What could be wrong?? Horse started bucking

[H-J]

Just after some thoughts really of what people think could be wrong with my ponio....

He isnt lame at all but has started to buck alot lately, when hacking im sure its excitement as he is squeling and grunting wanting to canter. But lately in the school he has been a bit reluctant to trot forward even though fit and well and fine on a hack and he will throw in some big bucks in his canter transitions and put his ears back then be fine when in canter.
This morning I asked for some counter canter and he was struggling as I went round a corner i put my leg on and he did an almighty buck! I lost both stirrups and thought I was out the side door. He is the most geniune horse and really tries normally so im quite concerened by this.
I had his back seen to last week (just a massage) and he was fine apart from a very small sore spot on his back. I have his teeth reguarly done. The only thing I havent had done since early this year is his saddle checked.
So im just not sure what is causing his discomfort he is still jumping SJ and XC and isnt a tiny bit lame, he softer then ever in his mouth lately so very confusing.
He does have hock spavins which havent been treated since April so wondering if this could be causing it but he never bucked before.
Any ideas/opinions greatly received!! he is booked in to go to the vets for a work up next week but am just wracking my brains with what it an be really.

 

[Thistle]

I agree that vet and work up is necessary to check out any pain issues. Having seen him on sat there was a def reluctance to do something that he knew would hurt.

Hope it's something easily fixable.

 

[kerilli]

first thought - saddle, or back pain of some description.
cheap route: get saddle checked/altered, or try a totally different one and see if he behaves the same.
book him a session with a McTimoney Chiro or similar. when my mare's pelvis isn't straight she struggles to canter and behaves exactly like this.
expensive route: full lameness work-up etc...
second thought - ulcers.
just a few ideas.

 

[Booboos]

Sounds like pain and my guess would be back or hind leg problems. Personally I would start with the vet, get a diagnosis and go from there. It may well be that you need a physio, but he/she shouldn't really see the horse without the vet's knowledge anyway, and you should get your saddle checked either way.

 

[H-J]

I agree that vet and work up is necessary to check out any pain issues. Having seen him on sat there was a def reluctance to do something that he knew would hurt.

Hope it's something easily fixable.

I agree and its usually his hocks that give him the trouble with drop fences but im not sure if the hocks would be making him buck. He never bucked before I knew he actually had spavins.

 

[H-J]

first thought - saddle, or back pain of some description.
cheap route: get saddle checked/altered, or try a totally different one and see if he behaves the same.
book him a session with a McTimoney Chiro or similar. when my mare's pelvis isn't straight she struggles to canter and behaves exactly like this.
expensive route: full lameness work-up etc...
second thought - ulcers.
just a few ideas.

With the McTimoney Chiro option I cant seem to find anyone at all in my area have tried for a while.

Also with the ulcers would they make him buck when he is struggling with a movement like counter canter on a corner for example? and canter trans?
Also I know it could still be ulcers but just to add he has a healthy appetite and is fed a high fibre diet.

 

[NicoleS_007]

My boy would through in huge bucks if he had sore feet or back. Although a couple of years ago he started acting really strange as in, really tensing up and didnt want to go forwards, humping back and throughing in bucks. We thought it was his saddle as his back wasnt sore but there was nothing wrong with the saddle!! Turned out it was because we had clipped his back.

 

[*hic*]

Mmm, you're the second person who had troubles at LD with horse not wanting to play who hasn't had their horse's hocks injected for spavin since April.

I'll freely admit I've only had experience with one horse who'd had his hocks injected and he needed them doing every six months but it seems to me that rather than starting to panic about what else might be going on surely it would be a reasonable plan to have the injections done (assuming that is how he is being treated) and then seeing how he goes? Which is exactly what I said to the other person

 

[OneInAMillion]

My boy used to have hock injections before we got him but he now seems to have recovered. Apparently he used to hate having it done as it was very painful

 

[LEC]

Mine bucked with hocks nothing scary but don't ask that bucks. It was particularly in canter because of the greater degree of engagement needed and step under. My horses was always in the transition upwards. He declined gradually and nothing was picked up for a while until he was regularly getting cricket scores sjing doing novice and the final straw was when he napped at Stonar. I got him straight to the vets as that was not his normal self. He was only ever 1/10 lame but looking back at the videos you can see how stiff he was in the hocks. He just did not have the flexion.

 

[lynds81]

This is identical to what mine was doing, but mine got to a stage where she was unrideable, and we only got her going when we got a chiropractor in.

I had Bowen / vets / physio / saddler, and NONE of them found anything, then I got a chiropractor called Leigh Miller out as a last resort (3 months later..) and the horse was fine within 48 hours...!! What area are you in?

Hope you get it sorted!

 

[Mel1]

can be sacroiliac problem... but diagnosis can be tricky,
that what my mare has, it started with bucking in canter for no apparent reason
i hope for you it is not :-(

 

[thinlizzy]

mine has started to do this again in trot transition to canter i had himfitted with a new saddle four months ago and he had a bad back /lamness it seems to be this new saddle had it checked by different fitter who says far too high at front so sits to far back