Tucker Test

Well, That Was Interesting

I decided, after spending an hour or so picking up corn, to ride Tucker for a bit to see how he behaved.

Once I mounted, he walked off fine, heading for the gate to the woods.  When I turned him aside, he still walked on, but as soon as I put my leg on him to ask for trot, he planted his feet, laid his ears back and felt as if pushed, he would buck. I tried a few times with no success and then headed towards the gate.

He seemed really eager to go out for a trail ride, so we did. Out there, he felt very forward at the walk and once or twice kind of bounced a few trot strides.  I kept him in check and all was well until we had to go up the little hill on the trail back home. It's not steep, but definitely an uphill grade. Tucker got really bouncy there and started to toss his head. I could feel his back coming up under my seat in a not very pleasant way, but I didn't want to just let him trot/canter off, mostly because it was that "ready to buck" feeling again.  He settled reluctantly and managed to walk the rest of the way home.

Back in the arena, I asked for trot again. This time, he took off in a very forward trot on the left rein, then balked when we got near the woods gate which had swung shut after we'd gotten in the arena, spooking him a bit.  I manged to get him go past the gate, then trot again and he started almost powering into the bit. Actually, the trot felt pretty good if a bit too dramatic for the situation.

I just trotted around a little bit, then brought the whole affair to a halt and dismounted.

Tucker is a strange fellow in that he really reacts to things. Actually, the way he was behaving was how he often behaved in the warm up arena at shows before I treated him for ulcers. Now, I know at that point, he was in pain, so I have to conclude he is in pain now. But, is it his hocks?  Or could his stomach be bothering him again? Or, is it a combination of both?

Obviously, with the Pentosan, I am addressing the hock issue. So, I decided to address the possibility of an ulcer flare up as well.  I started him on some omeprazole tablets tonight and will continue for a few days to see if that makes a difference. Tuck gets his second shot of Pentosan on Tuesday as well, so I will have all bases covered next week.

Hopefully, something will make him happier.