My horse has DDSP. He is a dressage horse and I am leary of the surgeries, especially since the success rate is not a lot better than 50/50.
Has any one had success experimenting with bits, bridles, acupuncture etc? If you tried a procedure, which one and how did it work out? Thank you
I use a Mullen mouth bit which has helped my horse who had intermittent ddsp due to gpm. GPM has since resolved and the ddsp appears to have ceased but I still use the same bit. I would definitely look at tack changes before surgeries especially if you don’t ride or compete at high intensity i.e. racing, upper level eventing. Have you confirmed the cause of your horses ddsp?
What is GPM? My horse is a fourth level dressage horse. I would like to move up to PSG but he struggles with breathing at the canter, especially during the changes. I think my horse has a chronic problem, rather than an acute irritation. It took me a long to time to understand what was going on because he is also a mild roarer.
Mine has it as well as epiglottic entrapment. He had a tie forward in October 2013 by his connections. He does not roar, but does make a god awful noise and I’ve tried a lot of different things to figure out exactly what is going on! They make a special bit for DDSP horses and I’ve had zero success with it. It’s called the winning tongue plate bit and the miracle bit. He absolutely hated both! His tie forward is still holding per his last scope, but he also has severe allergies. I’ve noticed that his is worse when he’s lazy or out of shape, extreme heat/humidity, extreme collection work and/or irritation from his allergens. I’ve had success with immunotherapy and how I ride him. From my research and conversations with multiple vets, they can do procedures to stiffen where they displace at, but I’ve not been ready to explore that option yet as it seemed more barbaric than doing a cordectomy in my book. I believe it’s done by blistering with DMSO injections directly into the soft palete or lasers to burn the tissue and increase rigidity. I’ve spoken indepth with Dr. Parente at New Bolton, he also did his tie forward and said there were possible options available based on his vivid memory of my horse’s airway. It was one of the worst he’s seen! I also ride my horse in a happy mouth mullen bit and have found if I keep him relaxed and long and low…he’s very happy. He sounds horrible half the time at home, but tends to not make noise when he’s on course and the class is important for us. I know that sound crazy, but it’s like his focus takes over and he is able to control it! I’ve quoted New Bolton and Morven Park out in regards to diagnostics and procedures, just waiting for a good time to plan!
Sorry should have clarified, gpm is guttural pouch mycosis. The ddsp was brought on acutely by nerve damage rather than an anatomical issue. We know there is still some lingering damage by the noise he is making but the bit in our case helped improve the noise/displacement while exercising a lot
I have a mare that has DDSP (flips her palate), is a partial roarer and has allergies.
I ride her currently in a Blue Bomber Happy Tongue bit - http://www.bombers.co.za/bits-by-colour-code/sensitive-tongue-a-head-shakers/happy-tongue/product/3033-eggbutt-happy-tongue.html - and this mouthpiece has made her a much calmer, happier horse to ride.
We are currently doing allergy shots, and I’m going to follow this post because our vet had mentioned that there are surgical procedures for the DDSP but I did not explore the options further as I wanted to tackle her allergies first.
I am sorry I did not see these replies sooner. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I am going to make an appointment with vet for a dynamic scope to try to identify what exactly is going on. I will report back in case we find a solution.
That’s interesting about the Bomber happy tongue bit. He hates a mullen type bit, and is not crazy about a snaffle either. He goes better in a curb with large port, and it looks sort of like the happy tongue bit.
Just wanted to bump this up as after having my vet friend ride my young horse, we now suspect he might have DDSP and I’m looking for some advice.
He started head flipping at the canter about a year ago and we thought it was bit evasion. I tried to rule out physical issues (teeth, neck pain, etc) or tack issues (different bits, nosebands, saddles) with no major improvement. He mostly does it at the canter when asked to go round. Yesterday my friend was warming him up for XC and said he was breathing really loud and was super fussy with his head. I’ve heard him breath loud before but mostly when he was running around in the pasture, so I chalked it up to fitness.
Anyway, before I get him scoped, are their any tack/bit changes I can make to see if it improves? He currently goes in a loose ring happy mouth and a Figure 8.
I am close to giving up on him and I am really sad and disappointed about that. I would just like to try to make sure it isn’t this to give him a fair shot (Id be angry too if I couldn’t breathe) before I walk away. Horse is super cute, quiet, quick to learn, super bold jumping, confident and has a great worth ethic, so it just doesn’t make sense why he would be so angry when asked to go round if its not physical…
Jersey Fresh - My horse is doing much better in a Micklem bridle! It might be worth a try. It has almost eliminated his palate flipping, although he still roars at the canter. He also seems more comfortable working in connection.
Also the vet did some kind of surgical procedure on a friends horse who was flipping his palate, and I was told it cured him. I am trying to find out more.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
