# Horse uncomfortable in canter



## Caramac71 (4 June 2014)

We have a horse on trial with a view to buy.  She's been with us 2 weeks (trial is for max 4 weeks) - she has surpassed all our expectations of her and so I have arranged to have her vetted next week.

However, since booking the vetting, she has started to look uncomfortable in canter.  She has always tail swished to a degree and we have been able to identify times/situations when this is worse.  She has occasionally picked up the wrong lead on left rein canter and when she gets her legs in a muddle she will put in a buck.  She is young and very green, so we have put it down to that.  She is also much more supple on left rein than she is on the right.

But the last couple of times she has been asked to canter, she has put in a different kind of buck, more like a sidekick and it seems to be worse on the right rein.  She tail swishes more severely and has her ears back so I definitely think she is telling us she's uncomfortable.

On the lunge, with saddle on and without, she doesnt tail swish, or buck, or pick up the wrong canter lead.

Now if we already owned her I would be getting a saddle fitted, back checked, teeth checked etc.  Without going into too much detail it is quite possible she has some issue with all these things.

But as we are going through the process of vetting (5 stage) I'm not sure how best to proceed now.  Should I phone the vet and speak to him about my concerns in the next couple of days?  Because presumably, even if he discovers an ill-fitting saddle, and/or muscular tension in back, and/or dental problems, he wont be able to know for sure this is what is causing her discomfort in canter will he?

I have been keeping a bit of a video diary from when we viewed her, to most of the days we have had her on trial.  Unfortunately I've not yet taken any of the canter problems as the first time I didn't see it and yesterday I didn't have anything to video with.  My plan is to go back tonight, with different saddlecloth to see if that helps saddle fit, and to video her on the flat, jumping, lunging with/without saddle, to help build up a picture.  We haven't hacked her out yet as she is quite spooky so we were waiting until we could go with sensible company - but when hacked out from her owners she did a lovely canter uphill with no noticeable signs of discomfort.

Any suggestions on how to proceed with this?  Do I just steam ahead with a vetting and wait to see what comes up, or do I try to pinpoint the problem before then? Do we continue to ask for canter or give her an easy time between now and vetting in case she's just tweaked something in the field?

In every other way she is exactly what we are looking for, she has more than proved her temperament in the last couple of weeks and I would be really loathed to walk away at this stage especially if it could be resolved fairly easily.


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## be positive (4 June 2014)

The problem with getting her vetted, pass, fail or treat and look again, is that any issues will be flagged up and could mean you have insurance restrictions.

I would go back to plan A and get the physio before vetting, chase them to get them quickly or recommend someone else, it could be something easily fixed or may save you the cost of vetting if they find something of concern, the fact she had Osteo in April may mean this has been going on for some time or that the osteo only did half a job, usually they follow up after treating to make sure they have responded as expected and improved, this may not have been done.


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## Meowy Catkin (4 June 2014)

I would talk to the Vet before the vetting takes place.


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## Caramac71 (4 June 2014)

be positive said:



			I would go back to plan A and get the physio before vetting, chase them to get them quickly or recommend someone else, it could be something easily fixed or may save you the cost of vetting if they find something of concern, the fact she had Osteo in April may mean this has been going on for some time or that the osteo only did half a job, usually they follow up after treating to make sure they have responded as expected and improved, this may not have been done.
		
Click to expand...

Apparently t was just routine (annual) back check that she had in April that owner has for all her horses and she was found to be fine.  If I phoned owners Osteo would they be able to confirm that for me or is there confidentiality restrictions?


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## WindyStacks (4 June 2014)

If you like the horse enough to do the vetting, DEFINITELY mention this to the vet prior to the tests. Any extra info you can give like this is very valuable - whilst it might be just because she's green and learning to balance, it could also be a physical problem. 

The fact that she canters beautifully out hacking is a good sign.


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## PorkChop (4 June 2014)

Definitely highlight your concerns with the Vet beforehand, she sounds lovely, I hope it all goes well.


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## be positive (4 June 2014)

Caramac71 said:



			Apparently t was just routine (annual) back check that she had in April that owner has for all her horses and she was found to be fine.  If I phoned owners Osteo would they be able to confirm that for me or is there confidentiality restrictions?
		
Click to expand...

Being fine may not mean they found nothing to treat, my physio says mine are fine as long as they respond to any treatment that gets done and are sound when assessed, I think they would require permission from the owner to speak to you but if there is nothing to hide it should be no problem.

The fact that she has got worse with the extra workload makes me think something is going on, I would not drop the work load prior to vetting, she has been swishing her tail since the second viewing, if you back off the work and she improves passes the vet but then gets worse again you will be in more of a predicament.


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## Sukistokes2 (7 June 2014)

You live in Kent .....therefore you can book the Chiro vet,  her name is Julia, sorry can not spell surname. Just google her. She is amazing. She is a fully qualified vet, chiro and acupuncturist.  One stone two birds!


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