This could be a long one but I will start it with; YES the vet is scheduled.
I have a 5 year old gelding, smaller warmblood (15.3 on a really good day) who is shod all around. I have had him for about a year and a half. Since I have had him we had a very minor case of tendinitis (was never lame, but my ocd leg touching felt something different). Did shockwave, whole 9 yards. Did a very slow rehab because I had the time. Moved barns 2x due to trainer leaving the area, and then I completed his rehab and it was time for bigger facility.
At the new barn he was doing incredible, took him to a small schooling show and did super. 2 weeks later, he just did not seem himself, was spooky and reactive. He can be quirky but this was out of character. I had a gut feeling we had ulcers and something was not right with my “custom saddle”. He was having a really hard time going to the left, bending left and not quite as happy cantering off to the left until he got going. Left is definitely his harder direction, has been since the day I got him.
Beginning of January had him scoped. 2 out of 4 on ulcers squamous and a single glandular. Began treatment, improved on diet. During this initial treatment he improved significantly at first. After 2 weeks into treatment he became more resistant to go left. **workload was significantly reduced after a week and a half off. He is a tough one to go with no work. Re scope beginning of February. This time squamous ulcers are gone, the glandular remained and even looked a bit worse. No problem, continued with treatment per vet recc.
I then hired an independent saddle fitter to come look at my wool flocked, half the cost of my horse, saddle. Turns out the panels were on uneven. The left panels set higher than the right and the right seat had a divet. This explained why I was always adjusting my saddle and feeling it was ME that was not correct, and felt this could explain a lot of why my horse did not prefer to go left and now that the ulcers were feeling better he could focus on this uncomfortable feeling. I am no longer using that saddle, I have gone back to a Less than ideal fitting saddle that I had used on him before without significant issue and a special pad.
He has super days, and then days I am just confused. He is stepping even under saddle and on a lunge. He is nice and relaxed going right and going straight when tracking left. The second I hit the short side, or try to circle his head comes up a bit and he becomes what feels “upset”. I have tried changing the bit (works for a day), different surface areas (sand/dirt footing covered, vs grass) and it is a bit more dramatic in the covered but he’s always hated it bc it is attached to the barn aka home.
I am all over the place in what I think it could be. My trainer feels it likely just that being his weak side and it is a training issue. I could see this being true, but I am a bit hyper vigilant to accept that yet. I had the chiro veterinarian look at him. She reported no pain but had a lack of mobility in his back which could be explained by poor saddle fit and glandular ulcer (protecting himself). I have assessed on a short lunge and find he is a bit resistant to move out to the left and easy to get going right.
Just to add another layer of information when I did. PPE on this horse it was found he has. Significantly smaller hock space on the left that would at some point require injections (we’ve done Adequan as a preventative). Would I be incorrect in thinking maybe it’s time to have our hocks injected since trotting a circle and cantering to the left is the Les than preferred option? Have I not given Getting over the memory of the ill fitting enough to time (1.5 weeks) I’ve gone down pretty much all rabbit holes I can think of research wise(SI issue, KS, neck issue, EPM). This is my heart horse, and he can choose to be and do whatever he wants regardless of what ailments he throws at me. I just want to ensure I do right by him and listen to what he tries to say. Any directions to be pointed Would be appreciated!
