Having trouble with your horse?
Do you have any of the following issues consistently with your horse?
Bucking, Rearing, Refusing to Move, Stiffness that looks like arthritis, Trouble holding up feet, especially hind feet, Intermittent lameness, rock hard muscles, very dark coloured urine, nasty temperament, Jekyll and Hyde temperament, rapid weight loss, dents in the muscles, trouble picking up a certain lead, throwing head up when putting on the saddle, biting at the cinch, excessive rolling, trouble saddling in general?
It's very possible your horse has a genetic issue that is causing any or all of the above behaviour.
Many have heard of HYPP, a genetic issue that traces back to the great AQHA stallion, Impressive. Genetic testing for HYPP has been around for many years. If your horse has Impressive in it's pedigree it should be tested for HYPP. If the reult is nn (negative) then the horse will never have any HYPP issues.
However, more genetic testing has been developed and the new "HYPP" is a disease called PSSM. PSSM comes in two basic forms PSSM1 and PSSM2 - PSSM2 has many variants, some still being discovered. PSSM can cause any or all of the symptoms labelled above. If a horse has PSSM and is showing symptoms treatment involves a specific diet and exercise regime. Many horses quit almost all of their symptoms with proper management. PSSM1 and PSSM2 require different diet management so it is important to know which one your horse might have. though the specific source horses for PSSM are not known yet, many pedigree lines are known. If your horse is having the issues above check out BRIDGEquine.com or email us here at Red Dog Ranch and we can help you figure out if a genetic disease is likely to be causing your horse's problems and how to test for it. PSSM affects just about every breed. BRIDGEquine does have a database for members that you can look up horses to see if there is known PSSM in their bloodlines.