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Help my horses back!

4K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  loosie 
#1 ·
Here is the problem. My horse has become untrainable due to the fact that she throws her weight (almost a limp if you will) onto her shoulder when engaged in the trot. Recently she has developed a problem with her canter. She will barely ever even pick it up and when she does she will canter very very collectedly. Many people are mistaking her for a lazy and untrained horse. She upon purchase (a few months ago) was very enthusiastic about her work and very capable. She is a very good horse and I can tell that something is out of line with her.

My horse is a 4 and half year old RPSI mare. She is doing dressage work currently but can jump full courses, but this is her first year with real dressage focus. She has had saddle fit problems. It slides UP onto her shoulders. We have had many saddle fitters say that she has a very normal back that shouldn't be hard to fit. However we cannot find a saddle that works perfectly. Her limping seems to change with different saddle and pad combinations. We have noticed that her hooves are slightly more worn down on the toe rather than the heel which is weird. We have considered a problem with her back but after examining it she doesn't appear to be sore or pained by it when not under tack.

Please help my poor girl so she can return to her training.
 
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#2 ·
In my opinion 4 1/2 years old is young to be jumping full courses and asking for a lot out of her. She is still growing and her body is still maturing. I would have a chiropractor out for her and adjust her; I would also spend time, when she is able, doing exercises that build and stretch her muscles. Long trotting, hill climbing, backing up and down hills, flexing and stretching on the ground. Talk with the farrier about her break over, or maybe pain is causing her to land wrong and she is dragging her toe rather then landing flat. It could be a number of things get the chiro out and see if that helps, then the next step would be the vet.
 
#3 ·
If they're worn more on the toes, then she's landing toe first. This needs to be corrected by a farrier ASAP as it will affect everything else.

Why is the saddle slipping THAT far forward if it fits? To me that doesn't make sense.

Also it's very illogical for a horse's weight to be entirely on their SHOULDER. They'd fall in a hot minute from being so unbalanced.

How was/is she able to JUMP a full course if she's that unbalanced?

Your post isn't making much sense...
 
#4 ·
If they're worn more on the toes, then she's landing toe first. This needs to be corrected by a farrier ASAP as it will affect everything else.

Why is the saddle slipping THAT far forward if it fits? To me that doesn't make sense.

Also it's very illogical for a horse's weight to be entirely on their SHOULDER. They'd fall in a hot minute from being so unbalanced.

How was/is she able to JUMP a full course if she's that unbalanced?

Your post isn't making much sense...
Yes, we have our farrier correcting it currently. just thought that information might be useful to help diagnose her problem.

The saddle problem is ridiculous. I own 3 saddles which were all are very expensive and proper, never caused any problems with other horses. They all fit decently but still slip. I've tried dozens and all either restrict and cause her limping or slip. We have also tried different girthing but it still either restricts or doesn't change the problem.

The weight obviously isn't entirely on her shoulder but she throws extra weight on it. She is a very balanced horse naturally and continues to stay rather balanced but just a off. Once she warms up the problem seems to lessen or even disappear.

She hasn't always done this and even sometimes now she doesn't do it. she has never done it for me when in her jumping saddle even though we have now confirmed it is a bad fit for her. I'm not jumping her currently though.

I know it doesn't make much sense, this is why we are so troubled.

There are conditions and such that have symptoms like this but we haven't found any proof that they do exist and I'm still sceptical. I don't know what going on with her.
 
#6 ·
What do you mean she throws her weight into her shoulder? She falls on the forehand? To me it sounds like she is too immature to being doing what you're asking of her. Let her be a horse for a while then start back with the ridden work. And a saddle will not slip if it fits, so please get a qualified saddle fitter (a Master Saddler if you can). Maybe a video would help us
 
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#12 ·
OK, first & foremost, as you're having all these issues, tell us what have you had done so far to help her? What has the vet said? Have you had a chiro or other bodyworker treat her? Have you got a *good* farrier & what have they said about her hooves? How does she move in the paddock & online tackless? Is she different without a rider/saddle? Definitely now she's developed this problem, stay off her back until it's resolved, and I would also do little & only slow lunging.

Agree that she is too young for any serious jumping or other 'high performance' type activity. It's possible that being ridden too young, esp if jumped, has damaged her back, or hocks or such. At only 4yo her heels, even if perfectly healthy & well 'conditioned' won't be all that strong yet, to support herself and a rider adequately for high impact/hard ground. You've indicated her hooves may also be problematic otherwise. If you would like any advice/opinions on her hooves, check out link in my signature & post some pics.

Re saddle fit, if you're absolutely sure it's fitting well, but she's a weird shape, a crupper & breastplate is one method of ensuring it stays in place. Being immature, expect her to change shape, so she will need checking more frequently than if mature & saddle adjusted/changed as necessary. I do suspect though, that the saddle(s) aren't so good though. That you say she is most reluctant to canter at all(pressure points from saddles are more than 3 times stronger at a canter than a trot or walk), that she seems to go differently in different saddles, that you say you have 3 saddles which are 'proper' & never caused problems on other horses make it sound like you don't understand much about saddle fit(not assuming, just the way it sounds).
 
#19 ·
Of course that's possible, as are a myriad of other problems. If you're expecting us to give you a diagnosis, forget it & call a good vet/chiro. There is no way to give a definite diagnosis on a forum, especially based only upon the little info you've provided.
 
