Hi all,
My lovely, wonderful OTTB Dragon-- who some of you remember from an earlier post-- reacted quite unexpectedly to a situation yesterday, and I'm trying to figure out what happened. Need your thoughts.
I've been riding him regularly-- on the trail-- alone. He's been great! Never bucks, never spooks, is always a gentleman, very willing, but with more whoa than go which is fine since he's only been off-the-track for 3 months and needs time to 'find his feet' so to speak.
Anyway-- I thought it was time for him to go in company out on the trail, and that he would enjoy it. So I searched around for an experienced 'rider' to join me-- they would ride Dragon since he's so calm, and I would ride his pasture buddy who can get unsettled and hot in the wrong hands.
So-- I tack up both horses myself-- we warm up, girth up by hand-walking them together for a bit, I then mount up and wait outside the barn for the other rider to mount Dragon and ride him out of the barn to join me.
She quietly and expertly got on him (or so I thought) and the second he took one step with her on his back he bolted - threw her off (or she jumped off--I couldn't tell) he then wheeled around, got loose from her, bucked down the barn aisle, galloped full tilt into the paddock outside the barn, galloped around and bucked like a bronc! He was scared to death-- was running and bucking in utter fear!
I put my horse back in his stall-- he was pretty wired too after seeing this-- but was okay.
I caught Dragon, calmed him down, got on him myself and he was fine! I walked and trotted him around the yard pretty as you please. I had her get him again and as soon as she sat on him and took a few steps-- WITH ME LEADING HIM -- he started to go ballistic once more! She immediately got off-- and Dragon didn't get loose, but something was clearly setting him off--triggering some fear in him.
Long story short, I got back on him myself and we went right off for a trail ride-- alone-- and though he was a bit anxious after all he had just been through, we had a nice ride-- just walk/trot-- loose rein, etc.
Now here's the really interesting part: Dragon has only been with me for a few months, and in that time I have never seen him canter or play or gallop or buck or rear while out in the pasture-- even when his buddy is having all sorts of fun. Dragon has been a real dud, which seemed unusual to me. However, this morning-- light a light switch has gone on in him-- he is cantering and bucking and rearing and playing out in the pasture for the first time! Wow! He's acting like a real horse! I don't know if this this sudden physical/mental change is a result of yesterday's episode with that rider, but something is going on here!
But my concern is obviously the episode with this rider. Why? Why? Why? did Dragon lose it and react in such a frightened way?
Could it merely have been the strangeness of a new rider? Or a lack of confidence in her?
I'm sure you all have LOTS of questions about what happened, and i will answer them all. I have my ideas too, but didn't want to write an epic expanatory post.
Please let me know what you think!
You are having an interesting time with your horses! I wonder if I could suggest that we look at this through Dragon's eyes; we can't know what he is thinking but we can try and empathise with him
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Most animals need time to settle in to their new home. He last raced in May, then you adopted him three months ago. He has been happy pottering around, not wanting to be particularly 'speedy' but, we know the capability must be there because he's an ex racehorse! So, he retired after all that work and needed a rest, which he has had. You have asked him to work, but have been kind and begun to develop a relationship with him, let him go along on the trail rides gently and then all of a sudden someone else is sat on him. He protests in fright, your rider gets off (as you said, we hope rather than thrown off!) and the situation is made safe. You get on him, he trusts you and is calm again. And then what do you do? Put your friend back on him!! All this has happened to him in a little over three months.
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As a race horse I guess he would have had many riders and not all of them would have been his choice to have and not all would have been nice to him; it is possible that he remembered past experiences and anticipated a problem. Their excellent memory can be a blessing and a curse. Or, he was about ready to "wake up " and that just happened to be the trigger.
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Your observation that he has suddenly "switched on" is very interesting and not entirely unusual. I have worked with dogs and horses and have seen this "shut down" in new homes before; it is a particular feature of rescue dogs and horses - it's a survival strategy that makes sense i.e. keep a low profile till you know how the land lies, rest and recover tired limbs, put weight on if needed (my friend rescued a very skinny horse who was calm and docile for the first two months then when he reached his normal weight oh god did he wake up!!) but then when they have 'sussed out' their environment, realised that they feel better their personality suddenly comes alive and this can be a dangerous time because we see traits that weren't there at first. Equally, some very charming traits can come out too but the point is you are not seeing the whole personality when you have a 'shut down' animal.
