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  Discussion on Asymmetrical neck development
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Posted on Saturday, Sep 8, 2001 - 10:03 pm:

I am working with a 9 yo warmblood mare, who has not had the greatest training up to now. I have been working with her for about three months now. In my initial evaluation of her I noted that she did not travel straight, she leaned on the bit, she blocked the rein action in her neck, her hindlegs trailed along behind, and her neck when viewed from sitting in the saddle looked *broken* about two-thirds down (from poll to wither)especially on the right. I tackled the straightness first. Then began trying to get her to stretch from the wither and travel deep with the hindlegs active. She makes major objections to the stretching from the wither and to being in selfcarriage, and interestingly, if I do get her deep, soft, and through in the walk when I ask for the trot she is dead lame on the right for a few strides. Until she locks up in the neck again and bears down onto the bit. Then she travels without lameness. When I work her with leg yielding and bending at the walk to the left, there is a noticable amount of ligament snapping in her right lower legs, it disappears going to the right. If I canter her (this was a major problem) using a walk-canter transition and deep bend to the inside, she can maintain a fair stretch for a few strides going to the right. However, going to the left she can not canter unless her head and neck swings back and forth.
Now, these strange symptoms have only occurred since I started training her and trying to get her to stretch from the wither, and stay in self carriage. I am wondering if she has a trapped ligament in her neck process somewhere. The owner says that the mare had a history of pulling back when younger.
(I need to finish with the information that I am not an unexperienced rider. I ride at Grand Prix and am considered quite good.)

Posted on Sunday, Sep 9, 2001 - 11:04 am:

Hello Christine,
"Trapped ligaments of the neck" are not a well defined clinical entity. That is, there are no commonly experienced diseases that are referable to this problem.

However you may be having problems with vertebral malformation and/or pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. You should have the horse carefully examined and if a particular neck carriage does dependably induce a a lameness, have that evaluated for whether it is truly lameness or incoordination brought on by pressure of the spinal cord. From this a diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis can be discussed.
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Sep 9, 2001 - 7:02 pm:

Thank you, DrO. I will recommend that course of action to the owner.
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