4 yo extreme balking under saddle. Update: resolved following Lyme treatment

[greymatter]

Hoping to get some suggestions about my young horse. 4 year old OTTB purchased last fall as hunter prospect, few starts and retired sound. He got about 3 weeks off between coming off the track and starting his sport career, then was working mostly 4 days a week on the flat. Was coming along really nicely. He would sometimes do a mini-buck/dolphin hop situation at the canter where he would just feel pretty condensed and sticky, but this was usually only present the first canter transition each direction and never happened in the outdoor (which is bigger and wider), so I assumed it was an innocuous young horse balance problem. Had a couple of random of random 5-7 day breaks due to (my) work schedule, was fine coming back each time if a bit lazy. Was always super willing to work, very quiet, super easy, and a beautiful free and elastic mover. He’s probably the easiest young horse I’ve had, just an A+ guy.

Got 3.5 ish weeks off starting in mid March due to my own life circumstances; he was in the middle of a growth spurt so I figured I’d let him have some time off instead of having trainer come in to ride him. When I came back to restart him into work two or three weeks ago, he was basically unrideable. Spend day 1 trying to jump around with all fours off the ground, ended up getting longed - same behavior on longe. Day 2 - longed only and was perfect and quiet. Day 3 - super balky, very hard to move forward at the walk and trotting was next to impossible. Day 4 - same. At this point I called the vet and brought him to the clinic. He scoped clean/no ulcers, spinal rads clean w/ no kissing spine. Lyme negative. Bloodwork WNL (Tbili elevated, likely due to fasting for scope per vet). Nothing palpates sore. Eyesight okay per vet though we didn’t do a detailed ophthalmology exam, just basic clinical exam. Teeth done recently w/no abnormal findings. Saddle purchased for him in January, still fits on recheck early March (checked by independent fitter). Weight is great, has lovely topline and muscle development, he looks like a very fit 4 yo. He is sound in hand (can’t tell under saddle as I can’t really go anywhere).

Vet thought behavioral, started on low dose trazodone to help him chill. It’s been a week, I’ve had one ride in outdoor where he was sluggish at the walk but actually trotted around quite forward (if a little tense), and one day where I hacked out and he was okay but a bit tense in some places and mildly balky in others (attempted two laps in outdoor afterwards and was so balky it took me 5+ minutes to get him out of the corner near the mounting block). Otherwise, same behavior: gets stuck and it feels like you can’t get him forward no matter what you try. He just seems a bit flustered the more you nag at him to take a step forward. I’ve tried the normal stuff, smack with a crop, moving shoulders back and forth to unstick, nothing is significantly helpful. Buddies in the ring don’t make a difference, happens in both indoor and outdoor, severity of behavior varies. At this point I can’t even walk forward at a slow pace on a loose rein.

I don’t want to send him off without ruling out physical stuff first, but I am running out of ideas. I’m hesitant to think behavioral because he was just SO consistently perfect for four months, would just be a weird change. I am very worried about PSSM to be honest, I asked the vet while he was at the clinic but she didn’t think it was a possibility due to his age/breed/physical condition and presentation. I asked again today for them to humor me and do the muscle biopsy, waiting to hear back. A lot of the pssm stories don’t seem reassuring regarding long term prognosis, so I’m pretty anxious about that.

Any other ideas/suggestions/advice?? I don’t necessarily want to drop thousands into random diagnostics without a good chance of getting useful information out of it, but this is a four year old so I’d like to give him every chance of coming back into a full performance career. I’m feeling pretty down about it so any information or suggestions would be much appreciated!

[LilRanger]

Can you restart on ground training? Maybe clicker training to encourage him and reteach forward cues. It sounds like if it’s not physical he may have been overfaced, being a young green bean.

Who’s been handling him? Maybe someone inadvertantly undid some training.

[RhythmNCruise]

Does he lunge okay now, or is that still an issue?
I agree with starting him over almost like he’s a new baby just being broke.
Can someone lead him while you’re on him?
Longe him while you’re on him?
Pony him while you’re on him?

