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RE: [RC] Horse with uneven neck muscles & behavior problems - Rae CallawayHave you tried chiropractic? I have a mare that was a little extra cresty on one side of her neck and had a habit of bolting over people when being led and unpredictable (lazy, then explosive) under saddle. We kind of gave up on her as a riding horse, but then one day, she started short striding in the front. I took her to a chiro and turns out she was out of whack in many places. The vet said that the larger muscles on one side of her neck indicated a long-standing pain issue. She was adjusted and we started light exercise. The change in her has been amazing. She not only became a good riding horse, but actually seemed to like being ridden and not just at the "dead horse walking" speed. I leased her out to a high-schooler and she started doing LD's. This mare seemed to really enjoy that too - especially the being able to eat hay 24/7 at a ride (her stomach is the most important thing in the world to her!). They were looking to move up to 50's when the girl had to back out due to school issues. Anyway, my point is - have a chiro look at the horse. It might be a long standing pain issue. As for the mouthy bit - I'd like to know anything you get on that issue. I have an almost 6 year old stallion here that left my barn when he was 6 months old to go to a trainer's. He was brought back by his owner a couple of months ago and also doesn't seem to have been taught much in the way of mouthy manners. He's extremely head shy, so I feel they may have done the "hit 'em hard" method of no-bite training. He's a good boy in other aspects, just seems to think he needs to bite us before we hit him. Rae Tall C Arabians - Central -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Claire Nystrom Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 8:26 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Horse with uneven neck muscles & behavior problems I have an 8 yo. foundation QH who has given me nothing but difficulties since I bought him 3 years ago. I always attributed his problems to having been bottle raised, never disciplined until the age of 5 and used as a stallion. He has a sweet personality but is extremely mouthy. His previous owners had tried to start him under saddle, but got bucked off every time. I managed and have done a lot of trail riding on him. He has always been really sensitive about his face and even though I've tried every bit, I have not been able to get him to accept one so ride him in a bitless bridle. I have had his teeth done regularly and he does not seem to have any issues there. I ride him primarily with seat cues and leave his face alone (unless there's an emergency and I have to use the reins). After a recent violent explosion (rodeo bucking fit), it finally dawned on me that something might be wrong with him. Every time he does this I have had to go back to the beginning and re-start him under saddle. It's a long slow process. He has also exploded seemingly out of the blue. Generally, he will toss his head a little then go straight up in the air and come down bucking violently. Examining carefully, I found that the muscle at the top side of his neck that joins behind the ear is uneven-- there is a large bulge on the right side and not the left. I am thinking that this may be the source of his problems. I am going to have a chiropractor come look at him and hopefully it's fixable and he can become the sweet, kind horse he's destined to be. I feel awful as I'm sure this problem was the reason his previous owners were unable to start him under saddle. I guess I just didn't think anything could be terribly wrong with him as he hadn't been ridden before I got him. He is otherwise completely sound and healthy. I was just wondering if anyone had had problems similar to this with their horse and what their take on the situation might be. Thanks very much, Carol =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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