For many horses, that sensitivity around the withers would be all that is required to cause the problems that you are having. Some horses are very stoic and some are not.
Do you ever ground drive him? What’s he like when he is being ground driven? Seems to me that if the issue is back pain/wither pain it won’t show up in ground driving, and you can do quite a bit of training while ground driving.
I personally think ground driving is better for a horse than longeing.
The weather is changing now, and that might be one factor to consider.
Can you put him with a trainer for 2 weeks of daily work? If he just needs more work, is there someone else who can ride him or lease him a few days per week?
Some people love energy, spooks, and occasional bucks. Others of us want a steady, quiet, horse. If he won’t settle down, you may be better off with a different horse. Even my daughter, who used to love hot TBs, now owns an Irish Draught and an Irish Draught Sport Horse. At certain times in our lives, hot is not acceptable.
Not to derail (sorry!), but where do you get these?
You can get them at most health food stores or on line. I get mine through Amazon. I’m including a link so you can see what the tin looks like and you can read about it.
https://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-63012…s-lemon-1-7-oz
I have to admit that I was quite leery about their effectiveness before I tried them. It has made a huge difference for me in not letting my anxiousness take over when I ride. I can literally feel my body allowing me to ride more deeply in the saddle.
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Just throwing this out there because I can… Anecdotally in humans pain from ulcers is often seasonal: spring and fall seem to trigger exacerbation of symptoms. That and Lyme would be my two “rule outs” before others. But I’m neither a vet nor do I play one on TV. Just in my barn :winkgrin:
Chiming in on the Lyme. This is my horse. Dead quiet, can’t keep him going EXCEPT when he has Lyme (which unfortunately is a yearly occurrence) and then he is jumping out of his skin at the rustle of leaves, the area footing hitting the fence, a slight breeze… Ruled out ulcers by endocscopy as well.
