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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
  
Location: Georgia | I apologize if this gets lengthy... I had posted a few weeks ago regarding my mare that I've recently started legging up and training. At first, myself and vet included thought we might be battling ulcers with her, so I've started her on Aloe twice daily and also started Monday with SmartPak's UGaurd and Omega something, sorry can't remember exactly. She's been stalled with Coastal/Bermuda hay twice a day and 1 scoop of Triple Crown Solutions twice daily daily along with the supplements and aloe. Last week I turned her out on a grass lot because I was out of town and I pulled her back in Sunday and restated her training.
Ok problem time... Long trotting on a lunge line she works nicely. I get on her and trot her off for a few circles to the right and she seems ok. I circle her a few times to the left and she starts pinning her ears, dropping and extending her head and neck really low and becoming almost uncoordinated. I stop and back her and switch sides again and to the right she seems more free and willing with forward motion. Stop and back and turn to left again and she pins her ears, stops, and refuses to restart forward motion. I finally get her going to the left and when I stop her she dang near falls to the ground. She's stopping on her hind end but she tripped on her front end.
Let me add that I do have a call in to my vet, just awaiting his call.
Edited by Klittle3 2015-06-10 10:40 AM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Kinda sounds like saddle doesn't fit well . . .
When you longe her, is she saddled?
If it is saddle, it sounds like the issues don't present until you add weight in the saddle which further exacerbates the ill fit.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | That is very strange. I had a horse doing weird body things similar to that and I had to have him massaged almost every other day. He had something going on with his muscle. I also treated him for ulcers with GastroPLUS and that seemed to help alot but was still having hind end issues (like up at his hips). Would be sound one direction at trot and then lame the other. But the direction he was sound at trot would be lame at canter and vice versa. Hopefully your vet finds something. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | Dreamingofcans - 2015-06-10 11:47 AM
Kinda sounds like saddle doesn't fit well . . .
When you longe her, is she saddled?
If it is saddle, it sounds like the issues don't present until you add weight in the saddle which further exacerbates the ill fit.
I do lunge her under saddle and she moves freely in both directions. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | Cowgirl Kat - 2015-06-10 11:48 AM
That is very strange. I had a horse doing weird body things similar to that and I had to have him massaged almost every other day. He had something going on with his muscle. I also treated him for ulcers with GastroPLUS and that seemed to help alot but was still having hind end issues (like up at his hips). Would be sound one direction at trot and then lame the other. But the direction he was sound at trot would be lame at canter and vice versa. Hopefully your vet finds something.
I haven't pushed her at all other than a lot of exercising and slow work, so an injury doesn't seem to fit the picture. I don't want to automatically assume it's something neurological so I'm hoping my vet will be able to share some insight. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | Klittle3 - 2015-06-10 8:56 AM Cowgirl Kat - 2015-06-10 11:48 AM That is very strange. I had a horse doing weird body things similar to that and I had to have him massaged almost every other day. He had something going on with his muscle. I also treated him for ulcers with GastroPLUS and that seemed to help alot but was still having hind end issues (like up at his hips). Would be sound one direction at trot and then lame the other. But the direction he was sound at trot would be lame at canter and vice versa. Hopefully your vet finds something. I haven't pushed her at all other than a lot of exercising and slow work, so an injury doesn't seem to fit the picture. I don't want to automatically assume it's something neurological so I'm hoping my vet will be able to share some insight.
My horse did it in his stall. He has this thing where if something scares him he tenses up so bad he pulls his own muscles. It is very odd and unusual, but my luck, I would have a special horse like this. Most days I was only doing walk barely trot on him just to move him around. I had figured it was his muscle. I also like the massage therapist because then she can rule things out and is a lot cheaper than the vet. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| do you have any hills? Try walking and trotting down, and see if she becomes uncoordinated. my Unlce had a mare on the track that had neurological problems, she was fine until she tried to run and then she would fall flat on her face.. I would also pull on her tail side ways and see if she can catch herself, you'll want to get her walking and then pull to the left/right quickly so that she is forced to step out to catch herself, see which side is worse than the other. Have you tried riding her bareback and asking her to do all the same things? Maybe your saddle or something is pinching a nerve. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | FlyingJT - 2015-06-10 12:11 PM
do you have any hills? Try walking and trotting down, and see if she becomes uncoordinated. my Unlce had a mare on the track that had neurological problems, she was fine until she tried to run and then she would fall flat on her face.. I would also pull on her tail side ways and see if she can catch herself, you'll want to get her walking and then pull to the left/right quickly so that she is forced to step out to catch herself, see which side is worse than the other. Have you tried riding her bareback and asking her to do all the same things? Maybe your saddle or something is pinching a nerve.
