Afternoon all,
The pony has been a bit stiff behind lately, so (in consultation with a good, experienced vet), we injected his hocks last Friday. He had Saturday on stall rest, Sunday-Monday on turn-out, and I rode him walk-trot on Tuesday.
He seemed to find it a bit easier to pick his back feet up for me to clean them, but his attitude was terrible. He was even shirtier than usual to tack up, and under saddle he was pinning ears, kicking out at my leg, just really unhappy. There’s no heat or swelling around the injection sites.
I’m going to give him a few days and see how he goes (unless it gets worse, of course). I’m in contact with the vet. But something that’s been playing in the back of my mind is ulcers. Perhaps a flare-up from the sedation(?), or perhaps it was contributing to his stuffy way of going more than the hock arthritis. He has always (well, the few months I’ve owned him) been grouchy to tack up. A few times he has swung around and nipped at my leg when under saddle. He also has a strange habit of stretching out to pee either before, during or after I ride, he’ll do this maybe once every 2-3 rides. He’ll stretch out, decide against it, walk a few steps, stretch out again, think about it… and eventually he’ll go, but only pee a small amount. He doesn’t grunt or look unhappy while he goes. He also drinks a lot of water compared to the other horses at the barn.
On the flip side, he is a good weight, shiny coat, always cleans up his hay and grain. Doesn’t look unhappy or colicky when he’s eating.
Has anyone had ulcers present like this? Or does it remind you of another problem your horse has had? Of course, I’m not going to diagnose him over the internet, but it gives me good ideas to suggest to the vet.
Any suggestions welcome…
