One Rein Struggles & Anxiety - Mysterious Hind End Issues

[Ottbaxel]

This is my thought exactly. If it’s something that is still an issue in a couple of shoeings I will have to consider what to do.

He’s SO tough. He also runs in half of our paddocks for one reason or another (doesn’t like when horses walk by, doesn’t like being near the road, doesn’t like when he can’t see other horses, etc) and then pulls his shoes, so he is stuck just going out in a roundpen now on dirt. He gets plenty of hay, but it still sucks!

I was hoping the fact that his sores were closing up was indicative that he was leaning and laying down a lot less after this last round of shoes and that he’s feeling better, but today I went to the barn and he had opened them up again and they were all bleeding, and he kicked the heck out of me when I tried to spray the one on his hock. He’s got one on his hock, one on his knee, two on the point of his hip (I was also hoping the hip one at least would go away when he gained weight since he used to be awfully bony but they didn’t)…I feel so bad for him.

I noticed he is standing more square now up front at least, and when his right front (which is chronically lower in the heel) is bugging him he usually parks it forward. Maybe that’s a sign that at least his front feet feel better.

[Ottbaxel]

I probably sound like a crazy person rambling about this horse at this point - but I am still just pondering and racking my brain for ideas.

The other day I grabbed his left hind to spray his hock sore with silver spray, and he kicked me pretty hard. He doesn’t usually react to the silver spray the way my other guy does, but I chocked it up to that hock sore just being a bit more sensitive and he was guarding from the spray. Last night though, I picked up his other hind to try and stretch it lightly to check in on how tight he is still, and he again tried to kick before I had even pulled his leg out at all.

Aside from Robaxin, is there some (relatively inexpensive) thing I could try to loosen up these dang muscles? I just feel like massage wouldn’t really do the job? Stretching is clearly off the table - I am not willing to risk getting kicked again.

[endlessclimb]

He sounds pretty reactive, but do you think he’d tolerate a percussion gun?

Or, maybe a Posture Prep groomer?

[RJC]

I’m sorry things are still so bad. He sounds really uncomfortable. Just for comparison, my guy is feeling a lot better from his chronic soreness having injected stifles in July, SI and sore muscles in August, and getting his feet fixed only about a week ago. It worries me that yours is getting worse through attempts at treatment. I think when you try all the things and they don’t feel any better, the next option is trying nothing- i.e. pull shoes and turn out.

Only other comment…we have a local certified equine rehab PT who has an amazing eye and has really helped some horses on the brink of being retired due to their issues come back into work through targeted PT plans and working with the vets on specific medical needs. If there is someone like that in your area, I’d have them take a look too.

[Sdel]

For something cheap and easy, I’d add electrolytes if he’s not already routinely getting them. It’s the end of summer, he could be depleted.

My tight muscle guy was rock hard last year when we had a record number of over 100 degree days. This year I started early and have been much more consistent about daily electrolytes and he has stayed pretty loose.

[Ottbaxel]

@endlessclimb

Or, maybe a Posture Prep groomer?

I have a posture prep - I’ll bring it out tonight and see if he likes it. I haven’t used it on him in a month or two since he got really sore, as I was worried it would be too hard for him. It’s certainly worth a shot though-maybe some liniment to help with the pain and then some posture prep could help.

[Ottbaxel]

@Sdel

My tight muscle guy was rock hard last year when we had a record number of over 100 degree days. This year I started early and have been much more consistent about daily electrolytes and he has stayed pretty loose.

This is certainly worth a try, and I have electrolytes on hand. I’ll put them in his supplement bags tonight!

[Ottbaxel]

@RJC

I think when you try all the things and they don’t feel any better, the next option is trying nothing- i.e. pull shoes and turn out.

I think this is the next step - I was hoping to get through one more shoeing before just caving and pulling them, but I really don’t think he should still be this sore and tight. I know that it won’t be an overnight fix after changing shoes, but I would expect if it was a positive change for him then he would at least feel a little bit better within a couple of weeks…

[Ottbaxel]

Well after I decided yesterday that he didn’t feel right in the front and I wasn’t going to keep lightly trotting him for the full week, I took him out of his stall tonight and he took a very lame step on the front foot-so I jogged him, and he was very lame. It was hard to tell what leg, as it looked like front but his left hind has a very strong pulse. I don’t know.

I’ve spent sooooo much on diagnostics on this horse…at this point I am completely hopeless about getting him sound. This isn’t me being overreactive directly post-finding my horse lame either, I don’t think. I’m just unsurprised but tired of it all.

He seems comfortable enough at the walk aside from that first bad step out of his stall, so my vet told me to keep him off nsaids and they can look tomorrow. It feels way too soon to me to have the quality of life conversation, but on the other hand I desperately don’t want to go down the road of lameness exams and diagnostics for this-I understand that sounds awful. I’ll have to sleep on it.