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I saw a client a couple of years ago and she asked me to look at another horse in the paddock who she felt was very "sad and uninterested"; he had come from a difficult background and did everything he could to avoid human connection only to "do as he was told" but I did warn her to go very carefully and gently with this boy and build his trust very slowly. we have all seen riding school ponies who have learnt to shut down as a way of coping.
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I cannot say that any of what I am saying is a 'definite' (or of any use to you!)but I offer it as a possible "view from Dragon's perspective"
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I would suggest you now begin again as if this is Dragon's first day because now he is "awake" and there may be other interesting quirks and traits that come out and I'm sure you will do a great job working with him but if I may respectfully suggest that you slow down and not be over eager to move him through the various stages.
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Please don't interpret my comments as criticisms; it can sometimes be hard to convey reflection and 'musing' when it's not face to face and I am more than happy to accept I may have it completely wrong. I will be interested to hear what others think.
Hi vicci,
I TOTALLY agree with your analysis! Spot on, I think.
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I did ride him this morning--and he had a baby hump in his back that my expert reflexes corrected with confidence and gentleness, and he walked right out. We had a nice ride. Whew!
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Afterward I called his former trainer/owner and asked him if Dragon was a 'cold backed' horse-- got humpy etc. He said yes--"Dragon has always been like that." Sheesh! NOW he tells me? Had I known this was a possibility I would never have put someone else on him at this early stage. Obviously this rider I used, didn't have the experience to deal with a humpy, 17 hand, ex-racehorse. She simply panicked and/or wasn't able to transfer any confidence to Dragon and he got himself 'out of there' post haste! Thankfully no one got injured.
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I take your point about this being a 'dangerous' time-- dud horse waking up! I love that he is waking up, but I now need to 'read' him carefully and pay attention! He's a new horse. Need to begin again-- as you said--like the days to follow are his 'first' days. Great advice!
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Yes I am having an interesting time with my horses! LOL And am curious as to what others have to say, but I think we might have nailed it.
Now on to the question of cold backed horses! (if that truly is Dragon's issue) Never had a humpy/cinchy/whatever it is??? type of horse in all my years. Know nothing!
Hi. Can I add a very simple thought. Some riders have an 'electric' seat. Almost every horse they sit on gets 'lite up'. The cause can be the way they sit in the saddle or their attitude. Horses are clever & know instantly. I would guess that a person with a 'go get em' attitude might be attracted to the racing industry, but not necessarily. I would add to Viccis' advice that before you let anyone else on Dragon you check that they normally ride an OTTB, quietly & try to introduce them to Dragon over a period of time. Anyone who isn't up for that would be the wrong person to help you! Good luck. Cheers, Jo.
Interesting thread!
I read through this yesterday and wanted to sleep on it, but my thoughts ran (loosely) along Vicci's line of thought - esp. with the shut-down theory.
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As for coldbacked horses, sometimes it helps to rug them an hour or so (depending on the temp and the material in the rug of course) before riding, preferably with a Back-on-Track blanket that will help get the blood circulating.
Sometimes a Physio could be of help in case there is something that blocks the blood flow to the muscles and can be worked out (over time) with massage, acupressure or what have you.
I did a bit of research on the 'cold backed' horse - did see the Back-on-Track pad (thank you Kicki) as well as other ideas, like saddling the horse (loose girth) and leaving them to relax in their stall for a while before taking them out - using a sheepskin/Thinline pad combination - lunging of course - etc.
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It seems that cold backed horses often don't get humpy every time they are saddled-- that it can be a 'now and then' situation-- but why take the chance? A warm up is definitely in order.
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It also seems that it's a condition that never really goes away. If I don't treat Dragon as a cold backed horse from now on, he might try to buck me off someday! LOL.
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I like the 'electric seat' comment from JoH - and though the rider I used was a woman who works with abused horses (or so she claimed) and prepares therapy horses for the task, that obviously didn't mean she had the perfect seat for Dragon. He REALLY didn't like her being on his back! She transferred SOMETHING to him that frightened him, in addition to the cold backed issue that probably was particularly bothersome to him that day. Plus, she weighed about ten more pounds than I do.
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I guess since I've ridden sooooo many young T-breds-- and was an exercise rider on the track for many years, etc. -- and do get the occasional boisterous ride from my other horses, I know I took Dragon's little humpy-ness in stride (rode him through it almost unconsciously) and simply forgot that it might be an issue for any new rider that got on on him. Well, he didn't forget! Lesson learned. He schooled ME!
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In a way I'm glad it happened. I now know another quirk about Dragon-- one that I was ignoring. I'm sure he will be much happier having a warmed-up back before I sit on him again. Nothing gained from just riding him through this problem like I've been doing. Poor Dragon! He was telling me something all along-- and I didn't listen! $*#@# !!!
