[Vengeance]

Ok, this isn't something for MY horses, it's for my cousin (who now owns the arab, Mo)...

He left our place perfect... very docile, a little hyper every so often, overall, a horse she could control.

Now, for some reason, he's changed. I don't have a clue what it is, so i'll try to explain.

He's very tense in his neck. He's always held his head and neck up, and arched it, but now it is just abnormal, almost. I can run my hands down his neck and just feel the tenseness in the muscles. He don't relax either. The rest of his body is fine, not tense at all, just his neck.

Also, he's come to the point where my cousin can't control him anymore. I've been having to ride him lately, and he's hard for me to ride. He'll sidestep, jump, move, backup, anything except bite and kick to keep from moving forward. He's thrown his head up a lot of times when I've been on him (I had to throw my head back to keep him from hitting me).

I can get him to ride, but he doesn't want to, I can feel it in his walk. Once I make him go though, he's ok, but he just wants to come back in the yard. I discliplined him once by making him turn in circles (something that he knows means he's done something wrong) and he went up on his hind legs and turned about 4 circles on his hind legs before he came down.

This may be a training issue, but I'm inclined to think health, because he's always been a very good horse when we owned him.

I've ran my fingers down his spine, and no soreness, and there doesn't seem to be nothing wrong with him.

Any advice is welcome. My cousin (his owner) told me to post this about a week ago...

[JBandRio]

I can't keep track of which horses are at which cousin's place. I'd be tense if I was with some of them

Lots of possibilities - he was beaten, ridden roughly, fell down (either by his own doing or someone elses), etc.

[Vengeance]

I can't keep track of which horses are at which cousin's place. I'd be tense if I was with some of them

Lots of possibilities - he was beaten, ridden roughly, fell down (either by his own doing or someone elses), etc.

Sorry... We traded Mo for Tamara's horse Ginger and Sweet Pea... Tamara takes good care of Mo, so no worries about that... he's within walking distance (not even a 5 minutes walk... I can see him from my house). He don't belong to one of my 'bad' cousins. Lol.

As for what your possibilities are...
Him being beaten is absolutely out of the question. I know for a fact that he's been smacked with the reins on his side a few times but never beaten.

Ridden roughly... please elaborate... I'm not sure what your rough riding is compared to mine.

Falling, he's fell once, completely fallen, with my friend months before we traded with my cousin. He was in shoc over it, but snapped out of it quickly and went back to the old Mo, though a bit more careful where he put his feet.

Hope that helps some.

[Dawn]

Is she using a different saddle than you were? Different bit, bridle? How is his hoof care?

[Vengeance]

Is she using a different saddle than you were? Different bit, bridle? How is his hoof care?

She's using a different saddle, but the same bridle/hackamore (I gave it to her). Though... wouldn't the saddle, if it's causing problems, make his back sore? Because it doesn't seem like he's sore...
He has just recently been reshod (though my opinion of the farrier they are using is somewhat biased, because I didn't like his work on my mare... ) but that's not to say that he's doing a bad job on Mo...

[Vengeance]

Sooo.... anyone have any takes?

[JBandRio]

Vengeance, there really is nothing more anyone can guess here, and even if there was it's PURELY a guess. The best thing is to have a vet out to at least try to rule out any injury. From then on it's an environmental/training/tack issue, one or more of those, and you can't fix it until you know which one it is.

[lips]

I certainley wouldn't attempt to take a stab at what is bothering him without seeing the horse first. It could be a number of things, and yes a sore back from an ill fitting saddle most certainley can do this to a horse. But like I said, I have no clue, without seeing him. I'd be tempted to call a trainer or a vet would be an even better idea if she is really having issues with the horse. It could be serious, or not.

[dressage lover]

My horse also has been getting very tense through his poll and neck, just in the last 2 weeks or so which is not like him at all . He has been locking through his neck and poll and hasn't been wanting to move forward and lift/swing through his back like ur boy.

Like in my lesson last Wednesday, i was trotting a 20m circle when he suddenly took off and started bronc bucking for absolutely no reson whatsoever and even my instructor couldn't tell that he was going to do it. He bucked his whole way around the 20m circle and my instructor was yelling "turn him, pull the rein" and i couldn't turn him becuse he was braced against me and wouldn't yield. He did about 8-9 huge bucks in a row (was very surprised and proud that i stayed on ) Absolutely scared me to bits as it was so unexpected. SO DANGEROUS

I think that his saddle is not 100%, and he is really sensitive in his back so i am getting the chiropractor and the saddlefitter out asap to make sure that everything is ok and to have things adjusted if need be.
This mite b a good idea for ur horse as well, his back mite b out or something. Its best to cover all possibilities.

Anyhoo my instructor got on him and said that he was very stiff and that i need to do exercises with him to help him soften much more and bend his WHOLE body around my leg and to 'release' a tense neck.

I think that u mite need to do these exercises with ur horse so he learns to soften and relax his poll and neck. Lots of leg yielding in walk and trot so he has to soften around the inside leg.
In halt try to get him to bend his neck round to touch ur knee on both sides without moving his feet.
Maybe ur instructor or experienced horse person could ride him or teach you more exercises to help ur horse un-stiffen.
Oh and maybe ur cousin has rough hands or something?????
Hope this helped a little
sorry its so long

[Just_me]

Something that worked wonders for my sisters horse was a physiotherapist.Her mare got massage therapy for 3 weeks,had to work long and low on the lunge line but was not allowed to be ridden.She was much more relaxed and comfortable afterwards.