This was so incredibly helpful!! I am suspecting ulcers with my gelding and some of the symptoms you mentioned are spot on, but my guy has a perfect shiny coat and doesn’t quite have the standard symptoms. So that’s been confusing to me but this was so helpful to hear about Roscoe’s experience. My boy has so much tension as well that I believe will improve so much after scoping/treatment and more regular bodywork.

Thank you for choosing to film this topic, my poor horse has a interesting history. Breeder sold him at 9 months, he was cut. His 1st owner had him from 9 months to 6 1/2 years. She did a lot of good ground work with him and brought him on nicely but she used “treats” and fed him up, put him on too much grass and at 5 he went down with laminitis. He was then starved! No treats and his behaviour deteriorated. I bought him at 6 1/2 and his behaviour was bordering on dangerous. I’ve always had positive experiences with laminitic horses & ponies so I changed his feeding routine and exercise routine too. He’s gradually improved both in behaviour and temperament. But, he’s been exhibiting ulcer symptoms just as you describe in your video. So my next challenge is to support his mental & physical recovery.

I don’t know if you have heard of “total contact saddle” but its something worth looking into. I never tried it, but those who did are in love with it.

Absolutely 100% my situation with my pony, I started to do Craniosacral therapy with him and he got out of it and became soft & happy :) Before he was not able to release, he was biting and anxious anytime he would be handled

Miri, my ex-broodmare THB (10 babies), has the same issues. I believe their muscles hold trauma memory, much like humans. She has learnt to accept the stretches, and I run my hands across her belly (both sides) in a meditative state to help relax her. We do this before I do any ridden work or groundwork, as she feels she needs to run, especially when lunging. We still struggle to get her to walk at the lunge. She kicks out sideways if we touch her side to move her over - but she's becoming much more trusting since changing her diet a year ago to SpeediBeet with lucerne chaff and a balancer. She's also an EMS sufferer. I'm constantly learning from her. Next week she's having her teeth properly balanced with bodywork. A new equine dentist looks at the TMJs and bone structure near the top of the head to balance the teeth. This will make a huge difference, I believe, especially in the contact on her left side when in ridden work. Its been a long journey to get her body balanced.

So interesting Miri. I am such an advocate for helping horses post trauma even when the vet gives the all clear. As a retired equine podiatrist, I used to see so many recovered laminitics and navicular cases that they still showed patterns of lameness for a time. It takes them time to unlearn this for themselves but also, as you say, their nervous system has memory also. Recovery doesn't just end at the medical treatment. Lovely video Miri. Keep them coming! X

Loving your video's x

This was really helpful! Thank you

YES! Love this. ❤ Not that he's feeling this way, but grateful you are helping him...Wonderful

Wonderful to see your work with horses!

Really interesting thanks Miri.xx

This is so helpful, the utter feeling of helplessness when your horse scans clear but still symptomatic is awful 😞 thank you for enlightening me ❤

This was so fascinating and it makes perfect sense. Thank you for sharing!

Yes i did as always, thankyou,brillent topic a real eye opener.

Your videos are always so interesting. Love watching them.

Your a wealth of knowledge! Thank you!!!!

Super interesting and I have the same situation with my TB!

Super interesting video!

Fascinating. I wish this video had come out when I had my lease horse. She was just like Roscoe.

Thank you miri this is always helping and allows me to better understand how ulcers effect the horse’s body inside and outwardly as well.

Could you ever do a video on a horses body language? I always thought I was aware but I think there are so many small signs horse's give us and I would love to learn more about the little reactions and what to look out for in daily handling :)

I always learn so much from watching your videos. Hoping for Roscoe’s future comfort.

Love the way you work. Beautiful. Thought provoking indeed

Very interesting. Thank you

brilliant piece, my horse just clear and thought id better do a bit more than just jump on! thank you so much for your time and effort and demonstrating such understanding of the horse

❤️‍🩹I love everything you stand for you are so inspiring 💞

Love this video my horse also had ulcers got scoped everyting but after treatment she was still not ok. Her symptoms have been difficult to read and we first thought of a lot of other things then ulcers. She also has atrosis of her si joint and after treating that she slowly got back to her old self. The ulcers are probably from distress in her body. And I always listen to her and even stepped off wen riding and she said no. Now she comes running from the back of the field to work with me as before I had to go get her. Keep up the good work!

This is so interesting and I can really relate to my tb mare, this also may explain why she kicks out with her right hind in certain moments, thank you for sharing🧡

I fractured my back in two places. Still had chronic back pain five months later. Similar scenario, my nervous system was protecting my back so was knotting my neck, shoulder and back muscles. Acupuncture and anxiety treatment has helped! Good luck!

