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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 346
 
Location: USA | This is kinda long, but I have fought my head about this horse for the last three years now. Bought him as a yearling. Broke and trained him, and he was showing some real promise. Diagnosed with EPM his 4 year old year per Dr Ellison, and treated. Started entering him January of his five year old year and he was doing great. Placed in 1-d locally very often. Took him to Waco for a futurity and ended up winning the JB quarter horse incentive sidepot.
Brought him home and he just wasn't working as smooth. Took him in to the vet, and he had pneumonia. Treated and rehabbed that and ever since, he has been soo frustrating. 1 out of 5 runs will be great, the other 4 he will go in like he's committing and stop and blow out of the first barrel and always that barrel, no matter which direction. At home he's fine, and he will go through and run a great set of poles.
I have had a vet go through him with a lameness locator and a fine tooth comb. Had hocks injected, treated with gastrogard for 30 days, been to chiroprated, had teeth checked. I sent another sample to Dr. Ellison for a recheck on EPM and showed negative.
I sent him to a pretty good hand in the area for 30 days this spring, and he never totally stopped with her, but it was hard for her to keep his feet moving around all three barrels.
I hate to throw in the towel on this guy, because he's got so much ability and I'm attached to him. But I'm just not sure if it's just in our head, or if something is physically wrong. I have read about a kidney flush as he urinates excessively, has anyone had experience with this? Grasping for anything at this point. ??
Good run http://youtu.be/5ax3u7va31Y
Bad run http://youtu.be/0ujyIoNF4Yk |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Have you ever had him scoped for bleeding? After pneumonia, he could have some left over damage causing him to bleed. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3104
 
Location: Arkansas | Nateracer - 2017-11-10 12:48 PM Have you ever had him scoped for bleeding? After pneumonia, he could have some left over damage causing him to bleed.
Exactly what I was going to ask
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| Check your saddle. I had one do something very similar. Turned out to be my saddle pinching. |
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 The Worst Seller Ever
Posts: 4138
Location: Oklahoma | Are you runnign him in the same saddle/headgear? |
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 The best bad guy on the internet
Posts: 3519
Location: Arizona | Were you running him in a different bridle set up on the second video?? How old is he now? Have you had his stifles checked, SI's?? |
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Defense Attorney for The Horse
Location: Claremore, OK | I would check for stifle soreness first. Flexion test on pavement front and hind, both. Even on your good run he’s not driving around the first barrel well, he’s hanging.
If he didn’t show anything on flexions I would ultrasound ( Vet needs to be good with ultra sounding) right front and right hind, especially right hind. Sudpensory problems usually don’t show up on flexions.
If he’s working in exb. But not when entered, that’s definitely a soreness issue. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| TEETH? |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Have your vet ultrasound the legs for suspensory . It could be the left front since it’s the right barrel. Also check his front feet.
Edited by readytorodeo 2017-11-10 1:55 PM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| How hard and how often are you running him? Could he be getting sour? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 346
Location: USA | I did have him scoped after he healed from the pneumonia, but it wasn't after a run. He did see minimal scar tissue, but not anything significant.
I have tried several different bits and martingale/tie downs over the past 3 years, I currently have a no hit bit on him. I have a Stoney saddle and a Pozzi and he does the same in either one I did have a heat scan done on him from Zia thermal imaging and she said his back had absolutely no heat or inflammation.
I have had his teeth floated once in the past 3 years, and checked this spring.
The only thing is, I have not had his stifles ultrasounded. He does stall and not stay forward even on my good runs, you are right. He is a very lazy horse and does look for the easy or shortcut way, it is sooo hard to keep his feet moving forward!! I mostly ride him on the Mesa, and he goes to a barrel race maybe twice a month. He is 8 now.
What would they be looking for in the stifle? A spur? He does have limited joint space in the right hock, but nothing my vet said injections shouldn't take care of. A friend talked to me the other day about kidney or liver flush from silver lining? Anyone tried it? I read on their website that a symptom was not wanting to turn to the right. Find it hard to believe that would be the his fix, but maybe???
Thank you guys so much for the ideas, please keep them coming. 
Edited by Oakley 2017-11-10 4:11 PM
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 Saint Stacey
| A dear friend of mine once told me that the first time a horse does something, it’s no big deal. The second time they do it, you’d better be worried. The third time they do it, you are screwed because it has now become a habit.
Have you tried taking him left? Sometimes that helps to reprogram the brain. |
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Regular
Posts: 79
| Take your spurs off. Or at least quit kicking so hard with your inside foot going into first. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I would say he is hurting. The good run he is correct but still dropping his shoulder.
The bad run he is crossfiring all the way to the first, wrong lead on the hind end, he doesn't stand a chance to make that turn. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 346
Location: USA | I feel he is hurting as well, just not sure if I will ever find or can afford to find that needle in the haystack.
Thank you all |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Oakley - 2017-11-11 7:44 AM
I feel he is hurting as well, just not sure if I will ever find or can afford to find that needle in the haystack.
Thank you all
Did you xray the hocks? And did you do the flexion tests?
If you haven't done either this is where I would start. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 346
Location: USA | We did.
Hes got limited joint space in the right hock. My vet thinks injecting every six months would do the trick, but no luck.
He goes in two different ways and I'm never sure which one he's gonna be until we are on our way to the first barrel. He will either totally shut me out and not listen to my leg, slice the barrel and not turn on the backside, or go in relaxed and still not move off my leg like I would like ideally, but at least give himself enough room to skim by. |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| Young horses need to have their teeth checked regularly. I have my young horses checked every 3-4 months and have anything done that my equine dentist recommends |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| From your first post, I'd say you are definitely approaching the problem from all angles and have your bases covered. No matter how much you respect your vet, sometimes it pays to load up and bring some new professionals in on it. I believe I would have a lameness exam conducted by at least two more respected veterinarians.
The video(s) show that this is a nice horse and you are a quiet rider who does not overreact. The horse is tying to tell you something is wrong. Bring some other medical professionals into the picture. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| If he were mine I'd take him to Texas A&M and plan to spend several days there with him to get a full diagnosis, they've got all the fun toys and all the time to burn figuring it out. He's got a huge pain issue going, something is definitely wrong.
Dr Watkins or Dr Watts. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 346
Location: USA | Thank you guys...... It's just so frustrating. I have exhausted all my knowledge and efforts on this poor guy. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: Oklahoma | cheryl makofka - 2017-11-10 10:11 PM I would say he is hurting. The good run he is correct but still dropping his shoulder. The bad run he is crossfiring all the way to the first, wrong lead on the hind end, he doesn't stand a chance to make that turn.
This - I have had the same problem turns with my mare on the second barrel. She was cross firing or totally not changing leads and her turns looked like his on his first barrel on the bad run. I can't see because of the darkness of the video, but I think he is on the wrong lead in front, too, going to the first. We found SI soreness in my mare and injected her SI, so you might want to check that, too. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | If you know you have limited joint space AND the vet is only recommending injections every 6 months-why not try to inject every 3 and see what happens. I've seen some really nice horses-do what yours is doing when those hocks are needing injecting, MOST will fight the gate in anticipation others will just self protect from the pain-like I think yours is doing. Maybe try an anti-arthritic to extend the life of the injections? I prefer pentosan. But maybe adequan or trying legend would be a good idea? And while I'm thinking of it, if it is a pain issue, trying riding him with bute or banamine on board for a few days and go make a run -if he's more free-you KNOW you have pain. His response to you when he doesn't work the first also leads me to believe there's a teeth issue, but that is definitely not quite as prominent as the hocks IMO. |
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kinda long, need some experienced advice please.