What could be wrong now?

[*Sez*]

Salsa hasn't been himself lately. He's been grumpy and nippy (he's bitten a few people this week alone) and when ridden he's such hard work. Not willing to go forward at all.

I'm concerned that it might be his back again. As soon as his saddle comes out, he lays his ears back and will bite viciously at whatevers in front of him, which is often his leadrope. He's like this until his girth is done up. When I get on him, he doesn't misbehave but he is very sluggish and just wants to plod around. I'm starting to prefer riding my friend's horse because it's such a battle to get Sal to do anything. However, when my instructor rides him, he goes beautifully, and she has him cantering calmly and perfectly relaxed. Could he simply have remembered pain from the saddle?

I have cut back some of the calmer, in case this is contributing to the problem. His saddle was adjusted in September after several physio sessions. He has a Pro Lite front riser pad and I even bought him an elasticated Atherstone girth on the advice of the saddler (he apparently girths very close to his forelegs, so she felt the "cut away" shape of the Atherstone would be more comfortable). He is due to have his teeth looked at early in the New Year. His bridle is just the same as it has always been.

I am tempted to blame it on the Winter Turnout, but if I'm honest with myself, this behaviour has been going on now for several weeks, up to before winter turnout started. Now that he is stabled at night, he is getting two feeds a day (Calm & Condition, Hi Fi Lite, Speedibeet, Soya oil, Steady Up calmer, vits & mins, garlic granules and seaweed granules). He was on Calm & Condition, Speedibeet and Alfa-A (plus suppliments) over the summer, but my parents want Jacob on the HiFi Lite and since all the feed has to go in my tack room :rolleyes: , there's no space for a separate bin of Alfa-A.

I've tried everything I can think of. I spent months since his first physio session "desensitising" his girth area by applying pressure before doing up the girth, which didn't help - even after a few months, he was still just as ticklish during the desensitisation and while being girthed. I've tried putting on his saddle, girthing it loosly and going back every now and then to tighten it before riding. I've tried putting his saddle on for no reason, leaving him while I have a coffee then taking it off again. He's had Reiki, both hands on and distance healing, from both myself and my Reiki Master.

Other than the attitude problem, which no one but me seems to have noticed, his behaviour hasn't changed - he hasn't become "dangerous" to ride, i.e. no running away, no bucking, etc. He doesn't really object at all when ridden, except to turn into a plod. It just seems very clear to me that he isn't 100% happy. Is there anything I could be missing??

[nutkin]

I have to say I think you are right to think there is still something wrong.I agree too that it could well be his back that is the problem.Could you get the physio back again to look him over.My horse was the same in that he didn't want to go forwards when his back hurt which is totally different to his normal very forward going self.The physio gave me some carrot stretches to do with him and they really seem to help if done before ridden work.

[Jessey]

Can you find any sensitive spots on his back?
Is he the same when you put a roller on him and tighten it? (that might indicate its not the saddle particually but more remembered pain or a real girthing issue)
How is he for long reining, is he more forward or still quite ploddy?
How did he react before when his saddle was causing problems?

Perhaps the attitude comes from remembering pain, but when you get on and there isn't any he just really relaxes (where before he was always running from the pain???) giving the ploddy effect?

I hope you figure it out soon.

j x

[*Sez*]

Just wanted to add that the front riser pad is being used without padding, so it is just an additional pad between saddle and numnah, and the girth is elasticated at both ends... just in case any of that makes a difference...

I actually stopped Salsa's carrot stretches in mid-September. We had a whole host of them to do, which added a good fifteen minutes onto my long pre-ride ritual. The problem I had was that he wouldn't stretch unless I had a treat and he started stretching for no reason (i.e. when I went to get him from the field, when he was standing on the yard and when I was grooming), then biting if no treat was forthcoming. With hindsight, I wonder if this was the earliest manifestation of his biting, as I could count the number of times he had bitten before August/September on one hand, and most of these were just playful nips. Before the carrot stretches, I never ever hand-fed treats on a regular basis, and then he just started to expect them.