Just to see if he CAN move forward and get unstuck with you in the saddle.
The youngsters I raised and started (only a few, I’m an amateur) were always more whoa than go. I could sit on some of them and kick and rock and try to pull them around to get the momentum going and they’d just ignore me. They were always pleasant about it, but I can imagine many horses would have gotten a bit upset about it. It usually took someone on the ground to help “translate” what I was asking into something the horses understood (leading, lunging). Once the connection was made, all was good.

If everything is okay physically, I would go back to the very beginning and get a helper on the ground to help get him unstuck.

[OverandOnward]

First a disclaimer – I don’t know what’s wrong and this isn’t intended to be a suggested diagnosis, just another thing to explore.

It’s not ‘fight or flight’. It’s ‘fight, flight or freeze’. It sounds like he’s freezing.

Horses seem to express their fear, agitation and anxiety in either of two ways: - physical movement, becoming flighty, running, spooky, etc., or - physical freezing, being anchored to the ground, rigid unbending knees, so stiff that nothing gets a foot off the ground.

The physical movement type of fear expression we are familiar with. But freezing in place is an equal reaction, and sometimes almost harder to manage. Unfortunately people can associate it with learned balkiness, but a true freeze is a natural fear reaction.

My current horse when just off the track did the freeze thing. In hand, under saddle, in the stall, any time. He was stressed with changes, and when overwhelmed, he would anchor to the ground with stiff limbs. I could not even lift a foot off the ground while leaning hard into his shoulder. Or move him by moving his head around, because his neck was stiff as well. He didn’t back, turn or go forward. He was planted like a tree.

Basically it was recognizing that this is a fear reaction and needs to be addressed in similar ways to addressing flighty spooky behavior. Calming, directing his head to keep him from fixating on a fear object, getting attention on the human, soothing and reassuring. The horse gradually relaxes and lowers his head and may lick-chew. It can take several minutes, the same as calming a spooking greenie. But like spooking it’s critical to be patient and work through it calmly each time (person must be calm, as well as horse). Over time, repeated working through situations means the horse does it less and less. Hopefully foregoes it at some point.

As an early-training behavior, it can’t be instantaneously fixed or shut down just by vigorous aids or even some firm crop handling. It isn’t traditional balkiness of a ‘naughty’ horse who has learned to evade. It’s a natural behavior that pre-existed training.

Needless to say, getting rough with a frightened horse may fix the unwanted behavior more firmly, instead of making it less necessary to the horse’s sense of security.

Like spooking, freezing can be remedied over time to where it is rare or non-existent by installing calm and confidence. (My horse hasn’t done this in a long time. I’d almost forgotten he did it previously.)

[Critter]

My youngster got balky when he somehow managed to break two ribs. Not clue how he did it, but he did.

Xrays of the back showed nothing (did not show that the ribs were fractured, despite them both being kinked)…the rib fractures did show up on nuclear scan and then got confirmed on ultrasound. He did not palpate back sore AT ALL. In fact, he wanted to be curried harder over the two broken ribs.

Not that it’s what it going on with your horse…but it’s enough of an unusual issue that I thought I would bring it up.

[Libby2563]

Well, that’s a head-scratcher and sounds very frustrating/concerning. Ribs, SI, or something other than the spinal processes themselves sound worth investigating but I understand you might want to narrow it down first. Was a neuro exam done? Are you in an area with EPM?

Did anything else change in those few weeks? Assuming it’s spring where you are, could it be related to something seasonal like allergies, grass/sugar sensitivity, or maybe cryptorchidism with behavior being affected by mares in heat?

Is he turned out with other horses? Could he have gotten overly attached during his vacation and be balky due to herdboundness / barn sourness? (I know you mentioned him being the same in company but I don’t know if they were his herd.)

You said he’s sound in hand—how is his behavior? Did he load on the trailer well and walk around the clinic normally? What happens if you work him in hand in the arena and other places where he’s balky under saddle? Second having someone lead him with you aboard as a data point.

[greymatter]

@Libby2563 No formal neuro exam has been done at this time though he can circle tightly both ways with no proprioception issues and is not ataxic. Sugar sensitivity is a super interesting thought and kind of fits with my concerns over pssm? Could be change in nutrition with spring grasses?

He is/was turned out with two other horses: one was PTS about 2 month ago, and he is still with the other. He is not herdbound and will happily leave buddy to come inside. Has no issues hanging out in his stall alone when all the other horses are outside. I initially thought ulcers after losing his friend, but scope was clean.

