sjp1
Well-Known Member
So really long story - but potted version!!
Got my new lad end of December. He couldn't be touched or groomed without being uncomfortable or biting. Could take ten minutes plus to get a bridle on, dipped his back having a saddle put on. Wouldn't pick any legs up - he had shoes on three feet which had been there a long time because farrier had walloped him and then he just booted out with back feet and moved around for front feet - this was for picking out. I had to have him sedated to have shoes removed - he fights sedation - hates injections, so this wasn't totally easy either - except that vet is very experienced equine vet and not afraid so sorted it and farrier was brilliant taking his life in his hands!! Actually horse had a lot of body pain - had osteo out loads and he is now fine for being groomed and touched. Sorted head shyness which had spilled into bridling issues with an american called Mike Hughes online - took some time, but well worth it! He has a saddle that fits. He now picks all his feet up fine, I have kept him barefoot because he has strong feet and the thought of sedating for every shoeing was a nightmare!! I can trim him myself, but have mostly left him to self trim.
He rushed around everywhere at a hundred miles an hour when he arrived and then in spite of a saddle that fits - the saddle he came with was ridiculously narrow - no wonder he dipped away from it - he started doing bunching up when girthed with a cat like back. He was OK ish, when walked around for a few minutes, but the saddling issue has not resolved. He subsequently got really slow hacking out and not happy going forward - which I put down to boredom because we were only doing short circuits because he was really unfit And then I got on him in the school and then he was back up and really tense. So different scenario - took feet out of stirrups (in case I had to do a hasty dismount) and did a lot of circles and poles and gradually his stress levels subsided.
But he isn't the type to be stressy and he is bright enough that it isn't remembered pain - every other pain scenario which has been taken away has gone immediately.
So I thought ulcers ......... spoke to my vet and said I wasn't keen on having him scoped because he isn't keen on vets (as vet can testify!), and he suggested no scoping but a trial of gastroguard - having seen my lad and his stressiness over vets etc., he agrees ulcers are a possible cause of this behaviour. So two weeks in on omeprazole he can now be rugged without doing this bunched up thing he does with saddling which he also did with rugs. In his old home when you put a rug on him he would almost wear the wall - osteo has sorted many pain issues so he doesn't shrink to the wall now, but we have never got over the bunching up over rugging until the gastroguard. I haven't actually saddled or girthed him in the last fortnight because a) it didn't seem right to ride him and b) I have had some sort of cold which has caused me to feel really sick and not want to do a lot so I completely empathise with him!
I have just bought some sulcrafate. He isn't insured so the omeprazole is going to cost me bundles anyway! Buying sulcrafate through the vets would be another sharp intake of breath!!
So which do you give first? Have been online a lot searching and the Abler people suggest sulcrafate first, and an hour after omeprazole but vet papers suggest the omeprazole first and sulcrafate an hour after!
Am going to saddle him tomorrow and see what difference there is ............ am hoping there is a big difference for him.
Ongoing - what ulcer supplements have you found work? Am so far thinking Equine Science or Ron Fields or Egusin SLH.
Got my new lad end of December. He couldn't be touched or groomed without being uncomfortable or biting. Could take ten minutes plus to get a bridle on, dipped his back having a saddle put on. Wouldn't pick any legs up - he had shoes on three feet which had been there a long time because farrier had walloped him and then he just booted out with back feet and moved around for front feet - this was for picking out. I had to have him sedated to have shoes removed - he fights sedation - hates injections, so this wasn't totally easy either - except that vet is very experienced equine vet and not afraid so sorted it and farrier was brilliant taking his life in his hands!! Actually horse had a lot of body pain - had osteo out loads and he is now fine for being groomed and touched. Sorted head shyness which had spilled into bridling issues with an american called Mike Hughes online - took some time, but well worth it! He has a saddle that fits. He now picks all his feet up fine, I have kept him barefoot because he has strong feet and the thought of sedating for every shoeing was a nightmare!! I can trim him myself, but have mostly left him to self trim.
He rushed around everywhere at a hundred miles an hour when he arrived and then in spite of a saddle that fits - the saddle he came with was ridiculously narrow - no wonder he dipped away from it - he started doing bunching up when girthed with a cat like back. He was OK ish, when walked around for a few minutes, but the saddling issue has not resolved. He subsequently got really slow hacking out and not happy going forward - which I put down to boredom because we were only doing short circuits because he was really unfit And then I got on him in the school and then he was back up and really tense. So different scenario - took feet out of stirrups (in case I had to do a hasty dismount) and did a lot of circles and poles and gradually his stress levels subsided.
But he isn't the type to be stressy and he is bright enough that it isn't remembered pain - every other pain scenario which has been taken away has gone immediately.
So I thought ulcers ......... spoke to my vet and said I wasn't keen on having him scoped because he isn't keen on vets (as vet can testify!), and he suggested no scoping but a trial of gastroguard - having seen my lad and his stressiness over vets etc., he agrees ulcers are a possible cause of this behaviour. So two weeks in on omeprazole he can now be rugged without doing this bunched up thing he does with saddling which he also did with rugs. In his old home when you put a rug on him he would almost wear the wall - osteo has sorted many pain issues so he doesn't shrink to the wall now, but we have never got over the bunching up over rugging until the gastroguard. I haven't actually saddled or girthed him in the last fortnight because a) it didn't seem right to ride him and b) I have had some sort of cold which has caused me to feel really sick and not want to do a lot so I completely empathise with him!
I have just bought some sulcrafate. He isn't insured so the omeprazole is going to cost me bundles anyway! Buying sulcrafate through the vets would be another sharp intake of breath!!
So which do you give first? Have been online a lot searching and the Abler people suggest sulcrafate first, and an hour after omeprazole but vet papers suggest the omeprazole first and sulcrafate an hour after!
Am going to saddle him tomorrow and see what difference there is ............ am hoping there is a big difference for him.
Ongoing - what ulcer supplements have you found work? Am so far thinking Equine Science or Ron Fields or Egusin SLH.