strange movement when brushed around hip?

[dilbert]

Hopefully this makes sense and doesn't make me sound too stupid.

Frankie was a grumpy boy today, so I just spent some time grooming him to check if there were any signs of pain etc.

I absentmindedly rubbed his mane brush (one of those big things that looks like a human hair brush) around his hip/glute area and he sort of tucked or dipped his back end in a bit - I got the same response on both sides.

Is this a normal response or could it mean something else?

 

[Brandy]

One of mine would do just the same in a 'get the hell off me with that damned brush!!!' kind of way. The other would love it.

Sorry probably no help.....

 

[kezimac]

its a muscle reflex - if you stand behind your horse and run nails or fingers if you have pointy fingers! down the horses bum (from SI area to hamstrings) they lift back up - its a reflex.

 

[Cliqmo]

Can you tell us roughly where you were brushing when you got that reaction?? Here is a picture which might help...

If it was over a fleshy / muscular area it is probably a reflex, if however it was over the boney point of the pelvis (the 'hips' at the top of the flank) it may be pain and should probably be looked at more closely...

 

[Saxon_Jasmine]

My mare was doing this untill she had her back done recently. The Chiro said she had very tense muscle around that area, which he massaged, and she doesn't do it anymore.

 

[dilbert]

Thank you all

I know he has some muscle pain/tension at the mo on one side - the chiro is coming out Tuesday and he is having a new saddle. grrrrrrr! poor ponio! I will double check today but I'm sure it was a non bony part - it was somewhere above the dotted line where 16 is on the pic so the bit with no number.