I'm going to try riding her bareback as well to see if it's a saddle fit problem. It's never bothered her before and she's been riding in this saddle on and off for a few years. This is the longest amount of time in it though so it's likely that saddle fit could be a culprit. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | I vote for stifle..........right stifle, could be in her right hock but I lean more towards stifle. When she is tracking left her right hind does more work so if there is a problem in the right hind, it shows up tracking left. How does she do going in a straight line?? If she is o.k. in a straight line then it is in the right hind. Because she goes great tracking right, I doubt that it is saddle fit. Also, walking up and down a hill is great but I would not recommend trotting up or down with her current problem. Pinning her ears, putting her head down and not putting any weight on her hindquarters tracking left a big clues to a problem in her right hind.
Hope you can figure it out. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I would say you need to put your horse on ulcer meds,
Aloe doesn't cure ulcers,
I would put the horse on omeprazole for 30 days
I would add fat to her diet
I would give her 24hr turnout
Horses were not meant to be stalled, also they are meant to eat constantly, feeding your horse twice a day is not enough |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | hotpaints - 2015-06-10 12:26 PM
I vote for stifle..........right stifle, could be in her right hock but I lean more towards stifle. When she is tracking left her right hind does more work so if there is a problem in the right hind, it shows up tracking left. How does she do going in a straight line?? If she is o.k. in a straight line then it is in the right hind. Because she goes great tracking right, I doubt that it is saddle fit. Also, walking up and down a hill is great but I would not recommend trotting up or down with her current problem. Pinning her ears, putting her head down and not putting any weight on her hindquarters tracking left a big clues to a problem in her right hind.
Hope you can figure it out.
Thanks for the suggestion. I hope it's something simple and can be easily figured out. I was hoping the week off would be beneficial for her but she seems worse now than she did before. Also to add, she does fine in a straight line.
Edited by Klittle3 2015-06-10 11:38 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | cheryl makofka - 2015-06-10 12:29 PM
I would say you need to put your horse on ulcer meds,
Aloe doesn't cure ulcers,
I would put the horse on omeprazole for 30 days
I would add fat to her diet
I would give her 24hr turnout
Horses were not meant to be stalled, also they are meant to eat constantly, feeding your horse twice a day is not enough
I've never had an issue with stalling daily and she has open access to a 150/300 foot arena with hay constantly in front of her. She just come off of a grass pasture for a week and seems worse now. The only reason I took her off 24/7 grass exposure was because she needed to shed some pounds. I can't afford UlcerGard for 30 days so that's not really an option until I'm 100% sure that she has ulcers. If my vet suggests scoping then I'll go from there. Thank you for the advice! |
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| Klittle3 - 2015-06-10 11:36 AM
cheryl makofka - 2015-06-10 12:29 PM
I would say you need to put your horse on ulcer meds,
Aloe doesn't cure ulcers,
I would put the horse on omeprazole for 30 days
I would add fat to her diet
I would give her 24hr turnout
Horses were not meant to be stalled, also they are meant to eat constantly, feeding your horse twice a day is not enough
I've never had an issue with stalling daily and she has open access to a 150/300 foot arena with hay constantly in front of her. She just come off of a grass pasture for a week and seems worse now. The only reason I took her off 24/7 grass exposure was because she needed to shed some pounds. I can't afford UlcerGard for 30 days so that's not really an option until I'm 100% sure that she has ulcers. If my vet suggests scoping then I'll go from there. Thank you for the advice!
try ranitidine, cheaper and will heal them too(just takes a little longer), she'll feel better in a couple days if it's ulcers. Please don't rule out neurological, I would ask your vet about it. the quicker you catch a neurological issues the easier and more successful treatment and recovery is. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | Klittle3 - 2015-06-10 11:32 AM hotpaints - 2015-06-10 12:26 PM I vote for stifle..........right stifle, could be in her right hock but I lean more towards stifle. When she is tracking left her right hind does more work so if there is a problem in the right hind, it shows up tracking left. How does she do going in a straight line?? If she is o.k. in a straight line then it is in the right hind. Because she goes great tracking right, I doubt that it is saddle fit. Also, walking up and down a hill is great but I would not recommend trotting up or down with her current problem. Pinning her ears, putting her head down and not putting any weight on her hindquarters tracking left a big clues to a problem in her right hind.
