atropa
Well-Known Member
Have a mare who since September has shown some objections to being groomed/feet worked with/saddled/worked. She received a kick to her left flank just before the issues started. She pins her ears and threatens to bite just as you're picking up her front legs, but does not continue to react once the legs are off the ground. She dislikes being touched or groomed anywhere on her main body..pretty much the only place safe to groom is her neck and face, she will pin her ears, swish her tail and look round at you. When being girthed, she will kick at her stomach with her hind legs. She sometimes pins her ears and swishes her tail when you put the leg on when she's ridden. She's currently only in light work with a bit of lungeing and hacking, as she's so unhappy I don't have the heart to work her hard. Previous to September, she had never shown any of these behaviours, and was a lamb to be worked with.
I have tried:
Physical vet examination which found nothing.
Ultrasound scan of her ovaries, no cysts found.
Gastroscopy which revealed a picture perfect stomach and start of her small intestine.
An equine chiro/physio, who found a healed pectoral tear which she felt shouldn't be causing her any pain but that she might have remembered the pain. She gave me a massage and stretching programme to follow, which did not seem to help.
Equine dentist who said her teeth were in fantastic condition.
Saddle fitter who found no saddle issues.
Ignoring unwanted behaviour and praising good.
Verbally reprimanding unwanted behaviour and praising good.
She is currently 4 days into a 2 week bute trial to see if her behaviour improves, if it does the vet wants to do a lameness workup on her. If it doesn't, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do next.
Should I turn away for a few months and restart her?
Repeat saddle and physio checks with different practitioners?
Try her on Regumate to see if this makes any difference?
Insist the vet does some kind of scan on her pectoral area and the flank where she was kicked? If so, what is best?
I'm desperate to have her happy and healthy for her own sake as well as mine but just feel like I keep hitting brick walls.
I have tried:
Physical vet examination which found nothing.
Ultrasound scan of her ovaries, no cysts found.
Gastroscopy which revealed a picture perfect stomach and start of her small intestine.
An equine chiro/physio, who found a healed pectoral tear which she felt shouldn't be causing her any pain but that she might have remembered the pain. She gave me a massage and stretching programme to follow, which did not seem to help.
Equine dentist who said her teeth were in fantastic condition.
Saddle fitter who found no saddle issues.
Ignoring unwanted behaviour and praising good.
Verbally reprimanding unwanted behaviour and praising good.
She is currently 4 days into a 2 week bute trial to see if her behaviour improves, if it does the vet wants to do a lameness workup on her. If it doesn't, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do next.
Should I turn away for a few months and restart her?
Repeat saddle and physio checks with different practitioners?
Try her on Regumate to see if this makes any difference?
Insist the vet does some kind of scan on her pectoral area and the flank where she was kicked? If so, what is best?
I'm desperate to have her happy and healthy for her own sake as well as mine but just feel like I keep hitting brick walls.