[QUOTE=JJ;8414957]
6yo ottb, 8 months of down time before being restarted in May. Started slow and steady. Pretty much issues since day one of trot work. Have done everything under the sun, ulcer treatment, lyme test, chiro, farrier trim changed, changed feed, different saddles, different bridles, different bits, different riders, dentist, sheath cleaning, kissing spine xray, drugs (to keep him calm after chiro adjustment so it had a better chance to set, also to knock out the possibly of it just being a mental issue.)
We had the vet out to do flexions, sound (over a month ago), and a very reputable chiro out to weeks ago. - said his croup/back end was a mess. Adjusted stuff mostly on the left side of his body (si, few ribs, some neck.). Basically told me he was lucky to not have broken down on the track.
Started him today on a pill a day of previcox for the next week. Vet is agreeing, pain at this point. Being on all the drugs he’s on (Reserpine + a tube of calm & cool prior to riding.) isn’t preventing the outbursts, but is giving me a better idea of what sets them off . . . Going to the right you basically get two-three laps of trotting with warnings and then he breaks out into a sideways canter … no matter where you are in the ring or how you try to correct it/ride him through it. Right before the outburst you’ll feel him swing his haunches in, but stay straight through the middle back/shoulder/neck. If you ignore it, you get cantering sideways, if you correct it and straighten him back out, you get cantering sideways. If you are walking him on a small figure eight, left to right he shortens. Can’t figure out where in his body he is doing it, but he definitely shortens. If you walk to the left and put inside leg on he attempts to lift, takes the leg and eventually relaxes into it. Do it to the other side with the right leg and you get head tossing, changes in breathing, jigging, etc. Something is also definitely off in his back end, today I noticed some atrophy in his right hip between butt point and croup.
He wants to go with his hips/butt to the right. Which is why I suspect he’s better to the left. He can get away with drifting his haunches out to an extent. To the right I feel it instantly and go to correct and straight, that is when you get the cantering sideways.
Today while the BO was watching and commenting on things I remembered something and put it together . . . Maybe . . . a month into working him under saddle I started adding in canter work. First day was non eventful and short (just a quick canter one way for a few circles). Second day he took off blindly with me for laps on end. I still don’t know how to this day I stayed on. Ended up running him into a wall after everything else failed. NOTHING I tried worked and I tried everything . . . It was the right lead canter. He tipped his butt in and wanted to counter bend/go straight, so I asked him to readjust himself more up off his shoulder and to stop putting his butt in. Proceeded to bolt at this, would not slow down, and BLINDLY ran through a jump standard. Didn’t even so much as try and dodge it, didn’t bat an eye, didn’t break stride, in fact ran faster. At the time, figured he was just being piggish and lacked respect, so ceased canter work and decided to focus more on the trot at the time. Now I suspect that was all from pain and is exactly the same injury/problem I am dealing with now.
This is a short clip from yesterday walking away from the camera under saddle. To me, if you focus on the right hind, when he’s going to the left, he’s twisting it or something and pushing off the outside edge.
https://youtu.be/E7-q6uCIDVY
Video clip of what he presents to the right:
https://www.instagram.com/p/8EYctuzHwa/
Some other random things
*Tracks up fully on right side, misses on left.
*Wear marks on inside of front left boot/bellboot.
*Used to not stand square to urinate - hind left under him - seems to be squaring up a bit better after chiro work.
*Retired from racing due to inflammation on the front left superficial flexor, rested and still protected galloping despite trotting out sound, so was retired. (or so I as told)
*Kicked a lot hen I got him, mostly hind right from what we can remember. Went away once in work.
*Hind right hoof grows/wears upright, almost clubbed looking as my farrier put it. Hind left grows more typical of the TB, long in the toe and underrun in the heel.
*Supposedly slipped in field two months prior to my purchasing him (unknown to me - didn’t find out about this until recently), developed a hematoma on right stifle that required a drain to be put in.
I am sure I am forgetting things.
Anyone have any ideas??? I am at an absolute loss at this point and am reaching the end of options and so is he.[/QUOTE]
phah… get a different trainer
1st the horse is off the track - hes not ready to be ridden yet he doesn’t know anything hence why hes doing what hes doing he doesn’t understand
when a horse horse as been raced… then you have to restart them in a very different way as all they know is how to go fast
so they using different mussles, different saddles english is lot heavier than a racing saddle and it lays completely different on his body so would a western compared to an english one, the rider different the feed is different the training different the work is completely different
so feed ab lib hay only for 2weeks and get all that hard feed out of his system
lunge him in his tack during this time so he can learn the basic commands of halt walk trot etc and get comfy with his saddle,
and start him off as you would a baby just broken in go large and use all the school by lengthening and shortening his stride go big large use your school to help him
don’t ask small circles that’s unfair your asking to use mussle and legs that are not re developed for that move… so again start off by going large before going small educate him…
and sort your self out as your not central to his body ie your not sitting into him and your legs are off his sides so you have not contact with him so all he will do is piss off… see 1st video see look at your back its not in line with his your croaked your line to his learn by your mistakes a croaked rider makes a croaked horse a croaked saddle makes a croaked rider makes a croaked horse its not all him or his fault and your trainer isn’t worth p in a cup as didn’t pick it up at all so change him
its all fixable you both need the right education… nothing wrong with your horse other than that and your young so dont know either your going by what your trainer says…and vets for this that when its a horse thats just need re schooling in a diffrent displine and yeah he wuld be messed up think about what he did… then what your asking him to so yep he will have a few body problems becuase no ones took the time to re educate him in a completey different disapline whereby hes going to use othr parts of his body hes not used before… think would feed a shetland the same as race horse… and would you race that same shetland like a race horse…would you
think----- the sport you need training for but never done… how would you prepare your body for it… or would you just go and do it then ache and moan with the after pain … becuase you didnt prepare yourself… not the horse ok… just need to think prepare and help to be re educated in what you want him to be
He might be salvageable if you get some quality veterinary diagnostics and treatment. If you continue to ride him while he’s lame like this, you could not only wreck him physically but wreck him mentally. He seems like a really nice horse, one with a less generous nature would probably have hurt you already given the obvious discomfort he’s in. Give him a chance to be the horse you want him to be.