Unrideable but cant find the problem! (Long message)

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Update -
Went to see The osteopathic Vet yesterday.
Straight away he found lots of problems starting from the Jaw being very tense and she was unable to flex her head and neck to the left which he said was concerning.
Her 3rd bone in the neck on the right was ‘out’.
Shoulders and withers very tight.
Tight/sore back.
Confirmation not great behind, she has a butt crevice?? So sacrum sits quite low encouriging her to dip her back causing the spinal processes to get close together.
Issues with the hind gut pulling the spine to the right.
Due to the tension in the spine she is putting alot of weight down infront causing the stifness and pain in her withers shoulders, neck and jaw.
Also her front feet are quite flat and pushing down on her heels causing more discomfort.
I have ordered the reccomended supplement to help her hind gut.
I will be sorting out physio appointments and some groundwork lessons to make sure im doing the best i can to encourage lift in the spine.
Also have chatted to my farrier to discuss lifting her heels and getting better angle on the feet in time with her progress with her back.
Tom did lots of stretches/belly lifts and manipulation to the back and everything responded very well and once the tension in her back and pelvis was relieved the tension in her neck and jaw was also helped.
There is one part of her lumbar area that wasnt responding overly well to the treatment so questioning arthritis in this part of the spine.
If this doesn't improve with the rehab plan then we will x ray/ultrasound and do steroids if needed.
I learnt alot and it was very interesting, with most of her pain and tension being under the saddle area and spreading to most of the front end it makes sense her extreme reaction to being saddled and ridden, also her spine being slightly bent to the right explains why her saddle was always slipping slightly to the right.

now i have a long road of rehab and work to do! He says the feet balance will more than likely take 9 months to correct.
Very pleased to have some answers and a plan in place and not bankrupt yet!!
I am so glad i pushed for answers and didnt just bute and ride or ‘be more firm with her’ ?.
Tom also said the bute trial wouldnt have even touched the sides with the amount of tension and pain in her body.
going back to Tom in 3 months and he wants to see atleast 50% improvement in her back and way of going.

100% reccomend if anyone is thinking of going to one of his clinics and thankyou again for everyones help and advice!

Saw Rob Jackson 2 months ago , he found issues with my cob (who looks lame in trot under saddle but is totally sound inc flexion & £1000s spent inc scans X-rays even performance gait analysis)he adjusted & gave exercises which made a bug difference but not enough IYSWIM so then I got a cancellation slot with Tom yesterday (180mile round trip) and was blown away with how thorough he was - no trot up etc just straight in - his point was what was there to learn from spending time on a horse who’d had so many work ups with nothing found.. he went over every inch of the outside and as much as he could reach inside - he spotted so many things to adjust and work on inc dentistry shoeing diet and inhand work - I was seriously impressed and I’ve seen a lot of vets and hospitals over the years with different horses!

 

[lynz88]

This is really impressive!!!! To the OP I am so glad you've got some answers. I got my chiro/physio out recently and gave her the low-down on all of the problems recently - my horse was not adjusting well to a major change in his feet and to my surprise she has made him so much more comfortable - he went from not allowing me to pick up fronts to allowing me to pick up his fronts....he was constantly resting the RH and now he is comfortable and doesn't do it. Was having to manage him on bute....got a very thorough adjustment and haven't touched the bute since *knock on wood*. I really do believe in this type of work with horses over purely traditional veterinary work. If I continue to have issues then may see about a trip to Tom as well but for now am going to keep on my current path.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Saw Rob Jackson 2 months ago , he found issues with my cob (who looks lame in trot under saddle but is totally sound inc flexion & £1000s spent inc scans X-rays even performance gait analysis)he adjusted & gave exercises which made a bug difference but not enough IYSWIM so then I got a cancellation slot with Tom yesterday (180mile round trip) and was blown away with how thorough he was - no trot up etc just straight in - his point was what was there to learn from spending time on a horse who’d had so many work ups with nothing found.. he went over every inch of the outside and as much as he could reach inside - he spotted so many things to adjust and work on inc dentistry shoeing diet and inhand work - I was seriously impressed and I’ve seen a lot of vets and hospitals over the years with different horses!

Glad you also found answers, he was great!
Its amazing that with 3 years of constant vet visits no one was able to tell me any of the problems tom found.

 

[Zoeypxo]

UPDATE -

Follow up appointment with Tom beech this week to assess if the pain had been resolved/managed or not.

Tom was very pleased with our progress and said her back felt great with only a small amount of tightness in a few areas in the lumbar and poll area.
He said i did way more than the 50% improvement he asked for in the last 3 months ?.
In our first appointment she had 15 problems (tight/sore areas) this time we had 4!
I am now allowed to ride her whilst also continuing groundwork, pole-work and lunging inbetween.
Just waiting for a saddle fit appointment on the 15th Nov to widen the saddle as it now doesnt fit! ?
I am hoping the rearing/bolting can now be ridden through now that the pain issues have been found/managed.
I will need to see Tom every 6 months to keep ontop of her back and stop it from getting worse.
So pleased!! ?

She was still terrible to load and had to be sedated to get her in to come home so this will be worked on over the winter and hopefully i can get out to some clinics/fun rides in the spring.

 

[Zoeypxo]

8 weeks progress lifting the back and using core muscles ( will try and do a more recent one)

 

[SEL]

That's brilliant. He's worked wonders with a friend's horse who had been written off by vets. She's really put the effort in rehab wise too, but had no idea where to even start until Tom came on board. Looking forward to hearing how your ridden work goes.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

She looks so much better!

I am really pleased for you.

 

[ycbm]

8 weeks progress lifting the back and using core muscles ( will try and do a more recent one)

Can you try and get all her legs in the same place ZP? It's difficult to compare if she's not standing exactly the same position. I'm glad things are working out for you both.
.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Update -
In December she had her hocks injected after the last lot lasted 18 months , noticed she was constantly disunited on the lunge and pinning ears when asked to canter. (Still sound).
Injections solved the problem.
End of December i moved yards to where i work so i now have 24/7 turnout all year round (stable when i need it). She is turned out in a mixed herd of 7. I also now have a indoor school.
Gave her a few weeks to settle and get used to the scary mirrors in the indoor school then started riding.
She was a bit argumentative the first few times but is now in work 4-6 days a week schooling and gentle hacking, also polework in the school.
She is feeling great, very soft in the hands and so responsive off the leg. I have to be careful my legs don't budge an inch as she is so sharp off the leg she thinks everything means canter at the moment!
Extremely pleased with how she is feeling and moving. I have just had a dressage saddle fitted to her which feels very nice to ride in and she moves great and feels comfortable.
I am now having lessons on her and have booked to travel to a flatwork clinic in May!
Very excited to get out and about again but still taking things one step at a time to make sure shes comfortable.
I think the key is 24/7 turnout keeping her moving all the time and turning out with other horses, i don't think she was happy individual turnout but it seems to be the norm now on yards!
I also still do 1 day a week walking over raised poles to keep her core engaged and working over her back as much as possible.
Farrier also now says she has the perfect hoof angle, it took about 8 months to correct the low heels.
She isn't reactive at all to any pressure on her spine so assuming the turnout and work is keeping her close process happy!

Happy days ?

 

[Zoeypxo]

 

[Zoeypxo]

Running a bit downhill but lifting up more each time and im also having lessons to help ?

 

[Boulty]

Oops only read page 1