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My little gelding gets cranky in his back during the winter months (which is like half the year, here.) He's not really cold backed, just unhappy about working and his back is super tense and it takes a while to warm up. Our temps just dropped this week, and when we hit 13 degrees F at night he was as cranky as he has ever been. I use a blanket by Back on Track to help warm his muscles but it occured to me that I ought to try magnesium. Any thoughs?

COld back -- that was the symptom my PSSM type 2 horse gave me before he was diagnosed.

I've never tried magnesium, but my cold-hater wears a quarter sheet in the winter.

I often use a back on track sheet before riding when it's cold, there are also back on track saddle pads that might actually be a good fit for your horse's winter needs.

The saddle pad in particular might be a worthwhile investment regardless of whether you add magnesium

I have one of the saddle pads-- will add it to the mix

Yeah, that rings PSSM bells for me too. Simple solutions: Reduce NSC/sugars in feed, ALCAR (acetyl-l carnitine) and vitamin E. Plus, do not let them get cold---they are much more sensitive than normal horses.

I have already reduced his sugar in his diet-- my other cob has cushings and I would rather just use low nsc feeds to avoid complications later in life. I will check out ALCAR. I have not had Joey tested for PSSM. I do blanket him more than normal because he does seem quite affected by cold.

ZinniaZ wrote:I have already reduced his sugar in his diet-- my other cob has cushings and I would rather just use low nsc feeds to avoid complications later in life. I will check out ALCAR. I have not had Joey tested for PSSM. I do blanket him more than normal because he does seem quite affected by cold.

The type1 test is inexpensive, just mane hairs sent off. The type 2 test requires a small amount of muscle tissue to be sent off. Mine had it done near his tail dock, and you'd never know it was done, it was tiny.

Zinnia if you do test your horse I would be very interested in the results if you don't mind sharing. I have always fed my cobs low NSC food in general. I have always supplemented with vitamin E as well. I have not found any of my cobs to be sensitive to the cold. I have owned one that had metabolic syndrome and suspect some of the bloodlines that are more prone to that end. I have had cobs that have lived a normal lifespan never having developed cushings or other metabolic issues so it's not necessarily a given for all. Because they were developed way, way, way back when using a fair amount of Shire bloodlines, the PSSM issue if documented would be worthwhile to know not just for management of individuals but in breeding choices down the road for people like me.

I'll probably do the test but in the spring when I do shots. Foir now, I will try those supplements and keep warming up his back. Poor petunia!

ZinniaZ wrote:I'll probably do the test but in the spring when I do shots. Foir now, I will try those supplements and keep warming up his back. Poor petunia!

Zinnia, Mocha was somewhat cold backed also. I used a quarter sheet but I also found that keeping his saddle pad in a warm room before I put it on his back helped too!

My Tuddy horse had some back issues. Magnesium does help as it is a natural muscle relaxant. Relaxed muscles will have increased blood flow. It won't hurt your horse, so I would try it. Make sure you use a Magnesium Citrate as it is a better absorption rate. I know it helped my Tuddy.

And I am all about the Back On Track Products!

Riot is on mag year round. Its wonderful. He was likely deficient, I have noticed a huge change. He doesn't have PSSM, just seems to be one of those go getters prone to tension and ambition

I also have BOT saddle pads but please be careful to not use in the summer. they can get too hot. The BOT mesh sheets didn't really fit and work well, but others swear by them. Again, he doesn't have back problems.

I am notcing a continuing big difference. His canter is better than it has EVER been. He has winter exuberance but he no longer feels cranky and stuck in his back.

Please share what you did to get these results?

Glad it's going better for you two!

I did a few things.
1. Added magnesium and vitamin e to his feed. (I think this has made the most difference as I was doing all the other things before.)
2. Use Back on track blanket and saddle pad on coldest days and normal blanket on moderately cold days to keep his back from getting too cold.
3. Added a cavaletti day and a jumping day to his work week, as well as using at least a ground pole every ride. These have helped him be happier in the ring and I think building stregth on his rear is helping his back feel better overall.
4. Lungeing/ long lining in a way to teach him to stretch down and move his shoulders.

I read on COTH about folks using an electric blanket or large heating pad. I'd guess even if you don't have an outlet nearby and heat it up then unplug it and bring it over to your horse it still has a fair bit of warmth still to make a difference.

They sell battery heated coats for humans. Now we need a battery-powered heating blanket for a horse.

Zinnia, FWIW #1 & #3 are what keeps our welsh cob studly happy; but, we're in the desert where green grass exists only for a short while. Not PSSM; but, simply a need for those things deficient.

I have to deal with PSSM. It sucks. Some horses are more symptomatic than others. Besides keeping him extra warm, I would suggest MagRestore and Tri-Amino.

PSSM2 is really a different disease than PSSM1. It used to be suggested to feed them the same way. Low sugar, high fat. While some PSSM2’s will improve some with that, amino acids seem to be very important. So, increasing protein should help. Tri-Amino is a cheap and easy way to start down that path. It will provide three important amino acids that the horse is not able to produce themselves.

There is a PSSM page on Facebook that can provide s tremendous amount of help.