Patterdale
Well-Known Member
My own precious riding horse. Now 9 and I’ve had him since a 4 year old. He’s always been a bit sharp to ride but basically safe, always been 10000% on the ground and easy to have around.
For various reasons I haven’t had time to ride since summer so he’s been turned out. In autumn he started to be a bit funny with his back legs getting shod, nothing dreadful just fidgety. This has gotten gradually worse but still not too bad. Not lame.
In January we moved house which unsettled him. I was suspecting possible ulcers or just move stress, so decided to just leave him in the field to chill for another few weeks.
2-3 weeks ago he began to be extremely sharp on the ground. He seems to be always in a state of high alert, he’s very tricky to handle, goes mad if led away from others/any others removed from field. Stamping hind feet to the point shoes are worn. Always tense all over. Sweating up and panicking if put in a stable etc. Won’t tie up.
Today he was shod and was borderline unmanageable with his hind feet. Biting me, kicking out, barging. Got him done with many carrots. Total personality transplant though.
He is obviously in pain and very unhappy. It must be bad because he is a very stoical horse who never shows pain….to me it seems to have crept up, he has masked it, then it has all suddenly become too much and he’s fallen apart.
The farrier and I trotted him up today. Farrier is very good and does lots of vet work. He is not tracking up in walk, but looks sound on a straight line in walk and trot.
The vet is coming tomorrow to x ray hocks, and I will carry on with the omeprazole. He has the physio booked for next week but I’m not sure how she’ll treat him safely. It’s astonishing how quickly and drastically he has changed
It’s sounding like hocks to me, but any other thoughts? This horse is a standardbred with strange action behind, and was driven as a 3 year old in Ireland, possibly younger.
For various reasons I haven’t had time to ride since summer so he’s been turned out. In autumn he started to be a bit funny with his back legs getting shod, nothing dreadful just fidgety. This has gotten gradually worse but still not too bad. Not lame.
In January we moved house which unsettled him. I was suspecting possible ulcers or just move stress, so decided to just leave him in the field to chill for another few weeks.
2-3 weeks ago he began to be extremely sharp on the ground. He seems to be always in a state of high alert, he’s very tricky to handle, goes mad if led away from others/any others removed from field. Stamping hind feet to the point shoes are worn. Always tense all over. Sweating up and panicking if put in a stable etc. Won’t tie up.
Today he was shod and was borderline unmanageable with his hind feet. Biting me, kicking out, barging. Got him done with many carrots. Total personality transplant though.
He is obviously in pain and very unhappy. It must be bad because he is a very stoical horse who never shows pain….to me it seems to have crept up, he has masked it, then it has all suddenly become too much and he’s fallen apart.
The farrier and I trotted him up today. Farrier is very good and does lots of vet work. He is not tracking up in walk, but looks sound on a straight line in walk and trot.
The vet is coming tomorrow to x ray hocks, and I will carry on with the omeprazole. He has the physio booked for next week but I’m not sure how she’ll treat him safely. It’s astonishing how quickly and drastically he has changed
It’s sounding like hocks to me, but any other thoughts? This horse is a standardbred with strange action behind, and was driven as a 3 year old in Ireland, possibly younger.