#18 ·
I have a 4 year old mare that I do dressage (walk, trot, some canter, lots of bending, patterns etc..) with, and I have a Schleese dressage saddle that fit her like a glove when i first bought it for her, i have had that saddle re-fitted by a master saddler twice in the past 6 months. In the year and a half I have had her, her saddle has been adjusted 5 times, and she's coming back on wednesday, because it still isn't perfect, and my mare lets me know when there is something off.

Listen to your mare, she will let you know when something is off, lunge her, with and without the saddle, start in a big circle, then slowely bring her in, see how her balance is, at that age thier balance is not perfect yet, if she is sound without the saddle, then its her saddle fitting improperly.

Get her saddle fitted to HER, not to every other tom, booger, and bender out there. It is REALLY important that the saddle fits well as they are growing and changing so much between 3-5 years of age. if you get a master saddler to rule out that the saddle is not fitting, then start doing x-rays. Does she get any down time? she is quite young to be jumping a full course.

Good luck.
 
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#20 ·
im not expecting you to diagnose my horse. I just wanted to know if others have experienced this with their horses and could give me advice. I do everything I can for my horse and wanted to get advice from people who have been through this. sorry.
 
#25 ·
OK, don't be sorry, except for your horse.:wink: You obviously want the best for her. I daresay most of us have been through this at least once - a horse who is backsore &/or lame for unapparent reasons. So that is why we're all saying get a good vet or such to check her out.:wink:
 
#21 ·
First, get on this horse bareback. It's free. See if the symptoms return. Somehow I suspect they will. Hoof pain can radiate up to the poll and along the back which can cause riders to think it is saddle pain. BTW, a proper saddle fitter is a member of the Society of Master Saddlers which means they've taken intense training to become a fitter. They may or may not be saddle makers. Most fitters are sales people.
 
#23 ·
I asked twice if you got a PPE (Pre Purchase Exam). If you get yourself any horse, especially a nice young prospect it is extremely important. When's the last time a vet saw her? Since you got her?

I'm afraid we can't help you much. If your horse is limping and having problems your first thought should be to get the vet out. We can only speculate and provide suggestions. She needs a qualified veterinarian to see her in person and do a hands-on exam. We can't see the horse, we can't touch the horse, we can't do testing on the horse, and while a lot of us are experienced, not all of us are and even fewer are qualified to that point. Even if you posted to an online vet for advice they may have suggestions but I guarantee they would recommend she be seen in person.

So please, get her checked by a vet and then update us. We are happy to help but we need something to go on, and more importantly should not be your only source of help!

I agree with not jumping her much, if at all at her age. She should still be in light work. That is potentially part of the issue.

It sounds like you have a fantastic young mare, please treat her accordingly. I'm sure you would hate to ruin her.
 
#27 ·
I reread your first post and I'm wondering if she'd been on a long regimen of bute (an anti-inflammatory) that disguised the symptoms when you bo't her and was soon wearing off. I don't know the level of competence of your farrier. If he/she has had several years of formal training and served a lengthy apprenticeship then you can expect almost the same level of competency as a vet. Unfortunately too many take 10 day courses or are weekend wonders and start trimming for the public. So far there are no state or federal regulations. Unless your farrier is fully qualified you need a vet to do an assessment and xrays may be needed. What is this horse doing when turned out in the arena to just run around? Is she reluctant to open up and go, is she choppy?
 
#28 ·
I had known and ridden her long before I finally bought her and I keep her at the people who sold her to me's farm so im positive its not that.
My farrier is fully qualified and capable. He acknowledges that they are worn down on the front so he corrects that whenever her trims her.
When she is turned out she runs freely and enthusiastically in all three of her gaits.
 
#30 ·
My farrier is fully qualified and capable. He acknowledges that they are worn down on the front so he corrects that whenever her trims her.
What does that mean? How does he 'correct' it? Does this mean he's observed her heels are too high & lowering them, her heels are weak & he pads them...? While he may well be a knowledgeable farrier, just because he's 'qualified' doesn't make it so, just like because someone calls themselves a 'saddle fitter' & takes money for that service doesn't make them any good, so it's important for owners to educate themselves on the principles & factors so they don't just have to have 'blind faith' in a supposed 'expert'. The link in my signature will hopefully get you well started about hoof care. Balance International's website is one good place to go to for saddle fitting info.
 
#29 ·
Wither clearance and shape of the back is not all there is to saddle fitting. A saddle that rides too far forward can (and will most likely) restrict the shoulder blade. Every time the horse moves out, the back of the shoulder blade bumps into the front panel of the saddle, causing pain. If a horse is worked in an ill fitting saddle like this for longer it can also cause irreversible damage to the cartilage and bone of the shoulder blade. So since the horse seems to be moving out a lot better without tack, I would definitely get a competent saddler to give advice. It might not be the only problem the horse has, but it seems to be at least part of the issue. Sometimes a cheaper "quick fix" like e.g. a thinline pad - while never ideal - can already give some relief, as it lifts the front panel of the saddle off the shoulder.

I agree though that an internet forum never replaces a good vet, saddler or other professional actually seeing the horse. Internet diagnoses are just plain unreliable. So yes, I'd second getting a good vet out, since it doesn't sound like the horse has seen one yet. I know that both vet care and a properly fitted (custom?) saddle are expensive, but it's not worth ruining a good young horse over it. Getting things diagnosed properly now will save you a lot of money and heartache in the long run.
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