Posted 2014-02-08 1:14 PM Subject: How did you get your horse past a once painful experience?
Nothing Comes Easy
Posts: 2353 Location: Texas
With speed my mare started to run from the bit on the first barrel- she commits to the turn, gets around it but when the hack engages on the last stride of the barrel she lauches sideways Just got her teeth done this past week, and found out she had abnormal wearing on her bottom right teeth. They wore sharp points on the outside, something the vet hadn't seen in the entire time he's practiced equine dentistry. Usually they wear sharp just on the inside of the bottoms. I know it'll take time for her mucosa to heal, but what about her memory of the pain? How do you get a horse past this? Just repetition? Keep exhibitioning?
Posted 2014-02-08 6:31 PM Subject: RE: How did you get your horse past a once painful experience?
I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864 Location: In the Hills of Texas
Stride - 2014-02-08 1:14 PM With speed my mare started to run from the bit on the first barrel- she commits to the turn, gets around it but when the hack engages on the last stride of the barrel she lauches sideways Just got her teeth done this past week, and found out she had abnormal wearing on her bottom right teeth. They wore sharp points on the outside, something the vet hadn't seen in the entire time he's practiced equine dentistry. Usually they wear sharp just on the inside of the bottoms.
I know it'll take time for her mucosa to heal, but what about her memory of the pain? How do you get a horse past this? Just repetition? Keep exhibitioning?
The top jaw teeth flare out and cause sharp points and the bottoms flare in. What happens is when you put pressure on her hack it pushed all those edges into her cheek line.
What I would do is start doing lots of small circles and she will get use to it not hurting anymore. Start at a walk and then move to a jog and eventually to a lope. Do this off the barrels. When she is working good just do a one barrel exercise with her instead of doing a barrel pattern.
Posted 2014-02-08 7:36 PM Subject: RE: How did you get your horse past a once painful experience?
Nothing Comes Easy
Posts: 2353 Location: Texas
Nevertooold - 2014-02-08 6:31 PM
Stride - 2014-02-08 1:14 PM With speed my mare started to run from the bit on the first barrel- she commits to the turn, gets around it but when the hack engages on the last stride of the barrel she lauches sideways Just got her teeth done this past week, and found out she had abnormal wearing on her bottom right teeth. They wore sharp points on the outside, something the vet hadn't seen in the entire time he's practiced equine dentistry. Usually they wear sharp just on the inside of the bottoms.
I know it'll take time for her mucosa to heal, but what about her memory of the pain? How do you get a horse past this? Just repetition? Keep exhibitioning?
The top jaw teeth flare out and cause sharp points and the bottoms flare in. What happens is when you put pressure on her hack it pushed all those edges into her cheek line.
What I would do is start doing lots of small circles and she will get use to it not hurting anymore. Start at a walk and then move to a jog and eventually to a lope. Do this off the barrels. When she is working good just do a one barrel exercise with her instead of doing a barrel pattern.
That's how a normal horse wears. Top out, bottoms in. This mare flared out on her bottom right. Her top teeth had one or two flares- both furthest teeth. However, the bottom right.. It was like looking at little shark teeth. The entire like was flared. The vet grabbed his camera immediately because he had never seen a horse wear like that.
We'll continue little exercises off of the pattern. Generally we spend the week cruising the pasture or over ground poles.
How did you get your horse past a once painful experience?
