Oh no! Not another leg problem!

Stella2

Stella2

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Aug 5, 2001
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This is bit long, sorry, but I'm worried and just need to share :(

Some of you will be familiar with Flora's history of health problems - chronic recurrant severe lymphangitis in the off hind led to her being very ill, lame of course, then stiff for weeks each time she was being brought back into work. Then we had bilateral in the front feet. After much worry, cyntingraphy, x-rays, she was diagnosed with a particularly bad sidebone in both feet, fractured on the left. Although sidebone often doesn't cause lameness, the Vet was pessimistic as it was so severe. It was suggested that I consider surgery - a big operation with a low success rate and/or turn her away, but he was not over hopeful. I turned her away for 7 months and thankfully she did come sound :)

I have been slowly bring her back into work for about 5 weeks. I had the Physio out early and she found her to be very sore (she knows her well and more sore than ever before) in her back, neck and quarters. She must have done something in the field whilst off work. That was treated and set us back a little in our 5 weeks. Physio said she wanted to review her in 4 to 6 weeks. I also had her saddle checked and that was fine. The Saddler and I agreed it would need reviewing as she developed topline again. Over the past week or so, I have found that she felt increasingly stiff and evasive on the left rein and it has been nearly impossible to get any bend, so the physio was out again today. She had some soreness in the area of the right poll and left quarters, "but nothing major" she said, but she found that she wasn't moving her off hind leg properly ion a tight circle i.e. not crossing it under herself properly and swinging it out a little to avoid working it properly. This would acount for the problems on the left rein. Physio said that she doesn't know what is causing it (she is not lame), but if it doesn't settle over the next week after this treatment, including 48 hours not ridden, given the saddle has been checked, I should get the Vet :eek:

I just can't bare the idea, to begin the whole investigative proceedure all over again and have her off work :(
Does anyone here have any knowledge of what can cause that type of action?
 
Sorry to hear about Flora - I hope she gets better soon :)

I dont really know if this is related, but when Lady was lame, it showed up as leaning on the right rein & evading bending that way. It was only as the lameness got worse that you could actually see anything & even then it took the vet ages to work out that she was actually lame on both hind legs rather than in front :rolleyes:

Good luck :)
 
Merrick swings his off hind right under his body to avoid weighting it. He has osteoarthritis in his off side stifle following on from an old ligament rupture. Stifle and hock problems often show up as an altered limb flight path so it's definitely worth getting it checked out by the vet. Doesn't necessarily mean it's anything serious but at least your mind will be put at rest.
I understand how you feel about yet more investigations (got the t-shirt) and can only send you good wishes for this and my hopes that it is quickly resolved :)
 
Thanks guys, that is all helpful. I may have brought this on by thinking she was going to stay sound and might be ready to enter a dressage test by September. The last time I did that, she was off for 7 months :rolleyes:

Good job she's gorgeous :)
 
Could be a myriad of things, from horrible to nothing to worry about.

The swinging out tends to suggest stifle or higher. Commonest in unfit horses is lax ligaments in the stifle and that sorts itself out as they get fitter. Also given that it looks as though she has had a tip-up in the field another possibility is that she has slipped the stifle and popped it back herself - would make her stiff and sore for a while but usually settles on its own. I know that one having seen George do it - rolled, bronc'd as he was getting up and lost his hind legs out behind and then shot off on three legs, bucked and the joint realigned and he galloped off on all four. He was never lame, just a bit sore for a couple of weeks.

Instead of mentioning dressage tests, mutter 'pedigree chum' as you go past the box or even worse 'Asda Smart price' :D usually makes them buck up their ideas
 
Hi, really sorry to hear about your horse, do'nt know if you've viewed my thread (heart breaking to watch) but my horse has also been swinging out his hind but then twisting it as it touches the ground, the vets think it's a nuerological problem possibly caused by trauma but he has not been lame and does'nt appear to be in pain. so I certianly understand how you are feeling. Does'nt it just feel like 1 step forward 2 steps back, some times.
 
Bless you all for the good wishes :)

Knockaroo - I'm sorry to hear about you horse, that must be a terrible worry for you :(

LGD - after my initial panic, I'd been thinking along those lines and I'm keeping the niggling worry about worse options reasonably well suppresed at the moment :rolleyes: I'll try hinting at dog food, but she won't believe me ;) I have a lesson with Pippa Hahn on Friday (its hard for Lesley to teach me on my own horse due to time constraints) so it will be good to have eyes on the ground to look at how she is moving under saddle.
 
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