The Girth Pain, Wither Pain and Stomach Ulcer Connection with Dr Ian Bidstrup
Saturday 19th October 2024 @ 10:00 HRS BST
The Girth Pain, Wither Pain and Stomach Ulcer Connection with Dr Ian Bidstrup
Girthy horses are quite common, and most horse riders consider girthiness a behavioural problem, or, if getting more obvious, that it is a sign the horse has stomach ulcers. The aim of this presentation is to explore the intricate web that being girthy is just part of. Spinal stiffness and nerve irritation, dropped back posture, wither tenderness and tension, shying, kissing spines, stomach ulcers, difficulty with saddle fit, canter lead problems, birth trauma and disengagement of the sacroiliac coupling are going to feature in this discussion of this wicked web. Additionally, we will go into user friendly home help for girthy horses that can complement professional care.
Girth pain and irritation are so common in horses that most horse owners and riders think that the dislike of girthing up horses show in their eyes, facial expressions and behaviour mean little more than the horse showing some displeasure at the idea of having something wrapped around their chest. The degree of pain or irritation associated with the girth varies greatly in horses. A portion of horses make their plight obvious by kicking out at the girth or even lie down when girthed up, but many, many horses just learn they must put up with process of being girthed up and just grimace or bite at the tie up rail in front of them. Some horses appear quite comfortable with having a girth applied, though from my experience these horses really are in a lucky minority. So, there is quite a spectrum of the ‘normal horse’.
My own clinical experience of examining and treating more than 15,000 horses for spinal pain over the last 25 years is that girth tenderness, girth pain and girth irritation are incredibly common, and the main difference between horses is the severity of the problem. One research paper documenting into the presence of pain and tension associated myofascial trigger points (TPs) in the girth region of thirty-eight horses revealed all the horses had a considerable number of trigger points present in the pectoral muscles under the girth and a substantial portion had quite tender and reactive TPs.
At the same time, asking horse owners and riders whether their horse shows signs of being girthy before I examine these horses has revealed that the majority of owners are unaware of the degree of girth discomfort/pain the horse is suffering, or, too commonly, don’t realise the horses are bothered at all. Of course, there is the portion of horse riders/owners who are acutely aware of the horse’s pain/dislike.
Pharmaceutical companies have popularised the belief that horses actively displaying girthy behaviour are just suffering from pain caused by stomach ulcers. A good improvement in a horse’s reaction to the application of a girth does often come with treatment with ulcer medications. If we look at the involved neurology there is good reason for the response. However, there is also a considerable percentage of horses which do not change in behaviour with medications or only show a reduced ‘dislike’ to the girth. We will explore the relationship between stomach ulcers/pain, girth pain/girth trigger points and the presence of upper thoracic spinal stiffness.
Identifying and effectively treating spinal stiffness/dysfunction of the upper thoracic spine and related ribs usually makes a big impact not only on girth and wither pain, but also the nerve irritation, dropped back posture, wither tenderness and tension, kissing spines, shying, difficulty with saddle fit, canter lead problems, birth trauma and disengagement of the sacroiliac coupling. Appropriate veterinary chiropractic, veterinary osteopathic, and acupuncture used in combination are usually very efficient in improving all the above, but these horses can still be given relief with home-based massage, spinal and chest mobilisation exercises, and various stretches.
For all attendees, CPD certificates available as well as a “view only” recording of the webinar with a 30-day access pass. There will also be a Q and A session with ample opportunity to post questions via our interactive Q&A panel.
Dr Bidstrup
Treating spinal pain and dysfunction of horses has been Ian Bidstrup’s obsession for the last 25 years of his 40 plus years as a veterinarian.
In addition to a degree in veterinary science, qualifications from both Australia and America include a Masters Degree in Chiropractic Science for animals and Certification in Acupuncture from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Therapeutic approaches include veterinary chiropractic, acupuncture, regenerative Injection therapy (dextrose prolotherapy), neural therapy and homotoxicology. Particular interests include birth trauma, girth pain, neck pain, kissing spines, stifle lock, sacroiliac joint complex strain and dysfunction, and saddle related spinal pain.
Between 2002 and 2009 Ian was one of the principal lecturers in Animal Chiropractic at RMIT University Graduate Diploma in Animal Chiropractic. Also from 2000 to 2020 he was the principal lecturer at the ASFA Saddle Fit Accreditation and Advanced Accreditation courses, and was is the editor of the course manuals. He is rated as a Master Saddle Fitter by ASFA with his specialty being saddle design and suitability.
Ian is a past president of Animal Biomechanical Professionals Australia, formerly known as the Australian Veterinary Chiropractic Association. Also a member of veterinary professional associations ANZCVS (equine medicine and rehabilitation), AVA, EVA, AVAG, and IVAS.
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