She may need a chiro alignment.

 

Who can know, with so little info. I presume you've had her for a while, brushed hard, hosed her flank etc & NOT seen those reactions until recently? As you mention she is fat, I assume she is likely very fat. That you mention the grass, she could be IR, sensitive or 'tight' due to nutritional imbalances, such as lack of magnesium. She could have ulcers, and injury, a bruise from a kick, but a pulled muscle(where? How? Why?) doesn't sound the most likely guess to me..... who knows.

 

I have had her for about 8 months. She has not shown any of these reactions until today. She isn't Very fat. She's just got a little tum going on. A gelding she is running with did kick her about a week ago it sounded bad but she was walking on it and running around. She might have a bruise, but she is fussing over both sides which makes that seem unlikely.
Thanks for the reply!

 

Spray cold water to your body and see if you not have a reaction.... I would.
Step under a cold shower expecting warm water and what do you do...suck it in!! Fast............

If she was kicked, indeed she may be sore and on both sides as she took quite a force to one direct part of her anatomy that could move her and many other parts of her anatomy slightly out of align...
Slightly out of align is enough to make the horse slightly irritable and cranky, forget she be sore too...
Make sure all her lady parts are also not just hosed but cleaned with a bit of elbow grease {rub} to remove stuck on debris...don't forget between her legs. If dirty their she will be very sore and miserable.
🐴 ...

 

If I hosed under my horse's tail and udder with warm water she would tuck her hind end under. If I did this with cold water she'd almost sit on the ground.

When you consider a horse's normal temperature can be 101 degrees, what we think feels warm might be pretty icy to them. Try not tensing up when sitting in a bucket of ice water.

Most horses prefer a sponge and warm water approach rather than a hose to the genitals. Also horses with sensitive skin will react to hard brushes. A better indicator of discomfort is pressing on an area you are concerned about with your hand to check for a reaction.

 

Okay, thanks next time I will use a bucket, sponge and warm water.
I have only just started riding and the person I bought my horse from always used a hose and she would never react she'd just stand there and get washed.

Question...
Is it okay to hose them down after exercise or do I still use warm water?

 

You can hose after exercise...
Start at the feet, work your way up the legs slowly, then do the body.
Acclimating the horse to the water temperature is kindest and actually the most "cooling"...
Spraying a warm/hot horse with cold water constricts the surface blood vessels sealing heat in the body instead of helping to cool it.
Legs and lower extremities have minimal fat and insulating ability in the legs hence use the hose and slowly work up the legs to assist the animal with cooling of the body.

Better is set a bucket of water as soon as you get to the barn in the sun...
Go ride...when finished take the horse to the bucket and swish the water around with the sponge...
Sponge the horse with what should be lukewarm water helping to cool the horse then slowly add the hose water instead...
Make sure you not use water that has heated so much it can actually burn sensitive skin and areas of the body.

Adding a small amount, a overflowing capful of astringent/liniment to a bucket of water is another way of assisting with cooling and it is refreshing to the animal at the same time...only use a product you know the horse has no negative reaction to..
It should not need warning written,.. Do not ever use anything but clean, clear water near eyes, nostrils, mouth or ears of a horse.
🐴....

 

You can hose after exercise...
Start at the feet, work your way up the legs slowly, then do the body.
Acclimating the horse to the water temperature is kindest and actually the most "cooling"...
Spraying a warm/hot horse with cold water constricts the surface blood vessels sealing heat in the body instead of helping to cool it.
Legs and lower extremities have minimal fat and insulating ability in the legs hence use the hose and slowly work up the legs to assist the animal with cooling of the body.

Better is set a bucket of water as soon as you get to the barn in the sun...
Go ride...when finished take the horse to the bucket and swish the water around with the sponge...
Sponge the horse with what should be lukewarm water helping to cool the horse then slowly add the hose water instead...
Make sure you not use water that has heated so much it can actually burn sensitive skin and areas of the body.

Adding a small amount, a overflowing capful of astringent/liniment to a bucket of water is another way of assisting with cooling and it is refreshing to the animal at the same time...only use a product you know the horse has no negative reaction to..
It should not need warning written,.. Do not ever use anything but clean, clear water near eyes, nostrils, mouth or ears of a horse.
🐴....

Okay, thanks for the help!

 

I don’t have anything like warm water to bathe Angelina in; she gets the business end of a hose and only when the temp is 80-plus. She always tucks her butt in when I say, hose off her tail.

 

You are in Australia, no? so it's Fall there, right? How cold is it? that would dictate whether or not to hose down your horse after exercise . If she has a lot of hair , for the winter, it could take a long time for her to dry. I come from a cooler climate place. In Winter, we just wiped off the girth area with a sponge, or did nothing beyond a vigorous toweling of the wet areas. Our horses were outside 24/7, so they just walked , grazed and ate hay from slow feeders to stay warm.