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Regular
Posts: 82
| Tried loping on a hill side and over logs tonight. Still no luck. Chiro is coming out tomorrow. I'm about at my wits end. He's such a nice colt... So willing and a great mind - shoot, I rode him around the pasture in a halter last night for gosh sake! His ONLY flaw is this lead issue. I did notice he's starting to develop saddle sores on his withers so I'm playing with a few saddle/pad combos...haven't had any luck yet. I'm just so afraid I've ruined this poor colt.... |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
  
| I wouldn't be riding him if you don't have a saddle to fit.
Also I would be treating for ulcers, horses experiencing pain (teeth, saddle issues in this case) are more prone to ulcers, and it can affect them picking up leads. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
 
| The first thing I would do is find a saddle that fits. The second would be his teeth. My two year old filly has a dentist appointment Thursday. Those wolf teeth gotta go. My colt have wolf teeth removed when gelded as yearlings. A bit set is important too. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Two Nickles - 2015-09-28 8:44 PM Okay... Had his teeth checked! He definitely had some issues going on there, so we can rule that out. I worked him tonight and was, unfortunately, still unsuccessful. Last week I worked him in a round pen and he would pick up the right lead in his front for a few strides, but his back legs never got out of a trot. I couldn't get this much out of him tonight in the pasture. Thoughts?? So discouraging... Before I worked him again, I would get a saddle that fit properly if he is getting wither sores.and Id have stifle looked at.
Edited by Bibliafarm 2015-10-13 10:02 PM
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | I also would not ride him until you can get a saddle that fits, until the chiro checks him, and until the vet does a lameness exam (particularly looking at the stifles). He's not even 3 yet. And if you have no plans to futurity him .... what's the rush? Let him sit until you can figure out what is hurting. |
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 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | I am glad you noticed the saddle issues!
Before I read your update, I was going to share something minor with the saddle that solved an issue I just had with a filly I got back from the trainer, who said she didn't have any lead issues - and she did just fine the time I rode her at the trainer (although she wasn't there for very long).
Got her back home in a different saddle and girth length. We did a lot of walk/trot work at first, but when I started asking for a lope, she was always taking the right lead, no matter which direction we were going. She'd get a little wormy when trying to go left. I also noticed she seemed slightly cinchy and would sometimes look back at the cinch area when I was riding her.
I got rid of the extra latigo length/bulk (where you loop several times) and put a latigo on the other side, as well (got rid of the off-billet). I cinch up on both sides (not always on the same side, to avoid soreness over time).
Then, I briefly worked on controlling her ribcage and her hindend, side-tracking, and then asked for the right lead --we had to work a little at it the first day, but the next time I rode her she's back to automatically taking the correct leads without any trial.
Good luck!
Edited by txbredbr 2015-10-15 9:48 AM
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 Some Kind of Trouble
Posts: 4430
| You mentioned working him in the round pen and he wasn't holding the lead... was it under saddle or free lunging him? If he's not holding it when free working, keep looking until you find the physical issue.. it's more than your saddle fit, but definetely get that fixed too. |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| The round pen work was under saddle. We went as far as to take his headstall off to ensure I wasn't picking at him too much. The chiro had to post pone but will be out Saturday. Hopefully we nail something down.... |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | I'm really betting its stifle and *maybe* hocks. I wouldn't be having a chiro out; that's a short term fix. I'd be having a vet do a lameness exam and xray both hocks and stifles. My filly had a trouble with this and we did IRAP on her stifles and hocks; xrays showed a spur and some epiphysitis in her stifles (very common in two year olds). I put her on Rejuvinaide for the epiphysitis (potential mineral imbalances there). The IRAP helped tremendously for her other issues. When we checked the fluid in her stifles it was quite watery, meaning inflammation. Her stifles are finally starting to look really good and we've gotten more aggressive on her hocks. We've combined these therapies with rest and icing too. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Also if your saddle is to narrow sitting it would interfere with his shoulder movements, he may feel he cant stride out, maybe pinching him... |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| oija - 2015-10-15 4:00 PM
I'm really betting its stifle and *maybe* hocks. I wouldn't be having a chiro out; that's a short term fix. I'd be having a vet do a lameness exam and xray both hocks and stifles. My filly had a trouble with this and we did IRAP on her stifles and hocks; xrays showed a spur and some epiphysitis in her stifles (very common in two year olds). I put her on Rejuvinaide for the epiphysitis (potential mineral imbalances there). The IRAP helped tremendously for her other issues. When we checked the fluid in her stifles it was quite watery, meaning inflammation. Her stifles are finally starting to look really good and we've gotten more aggressive on her hocks. We've combined these therapies with rest and icing too.
How long of a process was all of this? Before you started to see improvement that is... |
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Sparklin Cowgirl
Posts: 4379
| I had a similar problem with my colt but he wasn't holding his lead behind..... Turns out he has EPM.  |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| Gunnin to Play - 2015-10-16 3:02 PM
I had a similar problem with my colt but he wasn't holding his lead behind..... Turns out he has EPM.
How did they determine it was EPM? What other symptoms did he have and how was it treated? |
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