Was a bit tough to get on the trailer to the clinic, is usually very easy. We just assumed he wasn’t feeling well. He was fine at the clinic, he is quiet at new places and is generally easy to handle on the ground. At the farm he has no balkiness issues on the ground. No issues in indoor or outdoor, will happily lead anywhere/do anything.

This afternoon when I went to the barn he was aggressively sensitive from neck all the way down his back, wither and shoulder included. I texted a video to my vet, who agreed that something is wrong physically. We are in an area where EPM could be a possibility so that’s a great suggestion. We’d initially ruled it out as he didn’t have any typical “neuro” symptoms like ataxia, but this could be an early presentation. His Lyme test was negative in two antigens, elevated but WNL for third, so vet recommends retesting this for possible early infection. I’ll ask her about doing a full neuro exam and EPM test at the same time. He didn’t have neck X-rays at the time his spinal rads were done, at the time it was thought unwarranted due to lack of neuro symptoms but it may be something to pursue based on the results of the next set of tests. I’m also going to ask whether she thinks doing a full neuromuscular work up at the university hospital is warranted, or if she thinks we should continue to investigate further at the “home” clinic.

@Critter Very interesting information! My horse is 4 and his turnout buddies (including one that passed) are both under 7. They are young and act like wild men in turnout sometimes, so very possible he could have hurt himself playing. What was your rehab program like? Did they eventually heal?

@LilRanger @RhythmNCruise @OverandOnward Thank you for the suggestions! After today I have some more evidence for physical work up that I’m going to pursue, though ground work is always beneficial and it’s a good reminder that I can still work on things while he is out of riding work. If/when he gets back riding I’ll be sure to try having someone lead me, that’s a very smart suggestion!

I’m really hoping it’s something easily treatable. This is a really really nice young horse and he is really pleasant to be around. I’d be devastated if it’s something with a poor prognosis.

[luvmyhackney]

I’m assuming he runs and plays just fine in turnout?

Check your saddle fit if he hit a growth spurt. Otherwise he is 4 and really enjoyed his vacation. Honestly not going forward isn’t an option.

Keep the lunge line handy and when he gets balky put him on the line and make him work. Might be helpful to have someone on the ground until he gets unstuck.

If he can go forward in turnout, he can go forward on a lunge line.

[Critter]

So the prognosis is good…basically he could be turned out (solo) and was off for 6 months. No work during that time, but turnout as much as I wanted was fine. Not even lunging allowed…basically 6 mo of being a pasture puff and getting groomed.

We did a follow up ultrasound. The one rib had fully healed in normal position. The other rib had more remodeling and a kink/bend, but was deemed to have healed (just not as nicely as the other).

I sent him back to the trainer to restart…of course, he started acting balky and kicking out again. I sent him for a scope and he had another round of severe ulcers. So he is chilling at the moment while we treat for the ulcers (we found ulcers prior to the ribs…got them healed, found he was still balky and then found the ribs). Ugh!

But, my guess is that once the ulcers are cleared up, I think he will be fine. The vets didn’t expect any issues once the bone healed.

[Posting_Trot]

I’m wondering about the saddle fit. Even if the saddle was fit to him when you first got him, between his retraining and his growth spurts, it’s entirely possible that he’s changed shape and the saddle no longer fits or even pinches.

The soreness at the withers would be one possible result of pinching.

Even if he’s good while being lunged (and if he’s being lunged under tack), without the weight of a rider, the saddle might be tolerable. But with a rider, it could be super painful.

[IPEsq]

If the last saddle fit check was before the time off and growth spurt, that could be a component for sure. It’s amazing how things can change at a drop of a hat at this age.

And they can go through phases where they don’t really know where their parts are anymore and that can cause stress.

The overall body soreness is concerning, but sometimes they just get a bit wound up in their nervous system due to whatever it is that is bothering him and causing him to be in freeze mode (part of the sympathetic nervous system response). Might be the thing or might be a byproduct.

[greymatter]

I can certainly have the saddle fitter come back out and take a look at it again, always a worthwhile suggestion. I’ll call and ask if she’ll be in the area sometime soon. It was checked prior to his time off as she was at my barn and I figured it wouldn’t hurt since he was actively growing. I did try riding in a different saddle (not mine or one fitted to him) last week just to try and see if that changed anything. Behavior was all the same, but that it not have been a perfect fit.

