Bad news, and need advice - with video now

Dark Storm

Dark Storm

Well I'll be a Krampus's Auntie! :D!
Jan 4, 2009
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Hadfield
It transpires Shadow has a sore back, particularly his hips :frown: Time to get McTimoney out to him again.. been doing some lunging with pole work to help him stretch his back.. This last winter has set us right back..
He's lost some topline and muscle from both sides of his wither, causing the saddle to sit too deep at the front, current saddle, it's ok in itself had it checked twice now, this is more a horse issue than that..
Any tips in building that muscle back up?
I think this is a tip of a very large iceberg.. the move, settling in, and the herd..
Going to be a long one..
Each time we've moved (this is the 3rd time) he's lost condition (stress?).. he's not as bad as last time, but i'm not happy.. this loss to me, and my RI, is becoming too apparent, and has now affected his saddles fit, and left me in a dilemma..
I have a treeless saddle sat in my bedroom, but as I said to the YM this afternoon, it's him, Shadow, I want to get right, then deal with the saddle.. what use is changing it, when, if he gets the condition back, his old saddle fits again?
Been suggested to get a prolite pad.. I'm thinking of using the treeless in the meantime and stick to lunging over poles for the next few weeks, building him back up, then seeing if his current saddle either needs to go, or can fit again..
Getting him right - i'm considering IF the treeless saddle proves to be what he needs, using that mainly for hacking and schooling, and IF his current saddle does fit again, use that for showing..
I really hoped I wouldn't have to deal with this again - his back - twice now in 3 and a half years, but this time it's purely down to loss of condition, stress through change of environment, and herd antics....:frown:
 
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Personnel I would not put a saddle on until a) The back person has been b) until you have built up the muscle and top line as much as possible with out riding and c) got the saddle checked again after the muscle has rebuilt so that you know it fits before the circle starts again

I would look at Shadows feed and look at getting some kind of build up no heating feed like calm and conditioner or top line for a couple of weeks this along with lunging using a pesona (SP) loose to start with then build it up to work over shadows back. Over poles is even better.

I do not like propads etc as IMO a saddle is fitted to the naked back and by adding something underneath you move the pressure points and could make other areas sore resulting in more muscle wastage in another area.

A change in feed, carrot stretches and the right schooling from the ground you will see a difference in weeks.

That is just what I would do
 
I've sent my friend a message, and i'm awaiting a reply, she was really good with him last time, i'm pretty sure the hips have at least partially rotated (diagnosis of last time), and she has really good hands, as he thoroughly enjoys the treatment :smile:
 
Chanter has a sports physio treatment every 14 weeks he loves it and it does the world of good. It is also nice to know that he is not sore or tense anywhere.
 
Shadow used to be like that - this winter certainly hasn't done him any favours.. combination of me being ill, him not getting ridden, and obviously not enough grazing :unsure:
 
How old is Shadow?
Most lose muscle over winter, grass not got any goodness in so I wouldn't blame yourself for not riding.
Ours on the yard are all similar.

Poles and gridwork can build up muscles, doing this with cob. Also hills, if you can lead out or if your land is on a hill builds tendons and muscles.

Carrot stretches I find help stretched back, but I would see what therapy woman suggests. If you have treeless you can lunge with that on. On my model I have I high wither pad this allows for the loss of muscle at the wither and allows it to build up by keeping the saddle from tipping forwards.
 
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He's 10.. I think it's a combination of herd management and feed.. going to ask for his feed to be changed, hoping they'll listen to the change of field.. considering letting them lunge him on the days I can't :unsure: But I will not let them ride him, I draw the line at that..
I've been warned that some saddle fitter's won't take into account how he should look around his wither's and try to fit a narrower saddle, regardless to muscle loss..
He looked great when doing the poles, and did some lovely stretches.. I'll be looking back at this in a few weeks (I hope) with a happier horse again..
 
My TB DJ has lost quite a bit of condition and then then of course the injury so in addition to his regular feed he's getting more flax (mainly for his skin - Omega 3- but also for extra calories) and some natural vitamin E supplement (also for his skin but also because it's linked somehow to muscle development)
I am just throwing that out there. It may not be sound advice at all.
I hate it when they lose condition and you have to worry about them coming back into work. Hope the back issue is quickly resolved!
 
Echo ObC on this one, it could be a good idea to do lots of walking in hand, long reining, lunging etc to build his muscle back up before you think about saddles.

How is he in his new home now?
 
bitsnpieces said:
Echo ObC on this one, it could be a good idea to do lots of walking in hand, long reining, lunging etc to build his muscle back up before you think about saddles.

