"Vague" hind end lameness

trackgal · Postby **trackgal** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:44 am

I have a 4-yr-old PMU draft mix that I adopted at 6 months old, I broke him at two, now, for the first two years he was fine, sure footed never took a bad step, walk trot canter in the ring and on trail, never rode him hard, took it pretty easy being he was only two, now for the last year I have been at my wits end trying to find out why is isn't 100% behind like he used to be, he doesn't have much "bend" in his hocks, fairly sound in a straight line, but trotting in a circle he gets all "crouchy" and uncomfortable behind, we put 4 shoes on him and that has helped a great deal, but he still isn't right behind, I have noticed he is almost 100% on trail, but horrible in the ring, (could he be faking because he'd rather be on the trail?) Ive had 3 vets look at him and had his stifles ex-rayed they found nothing, they said just alot of up hill trotting will help get his stifles strong, but it's been almost a year and he still is a bit "funky" behind, I really notice it when he is "pulling up" going from a trot to a walk not a smooth transition, he has never been so lame that I couldn't ride him this is strictly an easy pleasure horse, he has never been ridden hard, I do have him on the EPSM oil diet as well,

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:00 am

Hmmmm... sounds like a back problem. The horse seems to be having trouble bending. Kissing spines? The trot to walk thing sounds more like hocks, though. What a mystery. Perhaps one of the "vet" members could be more helpful.

pembroke · Postby **pembroke** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:06 am

Your horse needs to see a chiropractor. As a "equine adjuster" I see this alot. Vaque lameness is one of the most common symptoms of spinal misalignments. I am not allowed by law to call myself a chiropractor as that is a title reserved for vets!! If, you cannot find one in your area let me know and I'll search for you.

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 8:16 am

Equine chiropractors seem to be hard to find... at least I can never find one. You could manipulate his spine yourself and find out if he is ouchy anywhere along it. Heating pads and magnetic blankets can work wonders for sore backs. If it is anywhere near the saddle area, you can use a thick neoprene pad with a stiff top to "balance" out the saddle area, plus use a good riser to get the saddle up.

skeenan · Postby **skeenan** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:54 pm

From what I've read (vet written articles), 90% of lamenesses are foot-related... I know my Morgan is very gimpy up front w/out shoes, for example, as he's too "tenderfooted"...

If you're certain he's not footsore, off-trimmed or anything foot related, does he do the same things while longing? If so, then I'd say you could rule out your saddle being an issue...

EPM affects the spine to varying degrees... not sure where you're from or where your boy came from, but it might be worth a blood test, just to make sure... not all horses show symtoms and those that do can range from mild to severe...

Just some thoughts besides those mentioned!

Bedouwia · Postby **Bedouwia** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 5:28 am

A friend of mine had almost the same problem. After lots of vet bills, including a chiropractor, it turned out that the problem was in the back. It was caused by a poor fitting saddle. This can be a real problem with some of the wide backed horses. She bought a new treeless saddle, and now the horse is fine. However, too much work in a bad saddle will lead to more and more problems. Just something to consider. If it were my horse I would leave it alone for awhile, and then ride it bareback. If it got better, you know you need to change saddles.

Bedouwia

BJ · Postby BJ » Fri Mar 17, 2006 8:04 pm

Bedouwia wrote:A friend of mine had almost the same problem. After lots of vet bills, including a chiropractor, it turned out that the problem was in the back. It was caused by a poor fitting saddle. This can be a real problem with some of the wide backed horses. She bought a new treeless saddle, and now the horse is fine. However, too much work in a bad saddle will lead to more and more problems. Just something to consider. If it were my horse I would leave it alone for awhile, and then ride it bareback. If it got better, you know you need to change saddles.

Bedouwia

My vote is back...but by all means check the feet. So few vets and trainers pay attention to the back. Why, I can't understand. Probably because it is too much trouble to X-ray and by the time a horse is showing real problems they've compensated themselves to a hock or other leg issue.

Stall rest would be the first order of business. Finding a good Chiro-Vet would be a Godsend. I think there is an organization called American Veterinary Chiropractic Association, or something like that. http://www.animalchiropractic.org/default2.htm

Also, there is an American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association http://www.ahvma.org/