Eliminate possible sources of pain first. And I agree with what others have suggested about chiropractic work. But remember, chiropractic corrects skeletal misalignments. For pain, tension, and tightness in soft tissue like muscles, tendons, and ligaments, you need a good, certified massage therapist.
Two things to try…
3-4 days of bute-- does the problem stop? Then you should really look to the physical.
a week of gastrogard-- does the problem stop? Then it may be ulcers.
Of course, it’s hard to argue against starting with a vet. Something many of these body workers, if they have any training at all, recommend, Both massage and chiropractic can do more harm then good if it’s a bone chip, skeletal deformation or damaged soft tissue. No matter how good they are, none of them can see inside and the great majority of them have no training by any accredited institution and are completely unregulated.
Not being able to afford a proper vet work up is not a very good reason to spend money on completely unregulated alternative practitioners.
BTW, not anti alternative medicine, my practioners work WITH vets, not instead of. Or they are also DVMs. Or in my own case, MDs.
Please! Don’t paint all body workers with the same broad brush. Certified massage therapists–certified by an accredited institution with rigorous standards-- NEVER claim to replace good vet care and they don’t seek to. They often suggest to owners that they call their vet.
My point is only that many horse owners go to chiropractic work as if it addresses everything in muscular-skeletal structure that may be causing pain. A horse at our barn was evaluated by a veterinarian-chiropractor and the owner was assured that the horse had no back problems. But the pain persisted until a certified–and I stress, CERTIFIED BY A REPUTABLE SCHOOL, massage therapist located and treated the problem, which was not owing to a misalignment of the joints.
Two performance problems I’ve seen solved recently with treatment by a certified massage therapist: #1 A horse balking and bucking through corners, and #2 a winning little hunter suddenly coming in last in her classes because she began swapping leads in front of every fence. And that’s just within the last month.
But: massage is not a one-and-done miracle. Horses need regular maintenance to work at their peak.
States have different requirements, and some have none when it comes to certification, so it’s wise to be cautious, ask questions, and check out the source of training. In my state (Oregon) massage therapists must work with the approval of a DVM. In other states, rules are even tighter.
I’ve said it before on this forum, and I’ll say it again: Equine massage is not spa day with pink hoof polish at the end. It should be part of the health-maintenance program for every sport horse.
And, I would point out, sometimes “seeing inside” the horse is not going to help.
I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with the OP having her horse checked out by a good sport horse vet, but seriously, re-read the opening post. A four year old OTTB went from a regular work schedule to getting ridden 1x per week by “different people.” I’d be really impressed if the horse didn’t misbehave.
It’s always a good idea to rule out pain and to be aware of the role pain can play as a source for misbehavior, but more likely this was a very green horse who went through a period of irregular work with different riders and simply developed some training issues as a result. It’s also possible the horse has gained some weight and confidence, both of which are leading to more challenging behavior. It’s also possible the horse came from a program where his life was very strictly managed and he has only just now figured out that he CAN misbehave and get away with it.
People love to blame bad equine behavior on poorly fitting saddles, ulcers, dental issues, and/or a lack of chiropractic input. But, IMO, the #1 thing that causes a badly behaved young horses is not skilled enough riding or training. The #2 thing is that the horse is genuinely a more difficult or sensitive specimen (or a combination of 1 and 2). I would put physical issues behind those two more likely causes. IME, the best approach for a young horse with behavior issues is consistent training by an appropriately skilled rider.
FWIW, I have seen plenty of young horses with actual, diagnosable pain issues, dental issues or actual ulcers who did not have misbehavior under saddle as a symptom. I would argue that all young horses need careful oversight of their physical wellbeing, but a physical issue is not the number one thing I think of when a horse starts having a training issue.
One last thought: no one wants to admit that their new horse is too much horse for them. I’m not saying this is the case (obviously I don’t know the OP or her horse). But I think this is something that is better considered earlier rather than later. I have several 3-4 year olds that we are working with right now. Any one of them could be ridden by an amateur or a kid, just fine, tomorrow. But after a few days or a few weeks, or even a few months, things would probably go south. Especially if that amateur or kid gave them a bunch of time off or let a bunch of different riders ride them. Training is a process. It takes a lot of skill to be able to keep a four year old on a good training path–keeping it confident and well behaved, and re-inforcing training principles instead of letting them slowly erode. Some youngsters are forgiving, but for others all it takes is one bad ride to introduce that it’s okay to buck or balk or bolt.
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I agree that you should first have a vet look the horse over from head to tail. There may not be a pain reason, but it is due diligence to look for one.
Also agree to have a chiro look at him.
If no pain problem is found, I would advise you to start riding him MORE. You stated he is only getting ridden once every 1 to 2 weeks. That’s not very much. He’s probably fresh and then some.
My Red (who is 11) will act pretty darn silly when he is only ridden that amount. He used to bolt quite a bit when I bought him (as a 6 year old) but hasn’t really done it since, but will kinda try to when he is not ridden regularly. In the spring, it takes a few weeks of every day riding (he gets the winter off in North Dakota) to get him back to his “regular” self again.
And I agree to get him off that molasses. You’re just giving sugar to kid!
