Has the vet seen the videos?
I’d check his feet all around too. I think the rest of the suggestions (PSSM, SI, etc) are all good places to look and maybe hind suspensories.
I have an appointment at my usual practice next thursday. Vet has been sent videos 
Not sure that yesterday’s vet saw videos but would have had a good rundown from rider. Fingers crossed not suspensories 
I’d also suspect SI, pelvis, or suspensories
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Twisting and shifting over the fences is usually a sign of the horse’s scope being maxed out.
I see it often with horses that have stifle and SI issues.
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Is his saddle lifting in the back over jumps? Couldn’t clearly tell, but kinda looks like it in the last video you posted. If so he could be anticipating and responding to that.
I would start with a chiro and massage appt and 30 days of w/t, no jumping before I did turned him into a pin cushion. He’s definitely avoiding/responding to pain from something up high but videos aren’t clear enough to tell more.
I do agree that he’s reaching/reached his max at his current level.
He twists and drifts with almost the same frequency at 1m as at 1.20m, and did so at neither height last summer, so I very much hope we find something treatable and get him comfy again.
Thank you for your observation and advice. I believe his current rider has a better saddle fit than the one in last video and the problem has intensified. He’s seen a physio several times and does seem to benefit but not as much as we’d have hoped. Would love to organize a massage for him. He will be going on a holiday until we get to the bottom of this
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Lyme. disease? Not sure if it is in your area, but it can show in strange and various ways.(only thought because his body condition and his way of going changed which seems like something possibly more systemic?)
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The videos definitely show an expression of discomfort and anticipation/anxiety.
If you can’t get to the bottom of it from evaluations, would you be comfortable just turning him out for a month or 2… see if maybe he can just be a horse and heal on his own? It’s a long shot, but if you’re at a loss and nothing comes up… maybe big field with lots of rolling hills so that he can stay fit?
We don’t have it here, but thank you That would have made sense.
I know, I see it, too 
He has had a few breaks turned away in a big pasture this year, the longest for about 6 weeks. It certainly did him good but the same issues returned when he went back into work. He will be out for a longer period if we can’t find an answer in his next vet visit, though at this point, if it’s something like stifles or hind suspensories, I don’t think he’ll heal without intervention.
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IME “Dr Green” usually requires a 6-12 month turnout period then an extremely slow return to work; six weeks isn’t much.
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Is there any video on the flat or lunge you can share?
I don’t disagree that something is amiss. However, 6 is a weird year in warmbloods. Lots of growth and development. I’ve got one that just turned 6 and he’s changed his body type about 3284023 times this year already. It’s also really young to get them started on the injections train… but if there’s any injury from being cast or whacking themself in some other manner, I’m always a proponent of comfort before “the norm” of what everyone does.
If it were me… I would video the heck out of him lunging, flexed, and jumping… and try to contact New Bolton in PA or Cornell in NY and see if they can give you an opinion based on their observation from what you send and any vet records you have from prior evals. You know the horse best, and if you think he’s not right, there’s probably a 90% chance that something is wrong. Trust your gut and keep pushing for answers.
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That is very strange. He actually starts twisting before the jump, like a stride out.
At what height does he start doing this? Or is it any jump height?
It almost looks like maybe it’s painful to fold up his hind legs. He’s throwing his butt into the air instead for tucking up in his hocks and stifles.
I don’t think he’s maxed for height here. He’s not even really using his hocks for these jumps yet. This is very strange and I would stop jumping until the vets can diagnose it.
If I had to guess, just off of the video, I’d say stifles.
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Thank you, that’s a really good point. I’m inclined to think he’s had some very hard rides along with whatever possible stall injury he might have picked up. But I would love for some of this to be awkward young horse stuff. Honestly really impressed with his attitude. Such a very good boy but obviously NQR. I do think our regular orthopedic vet will get to the bottom of this 
Yes, it is so strange, isn’t it? He’s the first I’ve known to twist in anticipation rather than just exertion/necessity.
I watched him jump 1.05m six weeks ago after change of stable and rider. The week before, he had done a clear round over 1.20m (twisting evident 2-3 times) with previous rider. He was held straight for each jump around the lower heights with new rider and had two rails for the first time… ever? Could have been new program and new ride, but looked like he felt trapped less by rider and more by whatever is limiting him.
I don’t think he does it over cavalettis at home but he does do an exaggerated lateral shift/evasion when asked for a lead change- he moves laterally as though the change behind will be on next step but then kind of shoots further sideways and either cross canters or changes lead only to swap back.
His scope is kind of a mystery. His damline suggests he should/could have potential for some pretty big jumps, as did his free jump (at 3, no twist), fwtw. He has seemed so empty this year with whatever is going on that it’s hard to say if he’d go much higher. Last year, I would have said otherwise. Not sure what he’ll do when/if we find the answer for him. But we will definitely stop jumping him and stop with his current routine until we have a clear picture
I got a lease horse in May that exhibited some soreness at the canter. His left lead was much weaker than his right. He wanted to shift his hindquarters left while cantering to the left. I have not jumped him much but I also noticed a shift on the approach.
He is MUCH better now.
Here are some things I did:
He lives in a 3-4 acre pasture, out during the day and in a paddock/stall at night. His pasture has a slope so he walks up and down it all day.
I had two types of bodyworkers come evaluate him. One a massage person and one a vet acupuncturist. They both said SI. You can tell when you press his back area. An interesting observatoin from the acupuncture vet was that when his SI area was pressed, he sank into his left hing leg, bending his hocks and stifles. She said that if it were a leg problem, he would not so easily bend his leg like that. It’s kinda as if his leg, not his back, was the path of least resistance, if that makes sense. She did electroacupuncture on him.
He is on daily equioxx already and seems to need it. But he actually responds to bute better, although I don’t want to give him bute regularly. He is an ulcery type.
The acupuncture vet recommended the following, which I do: Equiband, which I eased into slowly in the round pen. He mostly walks, a bit of trot, and canters 8 times around each way. I don’t particularly like the round pen (circles) but its a large pen with good footing, and he has more room than typical lunging and I take it very easy. He could not canter 8 times around at first, but now he is very balanced and even and smooth each way. The vet also recommended backing him, so I do some of that while we’re in the round pen. She suggested raised poles at the walk ( walk is best), so I have that in the arena. She showed me some physical therapy “releases” to do.
His SI was injected in May before he came but I did his hocks in July, which had not been done since Oct '20. Everyone seems to agree that hocks and SI are chicken and egg. From now on, I will do them together.
I have not been jumping him, but will start little jumps now that his canter feels better. Now I can feel his hind legs under him pushing.
That’s all I can think of, but this horse has responding really well to the above. I have more than one riding horse and lots of pasture, so I can take a very slow therapudic approach. But it has really worked for this horse. Very even and straight canter now.
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SI would be at the top of my list. Maybe something in the lumbar or elsewhere in the pelvis. Could definitely be caused by something acute that would potentially go unnoticed. Even an awkward slip.
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What were the breaks for?