Omg my mind is blown, this is SO interesting

Has he had a transabdominal ultrasound to check for hindgut ulcers? As far as I know that is the only definitive way to confirm or rule them out at this point in time. Back when I was investigating for one of my horses, I did find some research were some horses HG ulcers had hypoalbuminaemia & hypoproteinaemia blood work results (mine had hypoalbuminaemia & slightly elevated levels of white blood cells), but it was a very small sample size back when I was looking so not sure how relevant it would still be now. If he has been scanned clear, then it sounds a lot like like a condition I have called complex (in my case chronic) regional pain syndrome. It is basically when the nervous system short circuits after an injury & gets stuck in a sort of feed back loop of pain & inflammation which continues after the initial injury has healed. It can be either a short term condition or long term one, no one has yet figured out what triggers it nor how to fix/cure the chronic type.

You are amazing. I think I shall pop you onto an airplane and fly you over to Maine to check out my 6 year old. I asked my barn manager if she thought he could have ulcers. He is very sensitive to touch - gentle brushing seems to bother him. I get tail swishes….so I stop and pause. And resume barely touching him….he did lift his right hind at me the other day - I wasn’t paying attention. Anyway, barn manager thinks it’s just sensitive skins….but I wonder.

Such a good video. The communication from Roscoe is so clear once it’s been pointed out. How would you confirm there are no hindgut ulcers?

Have you ever heard of the Masterson method? Would be perfect to use on this horse. It works on release through the nervous system.

a thanks Miriam...im struggling to shift the ulcers in my lovely mare Miriam. It's been a year now and they are back again after almost being clear. It's definitely stress related so this couldn't have come at a better time for us...thanks Miriam....I love your approach :) Do you ride him yet or are you keeping him on groundwork for a while? x

Random question for you - my TB has many of these symptoms and has been treated for ulcers but has scarring in his stomach from very very old ulcers that 'healed' on their own. He is senstiive to tack up, handle, rug etc but only in the stable - great to ride and lovely in the field but can be very defensive in the stable. Does this have a connection to ulcers too or is this just space-related (ie feeling closed in?) ? I know its a very specific question and maybe hard to answer but would love to know your thoughts! thanks :)

Mine had all the vet prescribed ulcer treatments for 2 months nothing worked. Behaviour was still as though he had ulcers. 4 days on a hind gut supplement and he started to improve ! Scoping is great but can't go as far as the hind gut which can have problems and be hurting the horse showing similar behaviour.

Very interesting indeed. I find this same for an ill fitting saddle. It takes them a while to ‘digest’ the new reality. What do you think tho about this in respect to the belief they live in the here and now? I do feel like my horse is very much in his head. More than he ‘should’ be if he was living in the wild I assume. So maybe our modern day horses who interact often with us and have ‘jobs’ are also hung up on past and fearing future?

I see you still have the hay racks that I put up 30 plus years ago. Our old farm looks good.

As always I've come away from this video vastly more educated than I was before

Very interesting. I am wondering if for these horses if an herbal supplement designed for ulcer prevention helps with the symptoms?

It is called psychogenic pain. I heard from it 30 years ago where I had severe back pain for many years. My back pain was treated by a chiropractor but he told me that some of my pain in psychological. Since I am a human I avoided the trigger points aka read with a bended back.

My girl had ulcers she would lay down on me while being ridden before we knew it was ulcers and she would constantly do the flamens response and had 6 colic episodes in a matter of 3 months

Miri did you also treat him for hind gut ulcers? You cannot rule them out with a scope because it doesn’t reach that far back in the gut.

Thoughts on this situation? My horse was scoped. Glandular, squamous, pylorus ulcers grade 2/4. His symptoms were poor performance, bracing and resistance to lateral work, laziness, refusal to canter on lunge, mild RH lameness for a few steps on occasion. Bone scan and x rays good. I'm now 2 months into treatment. Horse now happily rides walk trot. Slow to pick up canter, canter not lovely but not awful. But he still refuses to canter on lunge line. Tried to crossfire on lunge to right if I can get a few strung out strides. Hip drops and hind leg sticks, gets left behind on occasion as he tries to canter. This "trip" occasionally happens under saddle. At least once one ride. Horse still has glandular ulcers no improvement as of Dec 22. But squamous healed and is now keritosis. Am I missing something or can ulcers explain all this trouble with canter?

hiii

Rosco would very much never to have murdered animal skins strapped on his back, around his ribs, forced on his face with a iron bar forced in his mouth. Horses without humans! Except regular medical care