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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
 
Location: Arkansas | When you have a horse quit firing or running to his potential, what is the first thing that you look for? Share your experiences please! I am hoping that something might be an ah-ha for me with this horse.
This particular horse is up to date with teeth, good feet, doesn't show he is limping or off anywhere. But, to me, he just seems kind of off in the way he is using himself. He doesn't turn his first the same as he did (he changed his style) and he is NOT clocking at all. Very nice barrels ( my dad says he isn't running fast enough to not turn them pretty, lol), but no one seems to think that he is "off" but me. I just can't believe that this is all he can give when he is running .8-second off of his previous times. I have started him on PentAussie. He doesn't dread the run, no alley issues, does get "up" before the run, if you ride by a barrel he wants to turn it...
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| It could be a multiple of things, you need to see a good lameness vet for an assessment.
Things it could be that I can think of
Ulcers
Hocks
Bleeding
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 Expert
Posts: 2335
 
Location: IL | When my horse isn't running he's sore. Especially if he's changed the way he turns. My bet is hocks are sore. I would have a vet look at him asap. You could cause a ton of other problems if this isn't addressed. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | Things that have happened to my horse that made him stop clocking....hock issues, ulcers, bleeding, kissing spine | |
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 I"m Jealous!
Posts: 1737
Location: Benton City, WA | merdth6 - 2014-05-14 7:38 AM
When my horse isn't running he's sore. Especially if he's changed the way he turns. My bet is hocks are sore. I would have a vet look at him asap. You could cause a ton of other problems if this isn't addressed.
Agree 100%- have a really good lameness vet check him out. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | In my experience it was the beginning stage of hock soreness or bleeding. | |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | Multiple things..... hocks, SI, ulcers, EPM, kissing spine, etc
A friend's horse has been off for almost a year - they finally figure out that he has a form of lyme disease. My mare was off and we found out that she has EPM, even though she did not show any nurological signs.
Good luck - this can be a very frustrating and expensive journey! | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | I have had him scoped for bleeding before and they ended up doing surgery on his flapper. I've watched some accupressure videos on youtube and went over him. Just based on that and using a needle cap, his right side middle of his neck, over his right hip and following that line down towards his butt cheek "gives". Nothing on his left side except right over the hip. But, the videos said that was a natural spot for them to give. That would be indicative of hocks right? There isn't any fluid built up on them. Could it be the beginning stages of soreness? He had them injected once after a bad shoe job but on his yearly exams has shown to not need them since. Thanks for all of your help trying to get this narrowed down. I want my hard running horse back!
My mother has also suggested anemia? I had a blood panel ran on him last fall but showed nothing in that area but this year he did have a large amount of worms. Vet thought that his system had grown immune to wormer and treated accordingly. Could that have brought on anemia? | |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Honestly your best bet is to go to the vet and get a complete lameness exam. My gray horse went from the top of the 1D to middle/bottom of the 2D over about a six month period. Many folks on here thought his hocks and or stifles were sore, but the lameness locator showed it was all in his feet. We are working on addressing those issues but my point is, you are better off to get a professional opinion rather than anything else.
With my horse, originally he needed his SI joints injected (probably from a fall or two at the rodeos) and some serious chiro work. With that done, he was feeling better but still not clocking like he should, so we wound up putting the lameness locator on him last week and ruled out hocks & stifles quickly. His pain actually was worst in the right hind foot, then the right front foot, the left front and his left hind is the best of the 4. I have not run him yet and don't intend to right away, but he is tearing around the pen and feels like a freight train when I ride him. My parents are lobbying me to run him at a rodeo Friday night but I think I'm going to err on the side of caution (though the vet told me not to run him for a week, which ends today) and give him another week or two or three of conditioning, then bust him back out somewhere with really good ground. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: South MS | Esther - 2014-05-14 9:21 AM When you have a horse quit firing or running to his potential, what is the first thing that you look for? Share your experiences please! I am hoping that something might be an ah-ha for me with this horse.
This particular horse is up to date with teeth, good feet, doesn't show he is limping or off anywhere. But, to me, he just seems kind of off in the way he is using himself. He doesn't turn his first the same as he did (he changed his style) and he is NOT clocking at all. Very nice barrels ( my dad says he isn't running fast enough to not turn them pretty, lol), but no one seems to think that he is "off" but me. I just can't believe that this is all he can give when he is running .8-second off of his previous times. I have started him on PentAussie. He doesn't dread the run, no alley issues, does get "up" before the run, if you ride by a barrel he wants to turn it...
Teeth?
Hocks/Stifles?
Bleeder?
Worms? - powerpac?
EPM?
Anemia? - maybe run CBC and chemistry panel
Feed - is he getting enough calories via a good quality feed?
Try a different saddle - maybe pinching or uncomfortable making him hold back
Edited by Lmichaels 2014-05-14 1:15 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | rodeowithjoker - 2014-05-14 1:06 PM Honestly your best bet is to go to the vet and get a complete lameness exam. My gray horse went from the top of the 1D to middle/bottom of the 2D over about a six month period. Many folks on here thought his hocks and or stifles were sore, but the lameness locator showed it was all in his feet. We are working on addressing those issues but my point is, you are better off to get a professional opinion rather than anything else.
With my horse, originally he needed his SI joints injected (probably from a fall or two at the rodeos) and some serious chiro work. With that done, he was feeling better but still not clocking like he should, so we wound up putting the lameness locator on him last week and ruled out hocks & stifles quickly. His pain actually was worst in the right hind foot, then the right front foot, the left front and his left hind is the best of the 4. I have not run him yet and don't intend to right away, but he is tearing around the pen and feels like a freight train when I ride him. My parents are lobbying me to run him at a rodeo Friday night but I think I'm going to err on the side of caution (though the vet told me not to run him for a week, which ends today) and give him another week or two or three of conditioning, then bust him back out somewhere with really good ground.
