hotpaints - 2014-07-30 8:01 PM Is he popping up behind and maybe kicking out at the same time?? Or is he bowing up bucking like a green horse?? If he is popping up behind, I say stifles. They might be catching/weak/loose, etc. A big growthy 3yo can have stifle problems that they can grow out of combined with walking hill work to strengthen their hindquarters and stifles in particular.



Laying down when saddled can be something as simple as being cinched up too tight too quick and the horse holds its breath and lays down. I have a mare that use to do that. Could also be back soreness from his stifles.



I think whatever is going on will be correctable and it will not hurt to have a vet check him over.

Herbie - 2014-07-30 8:45 PM  Wyo, you and I have visited via pm regarding the problems I've been experiencing with my colt. I had an appt yesterday and found that his front feet were just a little sore due to this soles. Nothing serious at all. 30 days of previcoxx and continued ulcer treatment. The he mentioned that he has had good success in injecting the tmj joint on horses that are showing symptoms of resistance when no other lameness is detected. I said go for it. After getting home I began researching this a bit more and found an old article in the BHN. I'll try to attach the link below but if it doesn't work, just google tmj injection for horses and it should come up. I won't ride until Sunday, but keeping fingers crossed that this, in conjunction with the sore soles, and the ulcers, which I'm already treating fix my problem. The article is called the 411 on TMJ.

Eta I was literally at the point of considering epm, pssm, brain tumor, and a number of other things. Don't give up! There is a reason a horse goes from being a nice to ride horse to not. I'll keep looking until I find it. 



http://barrelhorsenews.com/articles/horse-health/3979-the-411-on-th...



 

wyoming barrel racer - 2014-07-30 10:35 PM Thank you for that. I'll go check it out. His feet to me are awful. Between being gone to a trainer and then having a cut foot, I just haven't kept up on his feet and he's the one that toes out some. It's not extreme, but I think he has the high/low thing going on and I'm sure between that, the ill fitting saddle etc, it could be throwing everything out of wack. He also has princess and the pea syndrome so any little thing will bug him. He is a sweet heart and this guys kids were sitting on him. I just need to sleep on it and try and get this pukey feeling out of my gut. I don't handle stress like I used to. My husband is just sick of spending any money one them anymore. We've just had such a run of bad luck for so so long. 

ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-07-31 8:35 AM I know you said of FB he has been treated this whole time for ulcers.. but that laying down after saddled, really leads me to think ulcers.  If you havent actually had him scoped, there is no way to tell if he actually has them or not.. maybe what you are using to treat him isn't working.. just a thought. 

wyoming barrel racer - 2014-07-31 3:41 PM I just picked him up today from the trainer. He said he just doesn't act a bit lame, but when leading him around he isn't picking up those hind legs much. Between that and the bucking, it has to be something. I'm really thinking stifles or pelvis is out. This particular vet I am seeing doesn't believe much in chiro's though. He says on x ray, nothing is ever "out". He said something else leads to that kind of issue. I hurt my neck and had a massage and let me tell you, it was night and day. Took 2 times and I was good as new. 

ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-07-31 3:09 PM But massage is different that chiro... you hurt your neck wich made all the muscles tense up and be in constant spasm... the message relieved the muscles, so they could release the tenstion and go back to normal.  They did not pop your neck and say "oh your neck is out of place"... there is a difference.  I would be willing to bet it is sacroilliac, might just need to inject it.  If he had for real OCD lesions... he would be LAME!

wyoming barrel racer - 2014-07-31 4:28 PM I was thinking that too. For the chiro, my favorite does both and has does wonders for some of my horses. I think this vet doesn't believe much in either :( My last horse that had SI issues, and was injected turned out to have a broken pelvis at some point in his life...this is the same vet (the 3rd I went to) that found it. He's a super great vet, and I will ask about the TMJ. Who knows??? It is just so odd that in the first week of April he was riding around like a broke kids horse to a unwilling, bucking turd in June.  

rodeomom3 - 2014-07-31 4:37 PM  I had acupuncture done on one of my geldings and boy what a difference.  My daughter ran him in a different   saddle and it really dug in and hurt on his right  turn, popped up behind the barrel.  My vet does chiro so took him in and he adjusted him.  Made another run a couple of weeks later, he was better but you could tell still sore.   Took him back in, almost dropped to his knees when vet found his sore spot.  He pulls out his needles and goes to work, horse drops his head and is licking and chewing.   When vet was done, pushes on same spot and no soreness.   Horse makes a beautiful run 2 days later.   Acupuncture is a great compliment to good vet work.

