Okay... Weird question (Riding)

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So 4-5 days ago I went to ride Wackem. I saddled him up and it took me a minute but I noticed he was acting funny. I tighten the girth in three steps (Before bridling, after bridling, and after we walk out to the arena or out of the barn before I get on) I had just got done with the first tightening and he rested his back foot. Then parked out. Then stood normal. Then his front legs looked like they were going to cave, so I took the saddle off. He was fine. Saddled him again and he was okay, took him for a trail ride and he seemed fine. (When standing funny he seemed almost a little 'out of it') I chalked it up to a bit of a belly ache and figured his walk did him some good. Hes been acting fine, runs in the pasture, perky same ol Wackem since.

Well I gave him a few days off and went to grab him today. Hes been acting 100% normal. I brushed him, gave him treats, threw the saddle pad on, put the saddle on, did step one of cinching and no more then ten seconds later he started to wobble around like a drunk horse. I un-did the girth and he was fine with in seconds. I decided to demonstrate his weirdness to my friend, I lightly tightened his girth she watched his chest and breathing, sure enough with in ten seconds he went down on his front knees! I pulled him up and un did the girth a little, he was fine. Took the saddle off, got a different saddle and different girth thinking maybe, for some reason, it was hitting him funny? Got the saddle on, lightly tightened it and he started to park out, rest his back legs and his front legs got wobbly. I left it alone and checked his breathing, normal but his personality was gone. For example he doesn't like his ears touched but when he was doing this I could mess with his ears all I wanted. At this point I led him outside, as soon as he started walking he seemed better so I tried tightening step two, didn't seem to make a difference. Put the bridle on like I was going to ride and led him around, he seemed a little quiet, but not "out of it" like he had been and he was standing and walking normal.

So after that we put him away and gave a un-helpful vet a call (I've never gotten help from them, why should this time be any different??)

He said if his feet aren't warm (Founder) and he isn't colicing... And is still breathing normal... Lips and gums are healthy pink... He might just be faking. (The only horse I've ever met who could fake something this well is Miss Molly and hats off to her for everything shes pulled off!) This isn't faking, I can tell because he wouldn't fake letting me grab an ear over riding!

So what would you look into or suspect?

Wackem is the one horse we have who hasn't shown signs of heaves.... I'm beginning to wonder if he does, and this is a sign? Could the girth be tight on his lungs (Or maybe it feels funny/makes something harder to breathe)

He can run all day in the pasture with out breathing hard. And he doesn't stop breathing or have a change in breathing when he falls on his knees or goes wobbly...

Any ideas?

This isn't him..
 
If it were my horse, I would get an equine chiropractor to look at him..........sounds like his back/ribs may be out. Sounds funny, but I have had it happen to my horse. The parking out was my tip off that something was not right....like she was trying to alleviate the pain. I hope you figure it out, poor guy. And no, I do not think he is faking.
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I agree, sounds like a back problem to me.

You may be "pinching" a nerve somewhere when you tighten the girth.
 
i agree.. sounds like back issues. I've had horses that did all sorts of weird things with sore backs in for training. i'd run my hands down both sides of his spine (thumb on one side fingers on the other) and put some pressure and see if he sucks away from your pressure. that is a good place to start.
 
I tend to lean away from it being back trouble, I worked with a message therapist and studied this extensively for horses, I checked his back and he didn't seem to care. I might still look into a chiropractor, couldn't hurt. I'll double check him today though.
 
Niki I went to your site and had a look at Wackem, PM me if you wish.
 
I tend to lean away from it being back trouble, I worked with a message therapist and studied this extensively for horses, I checked his back and he didn't seem to care. I might still look into a chiropractor, couldn't hurt. I'll double check him today though.
If a horse doesn't flinch to pressure on both sides of his spine he's sometimes guarding the muscles.

They should give with your thumb pressure as you run down the side of the spine.
 
Sounds like you might have an impressive bred quarter horse there on your hands with HYP.

Is that a possitiblity ??? How old is this guy?

OK nevermind I went back and you say he is a 9 year old TB. You sure about that?

Well then you might consider that you only rescued him in April and this is barely June so how about giving him more time before you start riding him and a good vet check?

He's weak!

Be careful
 
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Marty -

He is registered Thoroughbred (Jockey Club) not a QH for sure.

He has had two vet checks (Different vets) per Animal Control.... Both did full exams on him and said he was happy, healthy and ready to go. And confirmed he had no "health issues" causing him to loose weight, just lack of food.
 
My thoughts exactly on the chiropractor thing....

I saw a very broke ranch horse one time that a friend had had for years.. came over for round up help one day and the horse had been ridden a few minutes, but when he roped a large calf, that horse hit the ground like he'd been shot. Apparently the saddle was just not quite right and pinched his back and down he went.

He was checked over, resaddled, and never did it again.

Sounds like his back is being pinched somehow. Does your saddle really fit him like it should? Could something have happened in the pasture or somewhere that his back was knocked out of place? This happened to a mare we had 30 years ago, in a horse trailer.
 
I'd go with something pinching as well since he only seems to do it when the girth is done.

I have a driving horse who did something similar at the end of a class - he'd done fine, but in line up suddenly buckled like he was cramping, and almost went down. We got him out, unharnessed and washed him down.......and he was perfectly fine. I thought colic, but nothing came of it. I understand the dilemma, hope you are able to figure it out.

Jan
 

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