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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

Any jumping experts around?

46 replies

JillCrewesmum · 28/08/2018 09:06

Dd has a fab little horse. When we bought him he'd jumped and won at 90 and 1m, heard nothing but good things. We've had him 18 months and his sj has not been great, he tends to chip in and quite often refuses. Cross country he's much better. We have spent hundreds on new saddle, lessons, physio, teeth.

My question is, would a pain issue lead to a horse refusing sj (he refused in the warm up and at the first fence then jumped clear) but able to jump clear round the cross country?

Various people have said that he is just being naughty but I'm not sure as he really does try to please.

Thinking of a bute trial to see if anything changes?

Any advice welcome! He had been shod a couple of days before and I wonder if that had irritated something?

Clutching at straws a bit as he's a lovely boy who's been fab all summer, we'd finally thought we'd sorted it and now he's back to his old tricks.

OP posts:

Santaclarita · 31/08/2018 16:25

You could insist on x rays but nerve blocks would probably be cheaper. Do you have insurance? I insisted on x rays even though they said a lameness work up would be better, but he was only showing pain in his back at the time, not lameness. And I felt that starting from bone and working our way out sounded better than starting with muscle then ligaments then bone. Takes longer that way as soft tissue is harder to diagnose.

Original poster

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 16:28

Yes I have insurance. Vet said even just checking would invalidate his legs so I've been reluctant to do it

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Santaclarita · 31/08/2018 16:30

Yeah it will. My horse can only really be insured for one leg and his head now. But he's pain free now so I'll take that any day. You can still get catastrophe cover with some insurers I know kbis does it and I'm going to switch to that soon.

RatherBeRiding · 31/08/2018 16:38

I really wouldn't rule out medical issues. I know you are reluctant to go down the full lameness work up but in your shoes I'd go for it. And how on earth checking his legs would invalidate his insurance is beyond me! If he doesn't need treatment because there isn't a problem then how on earth can that invalidate it??

Check with your insurance company first.

If it turns out to be ligament/soft tissue/hocks whatever, it ain't going to improve without treatment. And I speak as someone who has had one pony go through hock treatment, another on rehab for suspensories and an old boy who hasn't got a single leg left insured because of previous tendon/soft injury problems.

Several years on the hocks are fine - out competing again. The old boy remained sound as a pound after his injuries were treated.

Only discovered the other one had done his suspensories because he started being "naughty" which wasn't him at all. Sure enough - vet watched him being lunged and said "pain related". The prognosis though is very positive as we caught it early. Thankfully I listened to my gut and didn't try to push him through his "naughty" behaviour.

Original poster

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 16:54

What I want is to just take him somewhere, leave him, and they do every kind of examination under the sun. My vet is lovely, but he's a one man band, reluctant to over treat, very much a watch and wait.

I'm going to treat his mouth, take her for a lesson at the end of next week then see what happens.

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Original poster

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 16:58

Also - sorry - if it was pain, then why would he have four months of going really well and jumping happily?

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MrsMozart · 31/08/2018 17:02

You could see if your vet will refer to Sue Dyson at the AHT.

Original poster

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 18:41

I've booked him into a super whizzy back guy - he went back in Jan and it really helped.

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Gabilan · 31/08/2018 20:37

Might he have a touch of laminitis? Not fully laminitic but at the stage of having sensitive feet because of sugars in the grass. It might explain why it comes and goes. There's been a late flush to the grass recently, particularly where we've had wet weather after a long dry spell.

Original poster

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 20:42

Well it's funny you should say that as that's what I thought - because the same thing happened last year at a similar time. He's a tiny bit overweight as well. There's no heat or pulse in his feet though.

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Gabilan · 31/08/2018 20:54

There might not be a pulse or heat - shoes can numb the foot a great deal. My horse was slightly pre-laminitic at one point but it was the farrier who noticed a pink tinge in his white line, there were no other signs (that I noticed!) It might be worth putting him on a diet suitable for a barefoot and/ or laminitic pony and seeing how he responds. If you stick to the feeding rules of gradual changes etc. it won't do any harm, and might well help.

Original poster

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 21:08

I'm bringing him in in the day and giving him a small soaked haynet. He has a balancer (for fatties) and a handful of chaff.