Southtxponygirl - 2014-08-01 9:34 PM Oh I believe in Acupuncture 100%, my chrio is awesome, and I trust what he does to my horses..  

wyoming barrel racer - 2014-08-01 10:35 PM I'm hoping I can find someone that does that. 

wimpyb - 2014-08-01 10:59 PM Is this vet coming to your place Monday? He sure has a lot of techniques to try on him. I'm with you on his feet. They concerned me when I saw him. He's such a sweet guy, hard to believe he can turn that quickly. Something has to be bothering him and I hope and pray they find it. I honestly do not think it's career ending, but I could be wrong.

Herbie - 2014-08-02 10:10 AM  I don't know which vet you have an appt with but I would encourage you to make an appt with Dr. Moak. He has been a huge asset to my friends in that area and has also helped me by reading xrays on a filly who had been diagnosed with a fractured navicular bone and was willing to help me through a local friend and we got this filly back in training. He is a great vet and would be a huge asset to you! As i mentioned before, I went to 2 vets prior to getting the sore feet/tmj answer BC I was lazy and didn't travel to the best vet the first time. Sure wish I had! The first did a full lameness exam but never used hoof testers and rhe second performed full chiro and accupuncture, which is what i was there for. You need somebody that doesn't see just black and white, but is willing to consider the grey area and look outside the box. From what you're describing with this vet and his lack of willingness to consider chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage, I'm concerned that he may be a bit too analytical to really evaluate open minded. Please give Dr moak a call.

Southtxponygirl - 2014-08-04 11:47 PM Well I'm kinda worried now that we have not heard from Krystal. Hope that she will check in tomorrow 

wyoming barrel racer - 2014-08-05 11:40 PM After quite a thorough going over, all we found was subluxion of a front joint, similar to a sprain. The x rays all looked clean for the joint itself. He feels with a couple months rest he should be fine. Sounds like this is something they can have happen, stretch those ligaments out, if they were to put their foot through a fence and pull back. He has come into feed every day walking sound (that is what is so odd about his hind end issues), but sometimes does hold that leg odd. Points that toe just a bit. I even had another ranchy vet look at it and she said after he hoof tested fine, not to worry...so I didn't. It does sound like that could throw him out of wack from his back-down. We never did get him to take a lame step doing flex tests etc. The vet even liked his feet, other than they are in need of a trim and to be kept up a little better. We also ultrasounded and did a rectal to check his pelvis/SI. He is higher on his right side and it felt that way inside as well. Nothing made him suspect a pelvis injury though. he even mentioned he could have been born that way, just a tad off. I still feel he needs a chiro and have one coming the end of the month...if not sooner. I also saddled with my grandpa's old rope saddle that was a surprisingly good fit, we walked him a couple steps and asked him to trot on a lunge line and he never acted like he even wanted to buck. Just eased around really nice. Huge change. We also did acupuncture and it took about 24 hours before I noticed much, but he has either stopped the toe dragging completely or nearly so. Fingers crossed. Thanks for all the prayers and kind thoughts. A lot of really great people on here.

Blaine's mom - 2014-08-06 8:31 AM Which vet looked at him?  I live in Cheyenne, is why I ask.  I've used Moak (love him!!), and I also use Joe Stricklin in Greeley for lameness.  I have a 6 yr old mare that sounds EXACTLY like your colt.  Have had hocks, stifles, front fetlock, and whorlbone injected so far.  Basically it all boiled down to a bad trim job that branched out and caused a multitude of other problems.  I finally have her sound and running good, even though she still does things that concern me and is constantly needing chiro adjustments.  I'll just have to accept that she's always going to be a high maintenance horse, whether I like it or not.

Herbie - 2014-08-02 10:10 AM  I don't know which vet you have an appt with but I would encourage you to make an appt with Dr. Moak. He has been a huge asset to my friends in that area and has also helped me by reading xrays on a filly who had been diagnosed with a fractured navicular bone and was willing to help me through a local friend and we got this filly back in training. He is a great vet and would be a huge asset to you! As i mentioned before, I went to 2 vets prior to getting the sore feet/tmj answer BC I was lazy and didn't travel to the best vet the first time. Sure wish I had! The first did a full lameness exam but never used hoof testers and rhe second performed full chiro and accupuncture, which is what i was there for. You need somebody that doesn't see just black and white, but is willing to consider the grey area and look outside the box. From what you're describing with this vet and his lack of willingness to consider chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage, I'm concerned that he may be a bit too analytical to really evaluate open minded. Please give Dr moak a call.