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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
  
Location: In The Snow, AZ | So I've had my 6 year old OTTB for a short bit now. Slowly working him back into use after a two year hiatus. Haven't been doing much but easy trail rides, some walk, Trot, lope in the pasture. Lots of bending and flexing, backing. Just keeping everything light and easy.
About a month ago, he started being very ouchy around his withers and down his spine. Not along the sides of the spine, but seemingly over the spine itself. I stayed off of him for two weeks. Took him to the body balancer who worked wonders on my mare. They said this is 100% due to his early career being raced and just showing due to increased workload. They worked on him, and we left with him being much happier and feeling better. I had instructions to "tickle" his belly and to do long and low work to strengthen his back and haunches. He had the next to two weeks off due to weather.
Yesterday I saddled him up to just do some ground work and round pen time. He warmed up well and looks to feel pretty good. Although I do want to add, his back is sore again. I bitted him up a bit to have him work more collected. At a lope, he will stride out normally, but then will bunny hop his back feet on the backside of the round pen.
Now, I've been told that as an OTTB with no formal training, he may just not know how to carry himself correctly all the time. I've been told his hocks may be sore because of fusion. I've been told it's because of back soreness, etc....
Just wanting some more input on what I can do from here. |
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 Midget Lover
  
Location: Kentucky | Google kissing spine. Check out the symptoms.
This is what my mare was doing. She would bunny hop before and around a barrel. Got her checked out by Rood and Riddle after going through numerous vets and lameness exams. Two injections on her spine and she's golden now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u59J-wegXh0 |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Based on this and the work that you've already had done, if it were me, I'd be wanting some pictures.
I'd want hock xrays, and spine xrays. A couple hundred dollars in xrays can save you a ton of money and stress in the long run. I'd also be getting with a saddle fit professional as soon as I could, just to double check that's not magnifying the issue.
Then go from there.
I've had kissing spine horses, I've got hock arthritis horses. I've had muscle sore horses. I always had the best luck with vets truly diagnosing the difference with xrays. Otherwise, you're just guessing.
Bone scans and ultrasounds are an excellent option after you've done xrays and the subsequent blocking etc from there. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| Yes, same here. I would check back, hock, stifles by a lameness specialist. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I would bet you that his hocks are sore-that will feed all the way to the back-though there could be more, I would start with the hocks. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | veintiocho - 2016-01-12 9:34 AM
Yes, same here. I would check back, hock, stifles by a lameness specialist.
This is where I would start regarding bunny hopping. Also, I not sure how large your round pen is. Mine is a little small and when I started my OTTB round penning he wasn't able to stay collected all the time and would lose his balance and do a few bunny hops until he regained his collection. Now he has no issues at all but then he wasn't sore and yours is so I would definitely check the back, hock and stifles. I've only had one experience with Kissing Spine myself and she would ride fine and then buck. She didn't bunny hop. Another girl's horse would never complete a turn without lunging up coming out of the barrel turn. Of course there are varying degress of KS and symptons I am sure. |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | Unfortunately, we don't have a decent crop of vets within a hundred miles. I wouldn't trust them. Plus, they charge outrageous amounts. Just to have a dog x-rayed is $350.
But I will look into the dreaded kissing spine. Oh the adventures of horse ownership... |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | I also wanted to add, when he is standing, he always cocks a foot. Switches them constantly. And its immediately when he stops movement. Even when being worked. Yesterday, I felt down his legs and he picks them up as soon as I touch his hocks. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I would also make sure to have the pelvis and hip area looked at.. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I think you need to find the root of the problem and find a good lameness vet. You need to know where and why this horse is hurting,the available treatments and cost, and long-term maintenance requirements.
A body balancer is a great addition to keeping your horse happy but you need to get a good vet to do a lameness exam and take any necessary x-rays to properly diagnose the problem so you're not just treating the symptoms.
If you have to drive 100 miles you may have to do that to get someone good who will diagnose the problem and get you on the right path. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| ~BINGO~ - 2016-01-12 10:41 AM
I also wanted to add, when he is standing, he always cocks a foot. Switches them constantly. And its immediately when he stops movement. Even when being worked. Yesterday, I felt down his legs and he picks them up as soon as I touch his hocks.