I don't know anything about lami really

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MrsMozart · 31/08/2018 21:12

What's his grazing like? When's the farrier next due / can you get hom to visit soonest? The weather has sent the sugars in the grass pretty whappy.

Frouby · 31/08/2018 21:22

If he has a cut then maybe get dd 1 to try him in a head collar over jumps, just to see if there is a difference.

If he has had a couple of weeks off then maybe a niggly little sore bit in his mouth has healed over and gone soft, a bit like a callous on our hands or feet going soft on a 2 week holiday, then it bleeding when we go back to normal. Won't cost anything to try a few times just so you can eliminate a problem easily.

He could also be a bit footsore or pre laminitic.

But would definetly rule out mouth problems first. If your dd has a slightly different hand postion to previous owner it could make a massive difference. I saw a post on fb the other day about double jointed bits, like a french link or anything with a lozenge and how they press on the mouth and bars and how they are not necessarily suited to all mouths.

I know just wearing a rubber snaffle made for mouthing made my little mares mouth sore until she got used to it. Or rather he mouth got used to it.

tenbob · 31/08/2018 21:46

What's his breeding? Native?

If it's anything laminitis-related, you'll see him not standing square fairly obviously

Back and tack problems - try him jumping on a lunge. It should show up imbalances but it's helpful to have someone lunging and someone else watching (or filming)
Lunge on both reins to compare

Gabilan · 31/08/2018 22:17

If it's anything laminitis-related, you'll see him not standing square fairly obviously

Not necessarily. In pre-laminitic stages the foot can be sensitive but not to the extent of developing the laminitic stance. I'm not saying that is the issue, but I think it is something worth considering. In shod horses many of the early signs of laminitis are missed.

NB I'm not anti shoeing - I think it has its place. But it does mask a lot of problems.

MrsMozart · 31/08/2018 22:24

Agree with Gabilan as a friend's horse was recently diagnosed as pre/very early lami after a couple of unexpected trips. Farrier shod on front and he's been fine since. Keeping an eye on his intake (type and quantity).

RafflesMaidenSister · 12/09/2018 20:32

By no means an expert, but my previously lovely easy to jump boy turned in to a right little sod with a nasty stop. Thought it was a temperament issue as we could find no physical problem, despite extensive checks. Turns out he had hind gut ulcers, which no one suspected because he didn't lose any weight.

They were finally identified and treated and now he is jumping like a superstar.

Probably not your issue but I mention it because no one, including the vets, thought of it until he suddenly lost a great deal of weight, almost overnight. The ulcers had been there for a long time before that.

Hope you find a solution.

Pebblespony · 12/09/2018 20:36

Maybe he's bored with the jumping. Finds the cross country more exciting. Had a pony that refused to do anything in an arena. Fine everywhere else. Needed frequent 'holidays' to keep him fresh. Sometimes moving his stable helped freshen him up.

cherrytree63 · 29/09/2018 08:20

Echo PP, I'd be having him scoped for ulcers. Although hindgut ulcers are not able to be scoped they generally have more obvious physical signs.
The pain can flare for different reasons in different circumstances so wouldn't always fit an exact pattern.
Have you had a worm count done recently?
Sorry if I've missed this, but how old is your daughter and is this her first horse?
And what type/build of horse? Native types can be very difficult to get a reslly good saddle fit, was the saddle fitted with the pad/numnah that's used now?
I know you said your OH wouldn't be happy about a new saddle, but there's a few companies dealing in 2nd hand that give a 7 day trial. May be worth sending a template of his back to one, booking a fitter and trialling a selection.
May sound a bit irrelevant but are the rugs (if used) well fitting? I see many people getting the saddle fit perfect, but not giving any thought to ill fitting rugs.
Does he live out all year round? One thing I can't stand is small.hole haynets, the constant tugging at an unnatural angle can make the poll sore.
Has he any signs of Cushings? Research is showing that horses are getting it as young as 10/11. My old (retired boy) has it, his only symptoms are early coat growth/ late shedding snd reluctant to walk on gravelly ground.
Were his teeth done by a vet or an EDT?

WellErrr · 30/09/2018 07:15

He sounds naughty to me, given everything you've said.

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