STIFF PONY SUGGESTIONS

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DayleAshley

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My 8/9 year old pony is very badly put together and gets very stiff in his back end from time to time. Has seen the back specialist, etc, etc and we decided his stiffness is due to very poor confirmation and injuries which are consistant with being trotted (driven) very badly but we're just happy hackers so not really a problem. He gets stiff time to time and normally a few days rest he's fine but the past couple of weeks he's been really stiff and think its due to spending time in the mud puddle we call his field so just wondered if anyone had any suggestions for suppliments/ herbal remedies/ ground exercises etc for him???? Thanks
 
Do you rug him... Maybe the cold weather is making him stiff.
My shettie is well rugged and stabled at night. He is 27 now, and has the odd bout of shoulder lameness. Keeping him warm definitely helps.
Another thing to consider is whether he has slipped and jarred himself in said mud.
Might be worth a trip from the vet and some pain management.
I'm no expert on supplements so will leave that to the experts on here :)
Hope your pony's back up and running soon
 
Sounds like you've just written this for my pony! I have a 9yo nf pony with a slightly long back and wide behind so has become stiff due to confo and being driven hard from a 2/3yo.

I gave up with supplements as didn't really see any difference no matter how cheap/expensive. Right now he is as sound as a pound - I rug him up VERY well, he is currently wearing in his stable a weatherbeeta full neck under rug probs 200g, stable rug probs 100g and 300g full neck on top - many will say this is over rugging but he hasn't yet sweated and only has a blanket clip. I then put magnetic boots on hind legs every night, people say they do/don't work so put them on anyway even if it's just for warmth. He gets turned out daily for 8 hours and gets worked daily without fail - he has never been so sound and just came 2nd in his first novice test against big bouncy warmbloods :D
 
Oh and I changed his feed to baileys lo cal balancer, top spec condition cubes and molasses free alfa a chaff. Think the baileys has good stuff in it for stiffness etc - have a look on website :)
 
I do in hand work with mine before riding and lots and lots of lateral work to help with stiffness. I do notice a big difference if she is not on her joint supplement - riaflex. Cortaflex did nothing for her. She has a bute if she is struggling. Like others she is on cider apple vinegar and linseed. She is unshod to reduce concussion to her joints and lives out to increase movement. She is ridden most days (would never get a week off) and always well warmed up before schooling).
 
Unfortuantely I don't have the time to work him everyday :( he is currently fed baileys as I've found its the only feed that keeps weight on him. He hasn't seen a vet in a while as it was all decided originally its just bad confirmation and old injuries hence the just happy hacking
 
If you think his stiffness is down to old injuries & confo but don't actually know, bearing in mind he's only young my suggestion would be to get a vets opinion.
 
The_angel_littlelegs said:
If you think his stiffness is down to old injuries & confo but don't actually know, bearing in mind he's only young my suggestion would be to get a vets opinion.
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yep I agree with this its nice to have a bit of an MOT with a horse like this just to make sure you know what is the problem exactly and what you are dealing with. Take it from there. Good luck.
 
Sorry, I thought when you said 'he's seen the back specialist etc etc & we've decided' followed by 'he hasn't seen a vet in a while as it was all decided originally' that he hadn't seen a vet about his stiffness. However, even if he has seen vet a while ago, I would still ring up & ask their advice about him getting worse, low level pain relief could be an option.
 
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