[Sdel]

Have you been doing bodywork/stretches/chiropractic with him?

My guy has totally turned around this year. I literally could not touch him at all for most of the last year. Every muscle in his body was rock hard and he was just very angry. I’m down to his shoulders being the last holdout. It is amazing how much muscle soreness can affect them. My mare also has issues with shoulder tightness. She will look lame up front before her bodywork gets done.

It hasn’t been a quick fix though. I’ve been working on it, daily, for over a year. I wouldn’t give up on your guy just yet.

[Ottbaxel]

Yeah, I did stretches and Masterson Method nearly every day with him for a couple of months. I stopped only because he got so reactive-and I’m not sure I’m willing to start again after getting kicked a couple of times trying…ugh

[Sdel]

My suggestion is to go smaller. Did you do the stretches cold or warm?

I understand what you mean, with my guy it was biting instead of kicking. Are you doing this tied up or loose? I would recommend trying it loose if possible. Let him walk away when it’s too much and come back when he realizes he feels better. I also don’t do much Masterson method. My guy doesn’t like it. Maybe try a few different methods. I focus on trigger points and just large movement muscle shakes. When I first started, on my guy, it just took a light touch and very small movements and I couldn’t go past his hip. Stay on the areas he’s comfortable with and gradually increase where you go as he relaxes. Instead of picking up the entire foot, see if you can get him to cock the leg and then just wiggle the hock. It does a lot for not a lot of movement. I also did a lot of pelvic/shoulder rocks where I just make them shift the weight back and forth. I also do a very gentle push/pull along the ligaments on legs. It’s amazing how much tension they release with that as well.

I do the “massage” then muscle activations/dynamic ROM exercises (pelvic tucks, belly lift, side tail pulls, hip and shoulder circles), walk for 15 minutes over poles and terrain, then do the actual stretches.

This sequence also works for me personally. I have chronic nerve impingement in my hip that causes severe muscle tightness and pain. It has also taken me about a year to work through that and I’m pain free as long as I keep up with my daily activations and ROM exercises.

Don’t give up, but you may need to go much, much slower.

[Ottbaxel]

@Sdel

My suggestion is to go smaller. Did you do the stretches cold or warm?

I’ve tried both - but mainly for a while I would do just his front shoulder stretches (lightly) cold since he could handle that before being ridden (and I also used it to make sure the girth wasn’t pinching him before getting on), and then do the rest after riding. That was obviously when he was still under saddle.

I’ll start with your suggestions and see if that helps. There is a nice bit of light hills around my barn that I could handwalk him around to warm him up beforehand, and I have some liniment on hand to use as well.

[Sdel]

Sounds good. If you have a hill, I would suggest doing serpentines along the slope instead of just marching up and down the slope.

Also, keep in mind, this process can hurt, or otherwise cause some unsettling sensations, a lot. Not just from the tightness of the muscles but also from nerves as they get released. If my horse feels anything like I feel, then it’s no wonder he kicks, bites, paws and fidgets.

My guy is also generally uncooperative with his shoulder stuff/picking up his feet. The other day he was thinking about biting my butt. I grabbed his chin and told him if he did it I’d kick the snot out of him.

[Dr_Doolittle]

I second the posture prep (a magic little tool!) and maybe have someone Bemer him?

[Ottbaxel]

The Bemer is a curious thought…might be worth a try just to see.

I’m on the verge of reaching out to an animal communicator at this point!! haha

[Sdel]

@Dr_Doolittle

I second the posture prep (a magic little tool!)

I give all the credit for my success with my two to the Posture Prep. I just came in from the barn where my kissing spine mare broke in and demanded a session.

[Ottbaxel]

@Sdel

I give all the credit for my success with my two to the Posture Prep

I’ll try it again tonight with him-I was going to last night, but he was so resistant and reactive about an entirely different issue that I got frustrated with him and decided to set the Posture Prep work aside for another day when we were both feeling a little calmer. I’ll update you all tonight on how it goes.

[Sdel]

If he is really sore, you might have to go very light.

My guy let me really dig in with the posture prep long before he’s ever let me put my hands on him. I’ve used the people version on myself too. It let me get into the muscle knots in my hip that I couldn’t stand getting touched with my hand either.

[Ottbaxel]

@Sdel

If he is really sore, you might have to go very light.

Oddly enough, he let me go pretty darn deep with it when I tried again tonight. I could have gone even deeper but I didn’t want to go all in on him in the first time in months of using it.

It’s so odd how he lets me really get in deep with the posture prep, but still absolutely will not stretch his limbs out whatsoever. I tried afterwards again and still nothing-I can just barely manage to get him to rest one side to wiggle the hocks.