When do u retire? bit long..

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emalou2

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I have a TB on permanent loan that raced around 7 years ago. Since then she has had a couple of foals and has now been rehomed by her owner to me as a hack. Ive had her for 4 years and i ride her at weekends for happy hacking :-)
She is quite long in the back and her conformation consists of quite straight back legs. Since ive had her she has been pretty windgally on her rear fetlocks and sometimes seems a bit uncomfortable on her back end. I put it down to being a brood mare and having foals that had possibly caused her to be weak on her back end (she also suffered a stretch to her pre pubic tendon with last foal)
Around 6 weeks ago i got her in and noticed she was pretty unhappy with her back legs. She was resting them and was displaying odd behaviour in her stable trying to stretch. I had the vet (who bred her so knows her inside out) to look at her and she said a number of things. She was a little lame in trot and failed to track up and generally her back end did not seem to do much work. I put this down to me not schooling her thus her generating her movement from her front end. I know it would benefit me and her to do some schooling but with my work committments i cant usually ride mid week.
I also got a chiro to look at her who found a large spasm in her back and gave her over an hour of attention inc ultrasound on the area.
This made sense with me getting her in and her trying to stretch off those weeks ago (she was fully rested in those weeks)
My chiro also diagnosed and old racing injury where her pelvis has rotated on he offside and this offside leg is the one that she is the worst on.
Farrier came today and said she was stiff on off hind and in fairness she looked stiff on it this morning when i got her in.
So.. what would you do? At what point do i say that she needs to go back to her owner and be retired? She is 13 years old and ive had her 4 yrs this year. Do you think that just hacking is going to ok for her, we dont jump or do anything strenuous although at times she can be quite lively!
Got chiro coming again in a few weeks and since chiro has been ive ridden and she seems ok, i was just a bit pissed off she looked a bit short again this morning and farrier saying she was stiff :-(
 
If she was ok when she 'loosened up' then I think she will be ok to carry on hacking. I would suggest that you school as you hack, not letting her just use her front end :) We are lucky as we have loads of hills, very little flat in fact, lots of hill work helps them to keep fit and using their back ends.
 
Thanks, yes she tends to lie down in the morning so she may have just got up before i got her in, ill give the hill work a go we have a few by us :-)
 
No i wouldnt if she really needed it?
I had an old TB that was buted for years and lived happily till he was 31. Do you think a joint suppliment would assist or cod liver oil?
 
Magnetic boots might help, we've had success with them. My vet says that they don't work for all animals but that if they do, they can make a real difference.
I second the schooling hacks too.
 
I wonder if she has bone spavins as the symptoms you describe are indicative of this condition and it often causes back problems where the horse is compensating for pain in the hocks.Ask the vet and maybe get some xrays done.
 
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