I will absolutely be taking him to the vet as soon as I can. Its just that its weighing so heavily on my mind until I can get him in that I am driving myself crazy trying to figure it out and think of the possibilities. I also think that I have heard so many times that its in my head and its just how he is "now" that I needed to hear from other barrel racers for confirmation that horses do drop off due to pain even if you can't see it and can comeback to "themselves" once its addressed. I am hopeful, frustrated, all of the emotions you feel when you know something is "off" but no one believes you.. I hope that you get yours figured out soon. I know that you've been dealing with this for some time too. | |
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Expert
Posts: 2335
Location: IL | You know your horse more than anyone else. If you feel there is something wrong, then you are probably going to be right. I quit listening to everyone and on both occassions I have been correct. They don't got from running hard to not running for no reason. It might be something as simple as a shoe job. But my gelding gets injected once a year and I can feel when he needs it. You just don't want to cause soreness other places because he's being cautious and trying to stay off the part that's hurting. That can also cause ulcers, etc. Good luck with him!! I'm sure it will all work out fine. | |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Could he just be body sore? I know after an adjustment with acupressure and then a cold laser, my horse FIRES. I guess it just depends on if you think he's just not feeling 100% or of there's actually something wrong. | |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| You know your horse if you think somethimg is wrong itmprobably is. My good,mare that is 19 and retired from bad stifles she fell but the year before thatmshemhad a stifle problem whic imthink was a si problem the second time she fell. Imthink the si,problem cause hack,problems and,then she fell. But in between she was clocking. I know,she needed her hocks done but itmis a never ending cycle and a good,vet which locally hard to,come by. But last time i,rode her at,augusta she bowed,at first barrel and droppped so,hard at second barrel shemalmost lost me and second run she was 42nd out of 700 head. This was before,everyone did hocks and stifles. Then next year we where in a third drag thismdrag they did not,drag arena correctly and 4 out 5 horses fell. My ran wide ass open to,frist nail it second her whole rear fell and i pulled up got,around second barrel headed to,third and pulled up to go around third and let her lope home second in third -d pulled her 3 times and second in third-d. This mare loved buildings won a loy of money. Shemwas a tank 15.1 and weighed 1300lbs. Always tried to,work back when i ran her most people did not,do hock injections. When she fell i turned her out as we dont have a lot of goood vets that can do things to,heal horses. Found outmshemtore her meniscus and her cruitment ligiment. I would have spend about 3500.00 to fix and i had 2 young horses 5 year ods to season so i did not,fix her. Butmif your horse is not firing ask around and so,the best local vet that can give you a diagnosis and be right and give a good diagnosis.
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Esther - 2014-05-14 2:54 PM rodeowithjoker - 2014-05-14 1:06 PM Honestly your best bet is to go to the vet and get a complete lameness exam. My gray horse went from the top of the 1D to middle/bottom of the 2D over about a six month period. Many folks on here thought his hocks and or stifles were sore, but the lameness locator showed it was all in his feet. We are working on addressing those issues but my point is, you are better off to get a professional opinion rather than anything else.
With my horse, originally he needed his SI joints injected (probably from a fall or two at the rodeos) and some serious chiro work. With that done, he was feeling better but still not clocking like he should, so we wound up putting the lameness locator on him last week and ruled out hocks & stifles quickly. His pain actually was worst in the right hind foot, then the right front foot, the left front and his left hind is the best of the 4. I have not run him yet and don't intend to right away, but he is tearing around the pen and feels like a freight train when I ride him. My parents are lobbying me to run him at a rodeo Friday night but I think I'm going to err on the side of caution (though the vet told me not to run him for a week, which ends today) and give him another week or two or three of conditioning, then bust him back out somewhere with really good ground. I will absolutely be taking him to the vet as soon as I can. Its just that its weighing so heavily on my mind until I can get him in that I am driving myself crazy trying to figure it out and think of the possibilities. I also think that I have heard so many times that its in my head and its just how he is "now" that I needed to hear from other barrel racers for confirmation that horses do drop off due to pain even if you can't see it and can comeback to "themselves" once its addressed. I am hopeful, frustrated, all of the emotions you feel when you know something is "off" but no one believes you.. I hope that you get yours figured out soon. I know that you've been dealing with this for some time too.
I hear ya on the frustration of waiting to find out and trying to figure it out yourself in the meantime. I had 2 weeks to wait for my lameness locator appointment and missroselee told me to just relax and not stress over diagnosing it myself - to let the vet sort it out at the appointment. It was tough to do at first, but I have other horses so I just concentrated on riding them and did some little fun exercises with Chance instead - stretches, taking him for walks to eat grass, and I did exercise him a few times. That two weeks went by pretty quickly.
As far as confirmation that pain will slow them down gradually - ABSOLUTELY it will!!! My old bay horse was so bad at the gate and running well off the pace back in 2005 & 2006 that I barely ran him in 2007. In 2008, I finally got a vet to locate his soreness (hocks) and we addressed the issues. The following year, he was back to running 1D at the local NBHAs about 1/2 the time and was at the top of the 2D the rest of the time. So yes, they can come back from lingering issues and be the horse they were before. You know your horse better than anyone else, so if you think something's off, keep digging until you find it. I'd almost bet the farm that you will find something eventually. | |
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