Update, just looked at the signs of magnesium deficiency and god, it sounds just like her. Going to add 5000mg/day to her feed when her hoof smartpak ships and see how she does.
8 Likes
I will preface this with it doesn’t matter what breed she is, you’re doing so much good work to get her happy. You don’t ride the breed!
But my papered, tattooed, raced OTTB doesn’t fit ANY of the above description. Nor do the other 3 in my barn, now that I think of it. Most of these points can be 99% diet related, and the rest can be lack of muscle + QH/Appendix build. Or yeah TB. Or a mishmash of pony/mustang/etc etc.
Not specifically @ OP, but it really gets under my skin when people say “oh he’s just a TB” or “he’s got to be a TB!” when looking at an undernourished, under exercised, and under trained horse. That’s not a TB thing, that’s a horse care thing.
Getting off my soapbox now. Again, OP, it sounds like you’re trying very hard to make this work. Mg supplementation changed my horse’s entire life, once I realized he wasn’t getting enough. Hopefully it’ll help!
16 Likes
Go with 10,000 that’s the standard amount if they really need it. Smartcalm ultra is a good one. My tb is a completely different horse on it I’ve tried weaning him off but he gets anxious so back on he goes
Thanks for saying this. I was shaking my head reading that whole list of “must be a TB if…”.
7 Likes
^^^^^what fivestrideline said. I looked at photos posted on other threads, and OP’s horse screams QH/QHx to me. No shade to OP, you’re trying your hardest with your horse and that’s great. My OTTB meets very few of the “TB things” on that list. Those issues are management/nutrition problems, not TB problems.
I’ve only been lurking on here, but I just couldn’t say nothing about this part 
okay back to hiding in the shadows now.
8 Likes
As I mentioned upthread, Trubute Kalm N Easy is a good one.
#### Ingredients
Beet Pulp, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Ground Extruded Whole Soybeans, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Salt, Active Dry Yeast, Yeast Culture, Brewers Dried Yeast, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Citrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Esters of L-Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin D Supplement, Magnesium Oxide, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, L-Threonine, Biotin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Choline Chloride, Niacin, Riboflavin, Beta-Carotene, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K), Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Propionic Acid (as preservative), Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate, Diatomaceous Earth, Bentonite, Sodium Bentonite, Calcium Propionate (as preservative), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Kelp Meal, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus lichenformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium longum Fermentation Product, Dried Trichoderma reesei Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Cobalt Glucoheptonate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, and Selenium Yeast.
PS: The book is still a recommendation, too. 
1 Like
Well, considering she might be appendix, I’d want an hypp test done, considering the OPs suggestion the horse has balance issues, etc.
Definitely an important thing to look into
5 Likes
Good point, get the 5 panel. I don’t think it’s too pricey? https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/panel/quarter-horse-disease-panel
I’d think stifle issues would have been somewhat apparent on a very basic PPE. Thinking some flexions must have been done? And yes you are right that it might show up with some reluctance to pick up the diagonal front. But to also be super easy to pick up and hold up the hinds but not either front? I’d guess bilateral front foot issues, which might not be that apparent on a basic PPE without radiographs.
Horse looks QH or QHx to me 
1 Like
To me, all these evaluations and tests (5 panel, etc) are cheaper than guessing and trying things and wasting time, imo.
Especially for anything that can easily be remedied, or that can offer info that precludes getting hopes too high and getting in too deep.
1 Like
What I know about nutrition fits in a thimble with room to spare… How does manganese relate to magnesium and the issues the horse has?
1 Like
It doesn’t. I’m no chemist but my chemistry heavy degree wasn’t that long ago.
I’m guessing it’s a case of speed reading. The words look a bit similar.
As far as relating to the issues the horse has, that I’m less confident about. Protein (amino acids) can help with body condition and muscle tightness due to PSSM, but I’m not exactly sure what a manganese amino acid complex is, off the top of my head.
1 Like
Thanks, It’s time to change the contacts, I guess. And didn’t sleep well, last night. But I still like the feed, and the book. (I should drag it down and look up manganese. Maybe later.)
