It could be a number of things, but my mare started acting like a fruit loop under saddle when I took her off her UlcerGard supplement (she was doing so well, I figured she didn’t need it anymore…HA!)
Put her back on it, and she was soon back to her normal self.
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OP, I see you’ve put the horse on Robaxin and it’s helping? You might check for Cushings… I know a horse that followed a similar behavior pattern–and he is only 7. Cushings sometimes triggers that kind of crazy behavior.
I think any feed/turnout changes should be reviewed before going too far down the road with testing. That said… A few years ago there was a very good article in Hunter and Sport Horse. The writer talked about back pain and suggested cavaletti for rehab, with a very good gradual program. I think she also mentioned ice! If he’s ultimately diagnosed with back pain, it would be a good article to read.
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I know I’m late to the party but this happened with my mare too for Lyme. With few other symptoms, she just lost her ever loving mind.
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So far, exercising him more has seemed to help. He has a second adjustment, and was extremely out over his poll which would explain the rearing when a halter/bridle is being put on or taken off.
Ill keep everyone in the loop!
My old mare, normally somewhat hot but sensible, lost her ever-loving mind with ulcer flareups. She had such a good work ethic that it actually showed up more on the ground than under saddle, though. Took me a couple of times (this was back when Gastrogard was pretty new) to figure it out and also figure out how to prevent them (anticipating her stressors and treating before they got bad). She also at one point injured her SI, which caused her to start refusing jumps (highly unusual for her). In addition to adjustments, she got acupuncture and a fairly serious rehab program–lots of handwalking in straight lines, up hills and over cavaletti, then continuing that under saddle. I wouldn’t expect an SI injury to cause crazy turnout behavior, though, except I suppose that pain could induce ulcers and/or cause him to move less than usual until bottled up energy comes fizzing out…
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My thoughts exactly!!
Chiming in since I’ve been lurking on this thread. Had my normally very game training level horse start stopping at simple fences, progressing until he was dirty dropping his shoulder and nearly dumping me on small, easy jumps. He had also turned into a severe spooking (meltdowns) idiot and was becoming very sensitive to the curry comb. Testing him for Lyme and he was positive. Treated and his sensitivity improved but he was still acting like a maniac. I read this thread and started him on Ulcergard, no change. Put him on Sucralfate and now he’s back to his normal self!
Like the above poster, I think the pain he was experiencing (in his case from Lyme) created ulcers. The catch was that they must have been hindgut ulcers since he didn’t respond to UG!
It’s always something 
nice to read the success stories in this thread.
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yes! Poor ponies 
I do plan on treating him for ulcers if working him more consistently doesn’t seem to be working anymore. The adjustments and the new riding routine seems to have helped greatly!
How about his vision?
Just to update everyone:
Upping the amount of work seemed to calm his attitude down, but we are still having major back issues.
He was absolutely perfect after one chiro adjustment, but then quickly lost it when I rode him in his jump saddle and is still crazy sore weeks later. I had the chiro back out, and he said he was too painful to adjust in the back and to give him three weeks off.
Any ideas?
for those of you saying kissing spine, where does that normally occur along the spine? He is sore only from his lumbar region back to his sacrum.
Hellpppppp.
p.s. The jump saddle has since been found to not fit. Could this all be a result of a poorly fitted saddle for too long?
It most certainly could be the cause. He knows pain is coming and looking for a way out.
You haven’t tested for Lyme yet, right?
A dressage saddle is designed to distribute your weight. A jumping saddle is not.
An ill fitting saddle is not good.
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This is an interesting read.
https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/issues/proceedings-11proceedings-424.PDF
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I have not, just because he isn’t showing any other pain symptoms. The craziness has calmed down, now I’m just dealing with this lumbar, si, sacrum pain.
It’s really frustrating when someone asks for suggestions and people outpour them, almost all of them unanimous, and the person goes on ignoring the suggestions…
Lyme causes chronic soreness. It causes extreme behavioral changes. It can definitely cause back soreness. They start protecting themselves by posturing a specific way to protect themselves and t makes them sore.
At this point all of the chiro visits, you could have paid for a lyme titer, a full course of doxy, AND back x-rays.
Put your money to good use and use a competent vet, not a chiro that plays one.
Btw, one of my geldings contracted anaplasmosis and the most severe of his symptoms besides raging fever was extreme back pain…
Re: kissing spine - my TB has it over T16/17 which I am told is most common. Oddly his soreness manifests the most in his lower back, especially around the croup.
I am not ignoring suggestions. I also don’t have a lot of money. “All of the chiro” you mentioned has been one visit, which is not the equivalent in cost to all of the Lyme testing you mentioned. It was about $100 + farm call, and a farm call in my area alone is $75. Add in blood tests, doxy for a month, and x-rays at $50 a pop, I am way over the $175 that I used for the chiropractor (who is also my vet). If you read earlier in the thread, I have plans to continue testing when I can afford it, just looking for people’s opinions. If you’re going to berate me for being a grad student that can’t drop hundreds of dollars at any given moment, then please don’t comment.
Due to one person’s desire to belittle me and my decisions, I will no longer be responding on this thread because I don’t have time for non-constructive commenting.
I truly appreciate everyone’s suggestions and do plan to look into Lyme and kissing spines, as well as ulcers, as many people have mentioned. Unfortunately it will not all be done immediately, due to financial reasons. If you wish to tell me something positive and constructive, I will respond to private messages. I have read each and every comment, and although I could not respond to each one individually, I appreciate you taking your time to help me figure this out.
happy riding!
Oh dear. OP you came here asking for advice. Your horse is exhibiting behavior that suggests he is in pain. The COTH family is very sensitive to the wellbeing of horses that are in pain. If you come to this BB you’ll be prodded to do the right thing; which in this case, is to have a professional diagnose your fellow so you can set him on a course to well-being.
It is wonderful that you are pursuing your graduate degree and anyone that has paid their own way through college knows what a challenge it can be. But your horse doesn’t know you are in grad school. He only knows things aren’t well. He needs your help. If you don’t have the funds to diagnose the problem properly, is there anyone you can reach out to for help? Parents? Siblings? Relatives?
I’m not a vet, but I’ve dealt with ulcers, KS and Lymes. In your case, my bet is on KS.
It is easy to rule out ulcers and earlier posters provided you with suggestions on how to do so. If you want to rule out Lymes, consider drawing the blood yourself and running it to the vet clinic to save yourself the $75 call. If the titer is positive, that might be a good thing. Doxy or minocycline should have a pronounced positive impact in a matter of days.
If it is KS, a few radiographs of the area in question should be sufficient for a diagnosis.
Everyone wants your horse to get well.
Best of luck!!
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