[greymatter]

Great to know, thank you! I hope his ulcers clear up and everything is smooth sailing for him now. Sounds like he has been through a lot! When the vet comes back out I’ll pass it along and see if she thinks it would be worth investigating further.

[Tha_Ridge]

Did you do flexions?

[NancyM]

I’d put him back into driving reins, and ground drive him. A lot of riders at the track don’t use much leg, stirrups are short. So quite often, horses who have raced don’t have a lot of schooling to the leg… that leg pressure means “forward”, and that there isn’t any other response that is acceptable. The driving lines go through the stirrups, with the stirrups tied to your girth, so they stay steady. And the tapping (or more than tapping) becomes the action of your leg to ask for forward. Walk and trot, with you running along behind, steering and applying the “leg” pressure to his sides to encourage forward. Then reward for correct responses.
At the track, many horses go out to gallop together, in threes and fours. So they go because they are going with others who are going, not from leg pressure. So a correct response to leg pressure sometimes isn’t really taught. The rider gives a chirp, a tap with the stick, shakes the reins a bit, and off the group of horses go to gallop. Your horse may just have this “hole” in his training. Fill the hole.

[greymatter]

@Tha_Ridge No flexions done. He was just evaluated at the walk and trot on both pavement and grass. I guess I figured if he looked sound, it wouldn’t be severe enough to be causing such a change in behavior. But again, it’s very possible he could have hurt himself in turnout. Vet is coming back out after the weekend so I’ll ask her about doing them.

[greymatter]

I very much agree with you that many TB’s come off the track clueless about leg meaning forward! This one included. That said, we spent the time learning this and I have no reason to believe that a month long break would cause such serious regression in training. I’ve seen a lot of OTTB’s with significant training holes on the flat, so I was pretty cognizant of trying to establish solid basics. He’s spent the last 4+ months working on flatwork, mostly walk/trot and some canter. He was happily moving forward off the leg, doing baby-level lateral work, cavaletti, working a lot on straightness, bending through the corners and working over the back. He has always had a great work ethic and been very eager to please, which is why I was/am pretty convinced there has to be a physical reason causing him to be so insistent on not moving forward.

[greymatter]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Vet was back out to see him and the good news is that he is very sound upon eval and passes a neuro exam without abnormalities. Pulled a lot of bloodwork: EPM (serum not CSF), repeat Lyme, full repeat chem panel, Vit E, & testosterone. We decided to wait on the pssm for the moment as the muscle biopsy is fairly invasive. Everyone thinks that symptoms (existing and new) sound very Lyme-like so we are going to go ahead and just start 30 days minocycline without waiting for the repeat testing to come back. He is also going to start on Vit E and magnesium supplementation. It’s a very Lyme prevalent area, so I’m really hoping it’s Lyme. If not, and the antiobiotics don’t help anything, then the university hospital may be his next stop. Fingers crossed.

[Atlas_Shrugged]

In cases like yours, especially where the horse was growing and/or gaining weight, I found the cause to be saddle fit. I have had the greatest success with newer Stubben saddles with flex trees

[4horses]

I have a 3 yr old that I just started and she can be a bit similar. Now, she tends to be lazy to begin with. First few rides went great because she didn’t mind me being on her back at all. But trying to get forward was problematic without someone standing in the center holding a lunge whip. I moved her into the outdoor pen, which was slightly better, then finally started riding her in the pasture which is definitely an improvement.

She still tends to get sticky feet and I do have to tap, tap, tap with the whip, but she is improving. The great news is her whoa is incredible and I feel very safe riding her. She’s just a bit lazy.

Not all thoroughbreds are hot or forward. My friend had a mare that I used to ride and that mare was as level headed and sane as they come. She was very much a push ride. Getting her to canter was tough because she made you work for it.

4 yrs is not that old, so you need to address the attitude and perhaps try lunging and make sure he is capable of moving forward comfortably. If it’s just attitude you have to find a way to make things more interesting.

PSSM is possible but if he can canter well, it’s probably not that. I would really look at how he canters both in the field and after 20 minutes of work on the lunge.