The Problem Horse

Few horses are genuinely bad. There are often underlying clinical problems that can manifest themselves as bad behaviour. Bucking and rearing may be due to oral pain, back, gastric or orthopaedic pain. Some hindlimb lamenesses are very subtle, especially if both hind limbs are affected and can result in changes in behaviour (eg refusing the occasional jump or resenting ridden work). Similarly there are various modern approaches to ‘the hormonal mare’.  We aim to work systematically to investigate any problem horse to get to the root of the problem. Alistair has a strong interest in equine behaviour and combines this with clinical examinations to ensure a holistic approach to each case. Before giving up on your problem horse please please contact one of our vets, we may just be able to help!

X-ray of a horse’s back. The red arrow points to an impinging dorsal spinous process, or kissing spine. The green arrow illustrates a normal space. The kissing spine was the cause of the horse’s bucking behaviour.