80% of horses are 1/10th lame...

[dwi]

Discuss.

Farrier reckons I was ripped off by the vet and that a horse who is very occassionally slight pottery when in hard work is pretty common.

We're keeping on with the remedial shoes and the ExtraFlex to be on the safe side but wondering what other people's opinions are.

If your horse seems happy, healthy, easy to school and keen to jump would you be concerned if they did the odd nod when trotting on a circle after a busy week?

vet can't find anything wrong after hundreds of pounds on tests and visits. The answer seems to be that some horses just nod occassionally.

Do i just need to stop worrying and carry on as normal?

 

[lizziebell]

My mare often nods when we are about 500 yards from home - I wouldn't say she was ever lame!

You've kind of answered your own question - he could just be nodding because he is finding trotting on a circle after a busy week hard work. A lot of long distance runners as they get tired start nodding more - it helps keep momentum when running out of steam. Am sure horses sometimes do a similar thing.

 

[hondatyper]

I was at a yard a few years ago, I was watching a horse being trotted up for the vet, one of the liveries was a very experienced guy used to be an instructor in the Household Cavalry I remember him saying that the majority of the horses on the yard would trot up lame and it was a big yard! Suppose some will come out stiff, some may have minor injuries, foot problems, leg problems etc etc, like people I suppose we all have our ailments!

 

[Mahoganybay]

After my mare fractured her pedal bone the vet said that she will always looks about 1/10th lame when first ridden until she warms up, she also said that most horses do.

 

[floradora09]

Nah, I'd carry on, but if they get worse give them a couple of days off. IMO, if the horse is not in any pain (as yours sounds like it's not) and still keen to do everything, carry on!

 

[stencilface]

I wouldn't be overly concerned no. If a horse is happy to do the job and is only occasionally off then surely it is no different to when we get a bit of pain somewhere, which then goes away without us ever finding out what it is (or am I the only one with random pains?!) Sometimes i think it can be habits or the way a horses gait is too. Everytime my friend has ever ridden our pony she says he's lame, but really he is just not trotting properly and is doing a kind of odd lope.

If you consigned every person with occasional, mild pain to the scrap heap then no-one would be working!!

 

[Lollii]

I have the same problem with one of my horses, I have had the vet out loads of times & loads of treatment for this and that; xrays, nerve blocks etc etc but nothing is obvious.

He 'nods' on a tight circle on the lunge, and sometimes trotting uphill on the lanes, always on his right leg.

The vet said I could either ride him through it as he only does it *sometimes* & don't do to much on the hard ground or road work, or we could investigate further & *if* they find anything else it would probably result in a long box rest and/or a operation, neither are an option for my horse.

He is fine with what we do, he has been like this for 5 years now, I only do low level eventing (never noticed any lameness doing dressage or jumping) and I hunt or hack him twice a week - when he is out & his blood is up he never 'nods' the vet calls it bridle lameness.

 

[BeckyD]

I have to say that on each day Ron is about 1/10th lame on a different leg - certainly for the first 5-10 mins of walk, and then it seems to pass. In the old days I would have stopped exercising him at the first sign of him not being 100%, but after all he's been through, I think intermittent 1/10th lameness isn't so bad - bearing in mind he's so happy at the moment, bouncing into canter, loving his hacks, and working better then he ever has.

My view on lameness is constantly being re-evaluated at the moment. I would not be surprised at the statistic quoted. I often notice other people's horses looking "not quite right" but other days they look perfect. Prolonged or worsening lameness is a definite cause for concern still in my book. Let's just hope we can keep that 80% comfortable and happy.

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

would not be concerned - mine is happy and eager to gallop everywhere but is naturally pottery on roads and often feels unlevel in trot on concrete, soft ground he is 100% fine.

If he shows any sign of lameness in school or on soft going he is stopped working and given time to rest and mend

 

[sally2008]

The more enlightened farriers consider a horse who toe-lands (rather than heel-lands) to be 1/10th lame, regardless of what else may be wrong with them.

Personally, I would be concerned about a horse that nods, however occasionally, as it may be an indication of more serious trouble brewing.

 

[bushbaby28]

well lets face it no human is 100% sound

we all have our little ailments and injuries and think how stiff and sore you feel after a hard workout/ride/lesson etc

 

[Hippona]

[ QUOTE ]
well lets face it no human is 100% sound

we all have our little ailments and injuries and think how stiff and sore you feel after a hard workout/ride/lesson etc

[/ QUOTE ]

Lol! I was just about to say..most days I'm about 2/10 lame...especially if hobbling up a muddy hill.

