Post by elizabeth_h on Jan 4, 2011 17:39:29 GMT -5
UPDATE:
He is still not right. I had the saddle checked thoroughly and it is fine. He has been treated twice by the vet acupuncturist, the he couldn't really find anything really sore in the back on the second visit. He has had the last 2 months pretty much off work. Despite this, he is still definitely in pain somewhere. We are wondering about his hocks now...I have never had films done so who knows what's going on in there, but there is a common correlation between hock pain and back pain, so it seems the next logical place to look. And at age 14 it would not be unexpected. The vet is coming Monday to check him. I am actually kind of hoping it is his hocks because then at least we'd know what we are dealing with, if that makes sense, and how to proceed. If not...I am not sure what will happen. Probably no more showing, which is ok actually, though I had hoped to do this season on him before retiring him from competition. I already was formulating a plan to transition to a second horse for showing, with Jim in a new career as my trail horse. But we'll wait and see what happens on Monday!
***********************
Sorry I have not been around much in the past month. I have been lurking though! We moved into our new house, had family visiting throughout the month, got buried at work, and just now I am getting back to normal. Just in time for my horse to go mysteriously off.
Problem #1 was a bruised hoof, which, after much dueling farrier drama, we think is now resolving after an adjustment to the hoof balance. Jim is about 95% sound and the vet checked him yesterday and said it will clear up very soon.
Problem #2 is back pain.
Jim has been very unhappy under saddle for a few weeks, which we chalked up to hoof pain because it started around the same time as the hoof problem showed up. He would look pretty good on the lunge, so it was confusing. Anyway, he is fine at a walk, but does not want to trot at all, and tries to canter instead. If I "make" him trot (i.e., to demonstrate the problem for the vet), he will alternately try to canter, or else rush forward trotting but with his head waaaaay up and swishing his tail. If he were not such a goody two-shoes I am sure he would have launched me into the rafters. Nonetheless he is so clearly uncomfortable that I stopped riding him of course, knowing that he would never behave this way unless something was really bugging him. So, the lameness vet yesterday diagnosed back pain and told me to get my saddle checked. I made an appointment with the saddle fitter for next Monday.
In the meantime, I had the vet acupuncturist out today to treat the pain. He agreed with the back pain diagnosis but does not think it is saddle fit. He found that Jim had acute pain in a specific spot ON the spine, but the surrounding muscles along the back were fine. The vet said it was an injury in a spinal ligament, diagnosed by the location of the pain and by the behavior (not wanting to trot, which involves a twisting movement, and preferring to canter instead, which is and up-down movement). The mechanical explanation was really interesting. The injury could have happened from anything - a slip, a bad step, whatever. He cleared Jim to go gradually back into work after 2 days off and a few days lunging.
I am still going to have my saddle checked anyway. Despite Jim having a big sway in his back, I have never had to deal with back pain with him. He has always been remarkably strong and supple. Has anyone dealt with this kind of injury before? Any lasting effects or rehab problems? I think I am a little paranoid after watching a friend deal with frustrating mystery back pain in her mare for the past year...I want to be sure I address this correctly!
He is still not right. I had the saddle checked thoroughly and it is fine. He has been treated twice by the vet acupuncturist, the he couldn't really find anything really sore in the back on the second visit. He has had the last 2 months pretty much off work. Despite this, he is still definitely in pain somewhere. We are wondering about his hocks now...I have never had films done so who knows what's going on in there, but there is a common correlation between hock pain and back pain, so it seems the next logical place to look. And at age 14 it would not be unexpected. The vet is coming Monday to check him. I am actually kind of hoping it is his hocks because then at least we'd know what we are dealing with, if that makes sense, and how to proceed. If not...I am not sure what will happen. Probably no more showing, which is ok actually, though I had hoped to do this season on him before retiring him from competition. I already was formulating a plan to transition to a second horse for showing, with Jim in a new career as my trail horse. But we'll wait and see what happens on Monday!
***********************
Sorry I have not been around much in the past month. I have been lurking though! We moved into our new house, had family visiting throughout the month, got buried at work, and just now I am getting back to normal. Just in time for my horse to go mysteriously off.
Problem #1 was a bruised hoof, which, after much dueling farrier drama, we think is now resolving after an adjustment to the hoof balance. Jim is about 95% sound and the vet checked him yesterday and said it will clear up very soon.
Problem #2 is back pain.
Jim has been very unhappy under saddle for a few weeks, which we chalked up to hoof pain because it started around the same time as the hoof problem showed up. He would look pretty good on the lunge, so it was confusing. Anyway, he is fine at a walk, but does not want to trot at all, and tries to canter instead. If I "make" him trot (i.e., to demonstrate the problem for the vet), he will alternately try to canter, or else rush forward trotting but with his head waaaaay up and swishing his tail. If he were not such a goody two-shoes I am sure he would have launched me into the rafters. Nonetheless he is so clearly uncomfortable that I stopped riding him of course, knowing that he would never behave this way unless something was really bugging him. So, the lameness vet yesterday diagnosed back pain and told me to get my saddle checked. I made an appointment with the saddle fitter for next Monday.In the meantime, I had the vet acupuncturist out today to treat the pain. He agreed with the back pain diagnosis but does not think it is saddle fit. He found that Jim had acute pain in a specific spot ON the spine, but the surrounding muscles along the back were fine. The vet said it was an injury in a spinal ligament, diagnosed by the location of the pain and by the behavior (not wanting to trot, which involves a twisting movement, and preferring to canter instead, which is and up-down movement). The mechanical explanation was really interesting. The injury could have happened from anything - a slip, a bad step, whatever. He cleared Jim to go gradually back into work after 2 days off and a few days lunging.
I am still going to have my saddle checked anyway. Despite Jim having a big sway in his back, I have never had to deal with back pain with him. He has always been remarkably strong and supple. Has anyone dealt with this kind of injury before? Any lasting effects or rehab problems? I think I am a little paranoid after watching a friend deal with frustrating mystery back pain in her mare for the past year...I want to be sure I address this correctly!
