he didn't as when the vet next came out he diagnosed him with a fractured pelvis, so you can see that had the physio done any kind of manipulation it would have made the problem much worse.

Hopefully the vet will say there's nothing majorly wrong so you can then do corrective schooling/strengthening as others have said. Possibly the mare is used to only cantering on one leg or in one direction so you need to completely re-educate her. It will take time. Don't except too much too soon but you should notice changes gradually.

Also I find if horses push their hind quarters in the easiest way to correct it is to move the shoulders in as well to line up with the quarters again, rather than trying to push the quarters back out.