More clues Sherlock.

OK, I think we are moving forward. I lunged Ace this afternoon and he seemed calmer and more relaxed but he still flashed his tail when the saddle went on. He lunged without bucking or any untoward behaviour. He did not poo at all, and his gut was definitely not gassy.

 I put a standard body protector on, so that I could get off easily and would have some protection if he trod on me, and led him to the block. He made it very, very clear that he did not want me to sit in the saddle. He kicked out, would not stand, and looked unhappy.

I put him back on the lunge so that he could not associate that with getting out of work, and after another ten minutes of quiet behaviour, I tried again.  He flashed his tail when I put my foot in the stirrup so I repeatedly tapped his side with my toe in the stirrup until he gave that up as a bad job. I put my weight in the stirrup and stood in it, and then got down again. I did that twice more, then I swung my leg over. He let me, but he was very unhappy. I wanted to be certain that we don't just have a memory of pain going on, so I repeated that again, but it was very clear that he was using all his willpower not to explode.

He's in pain, and logically it is most likely to be from his back. It's just about the right time for the drugs that she gave him to have left his system, and although the good effects should have lasted longer, they haven't. I think Jean's theory that he tolerated the pain when it had built up gradually over time - boiling frog syndrome - but that having been pain free he is now very unhappy when it hurts.

I've rung the vet to say I am putting him on bute, because she already said that's the next course of action. I've also asked if there is any way that the operation can be brought forward, because i@m now sure that we cannot move forward with this until that operation is done and we know where we stand.

I feel a lot happier today, in spite of a hangover from drowning my sorrows last night :-)  I was at least brave enough to get on. What I need to do now is to avoid riding him unless he will allow me to, because we don't want to teach him that all he has to do is tense his back and his rider gets off. He is such a sweet natured creature when he's well that I think he will be OK, but I do need to ration how many attempts to ride him I make.

He's out tonight with a muzzle on that has various bits of sheepskin attached to stop it rubbing him. I'm taking no risks from now on of confusing colic with back pain.

C.