# Riding King yesterday!



## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Had some fun playing around with King and even did some jumping!






Then eventinginmi got on and jumped him over beginner novice height. 






Never seen a horse so excited to jump. He is kind of a lazy dope on the flat until you put a jump in front of him and he becomes totally animated and excited. :lol:


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Oh, and I know that my hands are too low. King has a very bad habit of grabbing trying to drag his head down, which drags my hands down in return.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Glad you are enjoying your new horse, but there's something wrong with his back end. I would get him to a vet and have him assessed - lameness test or xrays or something, because he's not "right" back there. 

I think it is his hind right. 

I think you can turn this boy around beautifully if you took it slow. Go back to basics, OOOBER tons of long and low work - getting him to track up and move under himself, lifting his back, riding back to front and having him build that topline. 

Riding inside leg into outside rein. Lots of hill work, and trot poles, raised trot poles.

But first - address that back end. I wouldn't be jumping him until you get that figured out first.

Love the pink - real men wear pink *wink* King and Nelson can start a new trend!


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

I find it sad that some people can't feel when the horse is not working correctly. This horse is definitely lame in the hind end ( right is my thought but there is something going on with both rear legs) and jumping would never be an option until the horse is sound.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Hmm, well I check all his joints over thoroughly before and after every ride because I am paranoid. I started jumping him some because it felt like he was progressing really quickly. He felt fine to ride yesterday, now that I look at the video I once and a while think I see something in his hips...maybe he's out of alignment?


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

You can't feel joint issues - get him to a Vet. He is off in his back end. Get him to a Professional who does this for a living.

My suggestion is Dr Iriving. He's very good, and very reasonably priced.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I rode him again yesterday on a short trail ride, and I could defenantly tell the difference between "off" and "right" in the difference between him walking on a paved road (he has thin soles) and on a grass field. Once we got to the grass field he felt fine, in fact he was ready to explode into a full out gallop at any minute if I had let him. The MT comes out next monday and I will see if she can see anything in the back end.


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## TheLastUnicorn (Jun 11, 2010)

Don't assume that because a horse is ready to "explode into a gallop" that they are sound. 

This doesn't look "foot sore" to me (as a thin soled horse would be)... there's something really wrong with the way he's going. There's hitch to nearly every stride. You can see his head and neck struggling to catch his balance, and his hinds "hitch". 

I'd definitely see about more than a MT or Chiro - have some x-rays/ultrasounds done just to be sure. It might be something as simple as getting an adjustment, but I wouldn't wait to get a vet out. If it's serious you won't help him by waiting.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Yes, bolting and exploding are often a pain response. He's a pretty guy and definitely worth getting a vet to him.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Well I know for a fact that it wasn't a pain response. He was being pokey and totally relaxed until we got to the big open field, then his ears went up, head went up, and it was like he flipped a switched and was completely animated. I was too nervous to ask for anything except for a walk for fear that he would totally bolt, and kept having to ask for leg yields to keep his mind busy from jumping at every little thing that moved in the woods. 

Anyway, sent the videos to my trainer and to the MT to look at. I plan to have the MT evaluate him in person next week since she is all ready coming out for other horses.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I will tell this story over and over again, because it's a perfect example:

A TB gelding I worked with started showing symptoms of off again/on again lameness. One day he would seem sound, and the next he'd be very obviously lame. Decided to get the vet out for a once-over. Went to catch him from the field he had just been let out into after being in his stall all night, and I kid you not he was galloping full-out, all by himself, lap after lap of the field. Tried rattling a bucket, tried to corner him, he galloped right by me a few times - nothing was stopping him. All the other horses in the field kinda glanced up at him from their hay every once in a while with a "what on Earth are you doing, bud? There's food here!" look, but he kept galloping. After he had enough (about 10-15 minutes of straight galloping without looking an ounce lame) he cantered up to me and let me catch him. He was slightly off walking up to the barn, and very lame on the lunge line at a trot. He was in pain, but galloped nonetheless for 10 minutes straight just for the hell of it. Turned out it was a suspensory injury that required quite a lot of time off, and a lot of that time off spent in a box stall, poor guy. 
Horses do funny things despite being in pain. They don't like to show lameness - it's a sign of weakness.. that's ingrained. Don't hesitate to call a vet out just because they seem to want to run, or just because YOU can't feel it.