How is he in his new home now?
Click to expand...

Not as good as I thought.. this last few weeks, has made me realise that he struggles to cope with change, and having his grazing literally scalped, he's not having the good time I thought he was :frown:
 
http://www.stable-eyes.com/Article pages/strengthen_your_horse.htm
A few ideas on this page

Are you on a livery yard and they have altered the management? How are you doing with the move, horses are sensitive and if you are worried, stressed Shadow could have picked this up?
I know my cob is sensitive and major change she doesn't do. I am trying not be bothered if at all possible that she is stabled because she will fret and so far is managing.
 
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I don't know.. maybe in my ideal world, i'd have a better job, have my horse to myself, but I just haven't been myself lately, or for a good while even, it seems my health is the root of all my troubles, and perhaps yes shadow is picking up on it.. Until I 'find' myself again, i'm going to continue feeling rubbish and frustrated that I can't achieve half of what I could just a couple of years ago..
 
Hiya... sorry about the sore back news. I feel for you as have been there and am doing that.

You mentioned this is the third time now and you have had mctimmony.

I'm sorry I havn't followed the previous parts of this story.. have you had a vet out yet?

Soreness over the saddle area and the bottom is quite a lot of soreness and they can be independent things or of course linked.


I wasted a full year on physio treatment and following her advice when really I should have called the vet in. Without going into details.. my horse needed a vet a year earlier.. the poor guy..

So just checking if the vet has been called for a deeper diagnostics.
 
He did go right after previous treatment, and has been fine for 2 years, a previous sharer was very heavy handed with him, and did him more harm than good, in fact the previous visit's, last one Jan, he had a fabulous back, but i've been poorly since, and the current sharer hardly rode him.. with being out in the fat club field, I don't think he's been getting enough calories, I know I don't want him to get fat, but I want him to have something to turn to muscle..
She's coming out on Friday, to see him, i'll let you know the outcome :smile:
 
We're pretty sure he's done something in the field.. Suggestion is, he's moved pretty smartish to avoid a full on kick, and put his hips out (maybe twisted his back in the process?).. He's stiff on the left rein, I have filmed a few moves on the lunge line (a trial in itself!), and although he moved pretty well, you can see the hind leg on the right rein (I think, correct me if I've put the wrong rein, I know which leg it is) he has a slightly shorter stride..
The bruise on his flank, is just a mass of short hair, little clumps of it, maybe it happened when he moved to avoid a full on bite/kick?
 
Bugger that was really hard to watch.... Well it was hard to see the legs but from what I could see he was not loose and over tracking in walk and therefore coming up short in the trot but this could be because he was not being pushed on enough as you had your hands full or because he can't due to either is back and or hind leg or the kick.

So much is going on for the poor boy but I don't think his weight is an issue I would not want any more on him and weight does not turn to muscle they are completely separate.

Feed more if you are want energy but I personnel would not as he is not well enough to turn that energy in to work and therefore muscle meaning you will just get a fatter fizzier horse. Change his diet to a conditioning mix if you really want to keep feeding him hard feed to up his condition. But if you are keeping him on minimum grass I would not feed hard as this defeats the object of being on a starvation paddock unless you are given supplements. The grass is really coming through now even in Lincoln were it has been pants and I have all but cut out Chanters hard feed and he is in medium work.

Sorry does that make sense I did not mean to go on or question your routine, just hate hearing that shadow is hurting:help:
 
It was difficult to move him forward with the camcorder in my hand :redface: He does over track when lazy.. but he's not tripping or moving sluggish.. he did a lap of canter on both reins, but I couldn't hold the camera to do that.
I wanted to pole work him and do some free schooling, but I was sharing the school (not that the person had asked, she was already there, that's another story!)..
I have another booked for tomo, and wish I'd wrote in the diary, "No share", as if I see her in there again tomo as it would be three times she's been in my space this week, making it difficult for me to work him properly.. I won't be happy..
He's stiff on opposite side at different points, his shoulder on his right side, and hind leg on his left (the side I lead him from), indicating he's reacted badly to something, and the way they've been legging it around the field these last couple of weeks, i'm slowly putting 2 and 2 together..
It's photobucket that makes the video's look poor, they're actually HD!
 
I've posted a better quality one on face book, photobucket struggles to show a decent image.. thought it was my camcorder at first until I reloaded it and uploaded onto my profile.. quality exactly the same as watching it on the camcorder :smile:
 
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