I would almost bet if your saddle fit is good, that his back pain is due to sore hocks, stifle, SI..... |
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Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Cheapest way would be to find a reptuable lameness vet, even if they are miles away, and get x-rays. I wasted so much money on other treatments, diagnoses, meds, etc. Here is more info on KS:
http://offtrackthoroughbreds.com/2011/11/23/qa-dr-maloney-explains-kissing-spine/ |
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Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | ~BINGO~ - 2016-01-12 10:38 AM Unfortunately, we don't have a decent crop of vets within a hundred miles. I wouldn't trust them. Plus, they charge outrageous amounts. Just to have a dog x-rayed is $350. But I will look into the dreaded kissing spine. Oh the adventures of horse ownership...
Generally speaking small animal medicine is always higher priced than large animal. I would call and ask. Almost any run of the mill vet can see arthritis in a hock-not sure where you would go to have injections done but at least you would have the xrays done locally. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I would quit working the horse till I could take him to a vet and have a full assessment done.
Shifting weight on the back end is telling you he is in extreme pain.
To keep working him would be animal abuse |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | veintiocho - 2016-01-12 11:04 AM
~BINGO~ - 2016-01-12 10:41 AM
I also wanted to add, when he is standing, he always cocks a foot. Switches them constantly. And its immediately when he stops movement. Even when being worked. Yesterday, I felt down his legs and he picks them up as soon as I touch his hocks.
I would almost bet if your saddle fit is good, that his back pain is due to sore hocks, stifle, SI.....
me too |
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 Sweet Tea
Posts: 3496
Location: Home of the World Famous "Silver Bullet" | HOCKS |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | cheryl makofka - 2016-01-12 9:33 AM
I would quit working the horse till I could take him to a vet and have a full assessment done.
Shifting weight on the back end is telling you he is in extreme pain.
To keep working him would be animal abuse
As I said, yesterday was the first day he's been worked in the last month.
I'll probably get flamed for saying this, but this was not an expensive, top notch prospect. I bought him to have something to play around on, from a rescue. And no, that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve the best of care. But I'm not going to pour money into him either. So if he does indeed have something that is going to be expensive to maintain, I'll probably send him down the road with full disclosure. Maybe that makes me a bad horse owner to some, but I can't afford to throw money at a glorified trail horse.
I do, however, appreciate the opinions and it gives me something to think on. |
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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | He probably needs his hocks done did you say how old he is? I agree if he's getting to be too much maintenance I would sell him too. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
Location: mi | When I am guessing on an issue as to whether it is soreness or a conditioning issue. I will do a few days of bute to see if the symptoms subside. Then take them back off too see if they come back. It is also a good baseline for your vet should you need to go to know if it was something that a gram of bute a day fixed or just helped alittle or not at all.
I am with everyone else that is guessing hocks though. :) |
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Common Sense and then some
Location: So. California | ~BINGO~ - 2016-01-12 9:53 AM cheryl makofka - 2016-01-12 9:33 AM I would quit working the horse till I could take him to a vet and have a full assessment done. Shifting weight on the back end is telling you he is in extreme pain. To keep working him would be animal abuse As I said, yesterday was the first day he's been worked in the last month. I'll probably get flamed for saying this, but this was not an expensive, top notch prospect. I bought him to have something to play around on, from a rescue. And no, that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve the best of care. But I'm not going to pour money into him either. So if he does indeed have something that is going to be expensive to maintain, I'll probably send him down the road with full disclosure. Maybe that makes me a bad horse owner to some, but I can't afford to throw money at a glorified trail horse. I do, however, appreciate the opinions and it gives me something to think on.
The way I look at it, your time is money and it is valuable.
Find a good lameness clinic that you can take him too, get xrays. It may save you hundreds if not thousands of $$ in the long run. The horse is hurting somewhere and a complete exam, including exrays is in order. It could be a simple fix. |
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