Woody is making such progress, I am thrilled. We did a longer hack today, 20 minutes, and he was striding out better than two days ago. His pastern angle has already changed for the better, with his shoulder changing to match, as he is more able to sink his weight into his heels.
His feet have developed a lot more concavity in front and also grown very long bars. On his better front foot they go to the point of the toe. On the weaker foot the bars go right around the point of the toe without a break and down the other side. Bars like this are "scaffolding" for weak internal structures. He may always need them, which will be no problem to me, but if they start to shrink back it will indicate how much stronger his feet are inside the hoof.
Radar and I have been hunting. He stood still at the checks today more than he ever has before. He was also easier to control on the runs. We had glorious weather, and although it was wet underfoot in places, we had five fun canter-full legs, with a number of hedges. One was a huge holly, at least five feet high, which I did not realise was also at least 6 feet wide until we were in the air over it. Not only that, the drop was enormous too! Three of us jumped it, and the guy behind me, who took two attempts, commented on how perfectly Radar had judged the hedge and jumped. I was about to say "he always does it" when I realised that it would be polite to thank him for the compliment!
Ace.
Well.
There has to be something physically wrong with Ace. I have no idea what it is, I can find no reason for what is going on, but things are not right.
It was cold when I rode him this morning. I got on and before he had even walked two paces he threw a horrible buck. I sat it OK, and then he walked off fine, and we stayed relaxed and I ignored any silliness at the barrels. I put him into trot and the threatened to buck again but went onto a nice big circle and trotted down and round nicely. I asked for canter and he just bucked every time. He simply would not, or could not, canter, he just spun into a series of bucks. I went back to trot and established a relaxed trot again, then stopped.
I checked his back when I got off and it was soft and spongy. He has lost some size on the foot with the splint, but that is normal if he was protecting it for a whole month, which he was. The back leg on the same diagonal, the one he was kicked on, passes a flexion test with flying colours.
But you will remember last winter and how bad his behaviour was in cold weather. And this spring, how he changed from day to day depending on whether it was warm or cold. This behaviour is linked to cold, and the only thing I can think of is kissing spines, hurting more in cold weather.
I plan to ride him from now on in the thermocell exercise blanket I bought precisely because of this issue. And to warm him up on the lunge in trot and canter before I get on. And if that does not stop him from bucking like this, then I will take him and spend £200 on having his back x-rayed. He isn't a naturally nasty horse, and this nasty behaviour must surely have more cause that "it's cold today and I don't like it"? We need to find out what it is.
If I did not have Woody now I would be very, very despondent. But he is a delight. I can't believe my luck to have been given him!
C
Great report on Woody, bless him. He's going to thrive with you.
ReplyDeleteAnd Radar? What more could you ask? That hedge must have been a real challenge, and yet he met it beyond expectation!
As for Ace...do treat again for ulcers if you haven't. If something is bothering him physically that could trigger the stomach. Wish you had my vets there. I have two super chiropractic/acupuncture guys who are also full regular vets so you get the absolutely best of all worlds. I'm sure you have good options there, however. I am in total agreement that there is something physically wrong that he just keeps exploding like that.
Wishing you well with the thermocell blanket, but even if it does work, you have to wonder why? Sending support vibes your way....
This behaviour is nothing like when I suspected ulcers Jean. When he has problems with an acid stomach he refuses to turn right.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that this is connected to how easily the physio managed to make him really sore a few months ago. It seems as though he has nerves in his back which are very unprotected by muscle or whatever should be protecting them, and if so the cold would quite likely affect them just as badly as pressure from the physio.
It will be interesting to see what kind of a difference warming him up with no-one in the saddle makes.
C
Sorry to hear Ace is being tricky. Do you mind if I make a suggestion? I would also lunge him without the saddle on, just to see where the difference occurs. I know that there are many theories about saddle fit etc but having spent years observing and helping horses who may be struggling with the way tack is perceived to be 'correctly' fitted, I know that sometimes they want a different arrangement. I appreciate you may not be interested in this type of approach, but having seen some pretty dramatic changes to horses attitudes, behaviours and way of going over the years I just thought it may be another option to explore!
ReplyDeletewould be such a shame if Ace does have something of that nature...but this is clearly a lot more than just "cold, don't want to" as you say.
ReplyDeleteI just need to find out what it is Claire :-(
DeleteC
I've no problems with the suggestion Kate but his saddle is a WOW which I fit for myself. I chose WOWs because horses respond to them so well with the flexible tree. The difference in his behaviour between cold and warm is so marked that I will be surprised if there is any difference between saddle and no saddle.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a fixed tree I would be right with you in suspecting it. I have known loads of horses that dislike fixed tree saddles to varying degrees.
C
You know your horses best and I am glad you have something which works for you and your guys., I was just ruminating, although For me it is not a fixed tree that is a problem as such it is more the width and design of the tree and whether the saddle is generally designed to be horse friendly ( so many aren!t) and also whether the saddle is fitted to the static posture of the horse or is fitted to accommodate the lift and change in posture of the back in movement, in combination with some padding.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I hope you get to the bottom of whatever is bothering Ace, good luck!
WOWs are air filled and largely fit themselves to the horses whether it's moving or standing still, Kate. I have it fitted with a panel one size shorter to allow for his slightly shorter back. The gullet is a good width for him, the gullet plate has been fitted to him outside the saddle and then screwed into it. It would be a complete mystery, if it was to prove to be the saddle, which I will check, why he would object to my weight in it in cold weather but not in warm.
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Just adding for people who haven't got air flocked saddles, that as long as there isn't either too much or too little air in the panels, the horse is unable to feel the tree itself because the air evens out any pressure from the tree over the entire area of the airbag. It's the nature of air to do that. Only extremely difficult to fit horses need to be given either the flat y-bar tree (used in the xc seat) or the curved y-bar tree (used in everything but the XC seat) most horses are the same in either. I have both and Radar is the same in either. Ace is currently only ridden in the standard curved bar normal in a dessage saddle.
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