Hope you can figure it out. Thanks for the suggestion. I hope it's something simple and can be easily figured out. I was hoping the week off would be beneficial for her but she seems worse now than she did before. Also to add, she does fine in a straight line.
Time off for a horse with a weak, loose, catching stifle does not help. Since she moves good in a straight line, that backs up the idea that her problem is in her stifle. Ride 3 or 4 days in a row, 1 day off max. Avoid deep footing unless you are walking straight, avoid tight circles too. Always walk up and down a small hill everytime you ride. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 254
Location: Kaufman, Texas | Could your horse be insulin resistant? If so it makes their feet sore. My horse is, and now has on glue on shoes with pour in pads and gets grass hay all day. He is back to normal now. Sounds a lot like what your horse is doing. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I think gold mine is on to something. Has the horse been recently shod? if so pull the shoes. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| FlyingJT - 2015-06-10 1:11 PM
Klittle3 - 2015-06-10 11:36 AM
cheryl makofka - 2015-06-10 12:29 PM
I would say you need to put your horse on ulcer meds,
Aloe doesn't cure ulcers,
I would put the horse on omeprazole for 30 days
I would add fat to her diet
I would give her 24hr turnout
Horses were not meant to be stalled, also they are meant to eat constantly, feeding your horse twice a day is not enough
I've never had an issue with stalling daily and she has open access to a 150/300 foot arena with hay constantly in front of her. She just come off of a grass pasture for a week and seems worse now. The only reason I took her off 24/7 grass exposure was because she needed to shed some pounds. I can't afford UlcerGard for 30 days so that's not really an option until I'm 100% sure that she has ulcers. If my vet suggests scoping then I'll go from there. Thank you for the advice!
try ranitidine, cheaper and will heal them too (just takes a little longer ), she'll feel better in a couple days if it's ulcers. Please don't rule out neurological, I would ask your vet about it. the quicker you catch a neurological issues the easier and more successful treatment and recovery is.
I have always used renitadine. I buy at Sam's. Two bottles for about $10. More than enough to treat. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | cow pie - 2015-06-11 11:38 PM
I think gold mine is on to something. Has the horse been recently shod? if so pull the shoes.
No she's currently barefoot and has been the majority of her life. She has nice hard, black feet. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 838
Location: Georgia | streakysox - 2015-06-12 12:32 AM
FlyingJT - 2015-06-10 1:11 PM
Klittle3 - 2015-06-10 11:36 AM
cheryl makofka - 2015-06-10 12:29 PM
I would say you need to put your horse on ulcer meds,
Aloe doesn't cure ulcers,
I would put the horse on omeprazole for 30 days
I would add fat to her diet
I would give her 24hr turnout
Horses were not meant to be stalled, also they are meant to eat constantly, feeding your horse twice a day is not enough
I've never had an issue with stalling daily and she has open access to a 150/300 foot arena with hay constantly in front of her. She just come off of a grass pasture for a week and seems worse now. The only reason I took her off 24/7 grass exposure was because she needed to shed some pounds. I can't afford UlcerGard for 30 days so that's not really an option until I'm 100% sure that she has ulcers. If my vet suggests scoping then I'll go from there. Thank you for the advice!
try ranitidine, cheaper and will heal them too (just takes a little longer ), she'll feel better in a couple days if it's ulcers. Please don't rule out neurological, I would ask your vet about it. the quicker you catch a neurological issues the easier and more successful treatment and recovery is.
I have always used renitadine. I buy at Sam's. Two bottles for about $10. More than enough to treat.
Do you get the liquid or tablets? What's your dosage? |
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