The biting seemed to stop after about a week of not giving treats, but in recent weeks has returned... I wonder if the biting (except obviously the violent biting and gnawing on his leadrope during tacking up - this is clearly a sign of discomfort) has been provoked by someone in our barn, or a visitor, hand-feeding him without asking.

I think I will give the physio a call and see what he suggests. I can't really afford to have him out again just yet, but I will have to make some sacrifices to make sure that Sal is happy.

[*Sez*]

Thanks for your thoughts, Jessey.
I've never used a roller on him - we always long rein with full tack on. But I will see if I can borrow a roller from someone and see what his reaction is. He's been quite sensitive to his girth since I got him - his previous owner admitted that she tended to "hike" the buckles up because she had to be quite firm on her other horse's saddle.

I find it difficult to tell if there's any "sore" spots - he's always been sensitive-skinned and is very ticklish; even to the point that I can't use a plastic or rubber curry comb over the summer months, and only very carefully in the winter. Even with the Reiki I found it difficult to pin-point any sites of real pain, although my hands were drawn to his withers and shoulders. However, Reiki works by travelling to the point that it is needed most, so there is no need to position the hands over a particular area. I will have to have a look into equine chakras and see if balancing those out makes any difference to his Reiki sessions.

To be honest, when he was in a lot of pain with his saddle, I only picked it up then by very subtle changes in his behaviour. Initially, he became very different to ride - running off with me in canter was the biggest sign that something wasn't right, but most people put it down to "ex racehorse". He began laying his ears back when he was tacked up, which he never did before. Just little things that, if you didn't know him well, you probably wouldn't notice. Since this time, he has continued to lay his ears back, but lately he has generally become quite moody, lays his ears back as soon as he sees his tack and seems quite withdrawn, and the biting has started up again.

[Nookster]

Could you get the saddle checked again?

I have always been told by my saddler a properly fitted saddle should never need any pads for correction. Just a thin numnah.
Just wondering if this could be a reaction to the riser pad?

How is he when he goes to the toilet - a number one?

[Jessey]

Sez, perhaps those carrot stretches were helping more than you realised by warming/stretching the back muscles before saddling/final girthing? and maybe the nipping was in expectation of the treats to start with and now he is a little more uncomfortable again (without the stretches) it has become a more urgent plea :o
Perhaps try and start up with the stretches again, but begin using a clicker to replace the treats ;)

How does his saddle look once you have finnished his work out? I know Bo's at the moment is tending to move forwards onto his shoulder (because he has such a big round belly from summer :o) so I am trying to keep sessions short so not so much movement occurs and I am hoping as his belly reduces the movement will too.

Also, putting extra padding under a tight area at the front would only make it tighter, perhaps if you are doing it to allow muscle wastage to build up something thinner might be required already?

It seems odd, that when he was in pain before he buggered off with you but now he is going all ploddy, maybe there is something in the acctual girthing up process that hurts rather than the saddle/riding causing a problem.

Sorry this probably isn't much help, just banding ideas about :o

[Iron Maiden]

Can you try riding him bareback? My mare was showing signs which could be a back/saddle issue but could have been something else. Basically she was unwilling to make upwards transitions, working badly on her good rein and when I pushed her in to canter, she was tending to hump on the spot after making the transition. I hopped on her bareback & I could notice the difference immediately, she worked all long & low whilst warming up and went into trot as soon as I asked her, no hollowing & resistance like before. Haven't tried canter in case the humping is repeated, but she's been a complete saint in walk & trot so maybe I should give it a go...!

[Bronya]

In my experience, if a saddle doesn't hurt, after the first couple of rides the horse will stop trying to bite when it appears and when the girth is done up. If they are still doing so weeks later, I'd say something in their back hurts, especially combined with not wanted to move much under saddle.

[*Sez*]

What has me most confused is that he's a saint for my RI and goes beautifully in the same tack. :confused: Maybe it's just my riding that's causing the ridden issues.