Horse growing too fast?

I guess this would be a 2 part post:1 part explaining my problem and 1 part what we can do now

My gelding is 2yr 5mths old. He was broke right at 2 very gently under saddle and was very calm and willing. He was sent for 30days training.

He has always been soft to pick up his trot, just move your hips and he'd go. He has in the last 2 month been getting harder and harder to the point I would have to bring a crop with me all the time. For the trot I wouldn't have to use it, just having it onboard was enough, but for the canter-I would ask, tell then give him a light tap to tell him to move forward, he would buck and then lope like nothing happened---the bucks were getting bigger and scarier as time moved on.

I know my guy and he aims to please and this behaviour was not like him at all so I called in a vet. The vet watched him on the lunge line w/t/l and did some visable tests for wobblers-tight 180 turns, walk blind etc. Wobblers tests were negative --thank god--but he said he's probably growing too fast and he looked stiff and rigid in his rear end-no extension at the trot, just kinda shuffled along and dragged his toes and at the canter the vet said he was reaching so far under himself it looked like he was trying to avoid pressure. Vet put him on DEX for 2 months and no work at all for 1 week, then walk only under saddle for a month. The DEX has helped-his extension even at the walk is significantly better. And we noticed swelling in his hind end gone-we never noticed it swollen to start with but everything is way more defined now.

He's been on the DEX almost 3 weeks now.

I find him tubby now too, can't feel his ribs at all and his neck is somewhat cresty. He is paint/qh x for reference.

Have any of you come across this before? I'm so terrified something is seriously wrong and he'll be unusable eventually. Maybe its something else we are just not seeing?

Part 2

What can we do at a walk under saddle? We are getting bored :)

Hi Mackdragon, Welcome aboard our Forum........sorry I have no words of wisdom to impart......just wanted to say hello........... :wel_ani3Tay.gi

Hay ;) Glad I found this place, on other forums I know I'd get childish responses-here seems very nice and quiet :) Just a worried horse mommy.

hey my friend.. welcome aboard, I have no advice for Blue, but I can say he is pretty.. :)

His bum sold him ;) Looking for outside advice or people who had similar experiences

Since he is still growing, maybe saddle fit is an issue for him. Just thought I would throw that out there; one of my horses exhibitied similar behaviour. I gave him the winter off, chiropractic work done and practiced carrot stretches with him and once I finallly found a saddle that fit him properly the resistance disappeared.

There are a few of us who for various reason do alot of walking with our horses lol. Sometimes we're both walking - it can get the neighbours talking which does have its entertainment value. Although in my case my neighbours are my in-laws and really I don't need to give them more reason to wonder where in the world my husband found me lol.

I like to put on music, nice and loud while I ride sometimes. I have chickens and we "chase" those out of the ring and pretend we're world class penners. Sorry not much advice, but hopefully it is a stage he will grow out of and you can get back to actually riding. Set up a few trotting poles and practice backing straight, making perfect circles, riding a perfect barrel pattern - we might be walking but in our minds .... lol. I think the heat this weekend has gone to my head :-)

Good luck.

LOL we are world class reiners in our own world :) I do walk him down the road but its more like lunging down the road-still a bit excited with new stuff.

Checked his tack, seems well fitted, even tried english instead of western, different western saddles-all the same.

Welcome!

Do you have a Confo Picture to show? I know when Cowboy was a baby (also started as a 2 year old) he had to take a month or two off because he was that uneven (now at 4.. still a wee bit bumm high, supposed to even out this winter fingers crossed! haha) the way the saddle fit put the pressure on the wrong points. he decided to chunk up last year too, went from semi-bars to full this year because he is a beassttt haha.

First is my boy 2 weeks before training--mid April 2011, second is him 2 weeks into training--mid May 2011, third is just a couple days ago. I sticked him today-a generous 15.2 in the hiney and 15hh at the withers. Ignore my father with no helmet lol.

Welcome Mack!! I have nothing else to add....sorry. (But this is a nice quiet fun forum as well!)

just wanted to add.. i am completely and udderly jealous of your indoor! beautiful :)

Well thats not ours-that was at the trainers-but where we are we have a nice coverall indoor :)

Gotta say, he looks like a different horse from April compared to now!

He's very young at only 2.5 y/o. It sounds like he's had very solid basics installed, why not give him some time off to just be a horse? He still has lots of growing left to do. Turn him out to pasture for a couple of months before the snow flies, then start off slow again in the new year. He really is still a baby. I know there is lot of debate whether 2.5 is too young/old for breaking but if it was my personal horse I'd leave him alone for now. I'm sure he'll pick right up where you left off, he won't forget what he's learned this far.

I have to agree with BFHG. Horses minds grow in stages much like their bodies, and sometimes, they seem ready one minute and you turn around and their minds aren't there yet. Also, during growth spurts, you can see how awkward they are without a rider. They are trying to find their feet in their 'new' body, and even though your saddle fits and everything seems hunky dory, they are out of alignment. Give him a few months to be a horse and grow, then work with him in other ways, then come back and try again under saddle. Getting him fit and conditioned from the ground is key to having him fit and conditioned under saddle, so keeping him working and and flexing will benefit both you and him in the end.