Horse flipping head around/leapy - ONLY at canter

[Simkie]

Think about what finding nothing does tell you, though:

There’s no purpose in considering repeating hock injections

There no need to repeat a lameness or neuro exam for these issues

There’s no need to repeat an EPM or Lyme titer

You get confirmation that your local vet isn’t missing something

While “we’re not really seeing much” are definitely shit words to hear, it really does a lot to inform and confirm. I would guess you’ve already spent a lot more than $1700 on this? Does spending this money at the referral clinic put some of these concerns to bed for you, if nothing really notable is found? There really is power, and value, in additional opinions.

[endlessclimb]

That doesn’t actually confirm any of that stuff though. It just means it isn’t an issue NOW.

She can contract lyme.

She can become neuro.

She can get EPM.

The lameness can progress.

Her hocks already have changes, so regular injections are expected.

Will it make me feel better? Honestly, I’ve been through this so many times, no… not really. It leaves me wondering if I should do more to investigate. Maybe my 4th! bone scan will finally be worth the money! /sarcasm

[outerbanks77]

@endlessclimb

It’s his first time shoeing her - I switched farriers because I wasn’t happy with how things were going with the other one. Being as how it’s his first time doing her and she was going from fully barefoot to shoes, I’m totally okay with a KISS approach to start!

I get that. My gut says that addressing the angle is more important that the shoes themselves. I did my mare’s first package without the wedge because I was just learning the process myself, but I think the wedges are going to be key (have only done one lunge and one ride since putting them on, so I don’t want to declare victory just yet).

[endlessclimb]

I don’t disagree. But I’m also not going to change 100 things at once, and then not know which one fixed it.

(guilty of that, lots and lots of times)

[Simkie]

@endlessclimb

That doesn’t actually confirm any of that stuff though. It just means it isn’t an issue NOW.

Right. So you can look at the horse that’s in front of you and feel comfortable that these issues you see in her aren’t due to anything you’ve been concerned about enough to investigate multiple times. You level set to this baseline.

Yes, of course, if things change, you work through the list of possibilities.

At the very least, I sure wouldn’t investigate or treat anything further lameness wise with your local vet. You have very repeatedly gotten zero answers or anything actionable. Even with the hock–repeat injections of different things have yielded zip-o.

If now isn’t the time to further investigate lameness, fab, but when the time does come, go somewhere with a better chance of answers, rather than continuing to spend dollars with someone who’s been unfruitful.

[endlessclimb]

100% agree with you here. Whatever is going on with her needs more than the local vet, who is a pretty darn good vet for a mobile one honestly. This is just too subtle to capture in the field.

If anything escalates, to Purdue we go.

I’m going to hold the appointment for one more week, regardless. Continue to mull it over.

[outerbanks77]

Totally get it as I’ve been on the onion peeling journey for awhile. Just suggesting that I would prioritize putting her in a wedge on the next shoeing cycle before ring out shoes (coming from someone who has had ally horses barefoot historically).

[endlessclimb]

Another nice ride. She was quite tired and sore from yesterday, but tried her best. Pole exercise got changed a bit from yesterday, she gets tomorrow off.

[endlessclimb]

If I don’t get a reactive ride in the next 3 rides, I’m cancelling the appointment

[jvanrens]

How are things going so far?

[endlessclimb]

Still smooth sailing. I switched the pole exercise up to just a half circle of them, and took the others and made tight canter poles on a circle. She had no issue. Bombed through them once because she blew off a half halt, but then understood my ask and was perfect for the rest.

She’s also in a full blown heat right now, so if there was going to be fireworks, now would be the time.

[jvanrens]

I was going to ask (since my memory sucks) if you’d hot shot her. We have a filly who was sort of off here or there for a while and we were so frustrated trying to figure out what was wrong, we finally did that, and it helped really well until she went down on the stonedust roadway at the track spooking at something, opening up both her knees. Today was her first day back jogging after a few weeks and she was perfect even with her knees being raw but handwalking her was getting a little too interesting. But since she’s in heat, now wouldn’t be the time to do so.

[endlessclimb]

Hot shot?

[jvanrens]

A Lutalyse shot. Brings them into heat, and gets them over that nasty first heat of the spring or if they have ovarian cysts.

[endlessclimb]

No, i haven’t done this. She can be more spooky in heat but that’s about it

[awaywego]

So my mare was very leapy at the canter - only in the winter - before she had her ovaries removed. I hadn’t thought it was applicable to your mare BUT I find it interesting that she is better right about when the spring starts and now she is in heat. It makes me wonder if she was really struggling during transition and now it’s getting back to regular cycles…which is when my mare’s canter would normalize. Just putting this possibly out there idea out there

[TatteredDaydreamer]

Hi @endlessclimb - How is your mare doing? Following this thread and am curious how she’s been. Thanks!

[endlessclimb]

She’s been fine, back to normal attitude wise. I cancelled the appointment at Purdue.

Her hamstrings are still tight, and the left hind is a couple inches shorter than the right - but all that is her “normal”. Her shoes got reset last week - if the growth doesn’t change (which I doubt it will) he will start wedging her on the next cycle.

She managed to get a mysterious poop stain square on her forehead. Did she fall in it? Who knows.

[Lunabear1988]

This makes me SO happy to read this. And what a cutie, poop face and all

[endlessclimb]

Another update, I guess.

Because building a farm = screwing up my hands, plus working a full time job and interviewing for a new one, plus my husband’s father being in the hospital means that I’ve had limited time to ride, coupled with the fact that I sent my saddles out for various repairs…

Shayney got another month-ish off from riding. She was still being worked during this time, either just plain lunging or lunging with poles. Certainly not as consistent as I was being before.

And - the behavior has returned.

So this is definitely fitness related in some way. Since I know that now, I’m better with the process of just helping her work through it and getting back to a better place and staying consistent with it. Hard to do right now with my life but if I prioritize it, it will happen.