3 Likes
Haha I’m blind as a bat and need to GET glasses. FWIW I can see a distance better than when I had 20/20 vision. Maybe cause I’m just riding and hoping 
4 Likes
FWIW, the Jockey Club is extremely friendly and accommodating when any person calls in and asks for help with ordering the DNA test and understanding what it can and cannot do for the price and turn around time.
Em
6 Likes
(Mini-)Update #7: We did it!!!
Today was a very exciting day for us even though it was just a ‘little’ thing. For the first time since the issues with balking began about a month ago, Ms. Horsie exited the barn willingly, without stopping at all, at a normal walk like any other horse! She paused about 2 yards after exiting for a few moments before coming along, but on the whole, she was excellent. We are now going into the arena daily and walking a few laps before going back into the barn. Sometimes we also do some ground poles to work on stretching/lifting, but nothing too strenuous yet. We usually also practice coming when called (I cannot whistle) in her paddock before she gets to go on her walk, and she’s more consistent about it than my parents’ dogs are at this point. I use both the command ‘come’ and a hand gesture. She’s also really crystallized the verbal command/hand gesture ‘forward’ and will take a single step forward for me when she’s in the crossties when I ask if I feel like she’s getting too far back. She’s similarly good about her backing command. Very smart girl!
I found a supplement with 7500g magnesium at TSC for a decent price so I am going to start her on that Saturday. I’ve decided to have some added bloodwork in addition to the Lyme test done Friday to get a baseline before I start supplementing.
My current reading has been a lot of Linda Tellington-Jones, specifically her book on restarting adult horses/starting young ones. My ‘wand’ (dressage whip used for training cues/gestures) has arrived so we will probably do our first leading exercises with the TEAM method tomorrow. Ultimately I’d like to start driving her on the ground before getting on again, and we probably have ample time for that depending on how long it takes to resolve the back pain. I think I am going to put together a goodreads with what I’ve been looking at and link it up top to consolidate the results of the recommendations I’ve gotten from you guys and others and give people who maybe find this thread down the road because they have similar issues a reading list.
8 Likes
I forgot to address this but - yeah. I know I’ve mentioned it once before but frankly that was the single wildest part of being a new horse owner for me over these almost 3 months. Never in my life, in any part of my life, has anyone ever overstepped boundaries so egregiously and blatantly… I was literally texting my instructor like ‘what do I even SAY’ because it’s like… it is so WILDLY inappropriate to do that to begin with that you literally are just stating the obvious when you tell the person to stop.
I’m so relieved that she hasn’t messed with us again; now that a few weeks have passed I think my impression of her needing a very very direct, very firm approach was spot on. They still mess up the feed sometimes but fortunately I’m at least there every evening when she gets fed so I have a daily ‘audit’ to make sure things are running correctly.
I just remember thinking, I knew when I got a horse I’d have to get up early sometimes, and before I was informed that they’d administer her meds for me I was preparing to spend a month getting up 2 hours early to go administer her ulcergard… but never did I think that the reason I would be getting up early was to lay down the law with someone more than twice my age because she literally felt she knew better than a licensed and practicing veterinarian. I think my mind will always be boggled by that.
It has been a WILD three months.
4 Likes
I just want to commend you for your perseverance and dedication to your horse. You have taken everyone’s advice with grace and are using it to better your relationship with your horse. To me, that is being a great horsewoman. I’m enjoying being on this journey with you and cheering you from afar.
13 Likes
Just in case you mean ground driving (aka two lines with or without a surcingle), my experience is that this is something best left to people with significant experience in this area. You need to be lightning fast and very correct with your aids, and if you screw up, it’s very easy to scare the horse (nothing says fun like a reactive horse wrapped up in the lines) and end up far worse than where you started. There’s plenty to be learned with regular lunging in an appropriate sized closed ring.
19 Likes
This x1000. It’s not easy, unless you have someone to teach you on a horse that knows what’s up. Ask me how I know
7 Likes
