Re: RideCamp: Balker

[Linda Cowles <linda_cowles@mentorg.com>]

> <<May be cold backed?>>
> 
> I have never heard that term before.  Could you please explain what that means?
> Thanks
> Jenni


The symptoms of "cold back" are a negative reaction to being saddled or
cinched up, anxiety at being mounted, bucking...

Horses "warm up" out of it. 

The horses I've had described to me as "cold backed" all had vague back
problems. 

Some needed chiropractic adjustment, but most were being ridden in
saddles that don't fit, or had had a bad saddle fit problem in the past
that left deep scaring. I guess when you know what to look for, it's
obvious. My tendency is to think "chiropractic problem", but it's
usually saddle fit. 

These horses were often described as having mental problems, old bad
habits or trying to get away with something. 

I have a friend whose horse had been ridden years before in a saddle
that didn't fit, ended up with the telltale white patches of hair, and
the back is still sensitive and tight. The horse hated being cinched.

We started massage, and the results have been immediate. A few minutes
of cross fiber massage every other day (literally 5-6 minutes) and the
horse no longer switches it's tail and moves away in anxiety when being
saddled...


  Linda Cowles, Gilroy CA


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