Don't berate yourself, katselasdan! None of us are fluent in Equus (except possibly Monty Roberts)and most of us have problems picking up on their subtle hints until they are shouting blue murder at us.
Take heart in the fact that you did come in here trying to find out what Dragon was trying to tell you, so you've done all you could really. :)
On an afterthought it struck me as I read your last post; maybe not just cold backed, but in need of reassurance that his rider is in balance in every sense of the word.
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I'm thinking if you just rode through the humps and made no big thing out of it, then he is good as gold because he has learned to trust you to stay onboard, letting him know everything is good and safe - and presumably this is what he is used to from jockeys etc.
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Then he gets this new rider who "throws herself off in panic" (from Dragon's assumed POV)not once but twice. A predator in reverse, you might call it.
Is it plausible that that alone is likely to have caused his reaction?
Just playing with a thought here.:)
Hi katselasdan, Kicki and all,
Having just seen and read today's lesson by Andrew McLean, I realise once more how important "seat" is! Please do read the "extended notes" that come to lesson 4!
Your rider might have given contradictional signals with reins and seat.
This is very interesting!
Miriam
"Predator in reverse" -- as Kicki put it-- IS very plausible. Yes! But after thinking about Dragon's on-going problem (he got a little more humpy than usual when I rode him yesterday-- but no big deal-- we calmly rode through) I really gave his back a good going over (again) and did re-notice something...
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Side note: when I first got him he was very thin, had muscle atrophy and his spine was clearly visible. Very poor top line, protruding hip bones, etc. AND...I did see a very, very slight roach in his back near the sacroiliac joint. At the time, I assumed his visibly bony spine, etc. was of course due to weight loss, and after a back check (I am by no means as expert as a veterinarian at checking for back soreness) I couldn't get a sag or a spasm or anything that would indicate he was hurting anywhere.
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Fast forward: He's gained a lot of weight and is building muscle and the slight roach in his back is barely visible, but it IS still there along with a small depression right in front of the sacro joint: a very mini 'hunters bump' which could be indicitive of some sacroiliac disease/damage/arthritis, what have you.
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I definitely think Dragon got 'set off' by a combination of everything we've all said here, but maybe the root cause is sacroiliac back pain-- or the expectaion of pain-- or, that rider's weight (ten pounds heavier than me) was just enough to REALLY hurt him.
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Since Dragon's former owner/trainer at the track (who had him since he was a two year old) said he's always been cold backed, I do doubt the sacroiliac is involved. Maybe his back is fine and he just has that goofy quirk and needs the confidence/reassurance of a calm rider with a good seat. But I'm going to have my vet come out and have a look.
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Given all the 'interesting' problems I seem to be having with my horses (LOL) I broke down and bought enough stock panels to build a 60 foot round pen. Hooray! I think I'm going to join-up with everyone! Especially Dragon-- after the vet looks at him and gives me the all clear that his back is okay. Fingers crossed.
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By the way: My other horse L.Z.-- the one who had time off and went wild--is going great! Back to his old self. But join-up will be good for him too. Will let you know what the vet says about Dragon.
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Thank you all for your insightful/caring responses! Luv you guys!
Veterinarian gave Dragon a full check up-- and we found some issues!
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First off he is NOT backsore where the saddle goes-- but he is a bit sore near Sacro joint on left side and his left pelvic joint is locked up. 100% sound at trot-- be he subsequently failed a flexion test-- left hock-- minor arthritis. Vet feels SI soreness is a result of hock pain travelling UP.
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But there is no way to be certain his cold backed-ness is a direct result of this OR is simply 'him'....learned behavior, etc.
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None the less we are going to inject hock and also use accupuncture/chiro/massage to try and release his hip. Vet is confident she can resolve his pain and free him up. Then we will see how his cold-back responds.
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I have been watching Dragon blossom-- physically and mentally-- from being allowed to be a 'HORSE' again. Rolling, playing in the pasture and finally cantering and galloping. Slowly his totally stiff body (from being a racing machine) is loosening up all on its own. Injecting hock and other therapy will help to speed his recovery along.
Good to hear that you have found at least part of the root to the problem, katselasdan. Glad it wasn't Kissing spines! That presents far more problems to fix - if it can be done at all. Fingers crossed, a painfree hock will help with the back problem. Pain does travel to several parts of the body and once you have cured one "limping" you generally discover another that was masked by the first.
Sp great to hear that Dragon is "coming out"!