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## horseobsessed977 (Apr 13, 2011)

Good job! I dont have time to watch both videos all the way through but I can see that your friend kind of pulled on his mouth while jumping. Tell her to try grabbing some mane while she jumps. It should help.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

that horse is most definitely lame - i could see it a few seconds into the first video. looks to me to be SI joint at the top of the pelvis with a tight left side, and dropped right hip/pelvis tipped causing lack of reach through hocks with hind and limited motion through back, causing him to be on the fore and overuse chest and abs to compensate for the very OBVIOUS pain.

if by MT you mean massage therapist, and plan on still riding him, i have nothing to offer you than my condolonces for your horse.

that horse should be seen by a vet ASAP imo and absolutely NOT ridden until he is properly diagnosed and his lameness addressed. often bilateral lameness will mask the severity of the issue since the horse is not out in one or the other uniquely but is in pain on both hind legs, through his back. he's false framing, tense, bracing, not tracking up, and overall moving poorly due to what i see as very VERY OBVIOUS pain. again - he's not my horse, but i sure wouldn't be riding him and absolutely not jumping him and would get a vet out ASAP.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

WOW in the jumping vid the horse is HEAD BOBBING lame... the poor animal. course he's "animated" he's in PAIN and a lot of it and doing what he can to get it over with so that he can be done as soon as possible. i have no idea where your trainer was but shame on anyone for riding a horse in obvious pain, and even worse jumping - and BN nonetheless! on top of it to have his back slammed and mouth pulled every jump by a rider who clearly should be working in 2pt over gymnastics on a sound schoolie just makes my heart break for the poor horse.

fyi - the head going down/pulling on the bit is a HUGE sign of lower back and hip issues...

PLEASE stop riding this horse and get him the proper veterinary attention he needs.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_I am going to join the party and say that he should see more then a MT. He looks to be stepping short and he is definitely moving "oddly". I can't point out what or where is making him do this, but he doesn't look happy when he is moving about._


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

I think you are selling this horse short by trying to convince the people on the "other" forum that his problem is a simple case of thrush. Your horse may very well have thrush but his problem goes deeper than this. 

While a farrier's opinion is good it is not the qualified opinion of a vet and trying to cut corners and save money can put your horse more at risk than what I would have done.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Have you done a thorough Vet check with King? Did you do one before/during/after purchase?

If you haven't yet...why not? Buying a horse, especially at the age of King, you should - in order to find out exactly what his issues are, so you can be a responsible owner knowing what is wrong, so you can target those issues.

If King were mine, I would of already hauled him to Irving, got xrays and a full examination done - so I know what the issues are, and how to treat them.


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## Katze (Feb 21, 2011)

There's something called "private messages" people, some people don't like to be called out on a forum the way you guys are doing. Instead of tearing her a new one, educate her......Diplomacy get's you alot further then acting like a know it all horse snob....


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Katze said:


> There's something called "private messages" people, some people don't like to be called out on a forum the way you guys are doing. Instead of tearing her a new one, educate her......Diplomacy get's you alot further then acting like a know it all horse snob....



Thanks you. :wink: People on this forums seem so quick to jump down anybody who dares post throats. 

Spyder - not trying to convince anybody of anything. Was simply trying to get more information on thrush.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

QHDragon said:


> Spyder - not trying to convince anybody of anything. Was simply trying to get more information on thrush.



I realize that but when on *THIS forum *we encouraged you to get a vet to look at the horse you simply had the farrier out and once he said the horse had thrush then the idea of the vet went south.

You could have posted about thrush here....*there ARE knowledgeable people HERE that could have given you advise about this health problem*. 

What is wrong with your horse is beyond thrush.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

QHDragon said:


> Thanks you. :wink: People on this forums seem so quick to jump down anybody who dares post throats.
> 
> Spyder - not trying to convince anybody of anything. Was simply trying to get more information on thrush.


It's not that anyone is ganging up on you - or jumping down your throat just because you post on this forum. I bet if you posted these video's on HGS, you'd get the same response. Because we see a lame horse, and you don't even know what is the cause of it - just assumptions - and what we are trying to say, is to get a Vet to evaluate your horse, find out exactly what is wrong, so that you can target his issues, for his benefit and longevity and well being.


Since you think his issue is thrush, which he very may well have, but that's not the only issue here - here's a thread that might interest you...

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/thrush-remedy-85132/

I still say, you need to get him to a vet. Get xrays.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

agreed MIE/Spyder


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