I could do with chiro/physio and a good medical work-over myself....

 

[cptrayes]

You only have two choices left now, don't you ? - work him and see if he breaks or rest him when he is keen to work for you.

I know which I'd do and it's pretty clear what he wants.

You've had all the tests and they are all negative, so carry on - have a look in the warm-up at a riding club level dressage competition sometime - there will be plenty of unlevel horses trotting round (and that's not including the ones who are already on meds and sound because of it).

It would be really interesting to know if he still did it barefoot, but probably too much of faff for you to find out, given all you have already been through. You might consider it if he gets any worse though, since nothing else has thrown any light on his "problem".

 

[sally2008]

Very true, but I think there are as many "walking wounded" horses out there as people, and sadly some owners' observational skills could be improved as our equines are great compensators for problems and have no way of telling us, for example, that they feel a bit worse today then yesterday and worse still than last week.

 

[dwi]

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It would be really interesting to know if he still did it barefoot, but probably too much of faff for you to find out, given all you have already been through. You might consider it if he gets any worse though, since nothing else has thrown any light on his "problem".

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Thanks for the feedback. I have tried her barefoot but she just couldn't transition. She has very good feet but her soles are thin and flat and she just felt the stones too much out hacking.

 

[Flame_]

[ QUOTE ]
Discuss.

Farrier reckons I was ripped off by the vet and that a horse who is very occassionally slight pottery when in hard work is pretty common.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hmmm, probably true, doesn't necessarily make it right though.


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Do i just need to stop worrying and carry on as normal?

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Its not that easy. A lot of people do not pick up on signals that a horse isn't right, so they have no problem carrying on as best they can. Picking up on a problem, being aware that its there and that you've not got to the bottom of it, IMO will niggle at you. Every schooling resistance, every time she tries to run out of a fence will be hard to ignore and ride through if you know that your horse has an under-lying physical issue.

I can't decide where I stand on this. I think riding club type work and hacking on a horse that's not really sound, as long as its relatively happy and cooperative is OK and gives jobs to a lot of horses that would otherwise be PTS or field ornaments. I can't bring myself to be OK with people putting unsound horses under real pressure work wise and most decent riders who expect horses to work correctly from behind should have enough feel to know an unsound horse, and they really shouldn't ignore it IMO.

 

[dwi]

[ QUOTE ]

Its not that easy. A lot of people do not pick up on signals that a horse isn't right, so they have no problem carrying on as best they can. Picking up on a problem, being aware that its there and that you've not got to the bottom of it, IMO will niggle at you. Every schooling resistance, every time she tries to run out of a fence will be hard to ignore and ride through if you know that your horse has an under-lying physical issue.

I can't decide where I stand on this. I think riding club type work and hacking on a horse that's not really sound, as long as its relatively happy and cooperative is OK and gives jobs to a lot of horses that would otherwise be PTS or field ornaments. I can't bring myself to be OK with people putting unsound horses under real pressure work wise and most decent riders who expect horses to work correctly from behind should have enough feel to know an unsound horse, and they really shouldn't ignore it IMO.

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She's not going BE, BSJA or any serious competitive level. She's a RC horse going to local unaffiliated comps and enjoys the odd days hunting when I can afford it.

I can't retire her as she gets fat very quickly when not worked regularly and would then undoubtedly get laminitis.

You're right that it is niggling me but I'm not sure where else to go with it?

 

[Flame_]

In your situation, I would carry on then if she's happy, and have a supply of bute in to keep her comfortable when needed.

 

[Halfpass]

I had a horse once that used to be hoping lame going out on a hack but prefectly sound on the way home. I started off just pottering up the road and would turn round after 5 mins a he felt awful. I eventually ingnored the initial lameness and continued on our hack only to find he would come perfectly sound after going past the pig farm!!!!

 

[OrangeEmpire]

Both my horses are 1/10ths lame. The older TB is pottering along doing things he enjoys (namely bouncing up and down and demanding canters) until he tells me he doesn't want to any more. The younger horse has a mixture of problems which are all improving through a managed workload. She may always be slightly off but I hope not.

In both cases however the vet has been able to clearly diagnose their problems and their needs are managed carefully, with pain relief for the elder and physio work for the younger. They both tell me what they are comfortable doing. It is a hard call but I wouldn't be so relaxed about it if I didn't know what was making them sore so I could avoid exacerbating (sp) it.