Girth twitching...

[APKBUICU@aol.com]

I would really appreciate it if someone could help me figure out what the 
heck is going on with my mare. Here is the deal...I have written to RC before 
because of her twitching under the saddle area. I evaluated everything I 
could possibly think of and all the things my fellow RC'ers suggested. Susan 
G suggested a complete blood work up which I did. The results of this were 
normal except for a low phosphorus level and slight dehydration. This was a 
week after a ride. Vet suggested a change in supplement and loose salt in her 
pen. Both seemed to have helped. The other thing was to change from a 
woolback pad to something else to see if she was allergic to the wool. 
Hmm....so I did that to. She does not twitch with the cotton pad but I hate 
it because it does not wick moisture at all. I have to figure out what to use 
now. So now I am experiencing another potentially serious problem. She has 
begun to show extreme sensitivity in her girth area, up high behind the 
joint. If I even put my toe in there when I am riding (on accident of course) 
she wants to bolt away. She was a bit jumpy when I got her due to racetrack 
time but this little foible is a new one in the last few weeks. I have been 
working on desensitizing her but it is like she is so ticklish she can't 
stand it! Finger pokes, lunge pole pokes, anything that touches that area 
causes a severe muscle jump. Sooooo....what the heck do I do now? 
You all can be nice to me cause this is the same horse that won't eat hay 
with one of those full face fly masks on cause it gets hay stuck in it. 
Prissy little mare....But I love her. This really has me stumped and I need 
the expert advice of my fellow RC'ers.

Thanks 

Laura