Any ideas..also in veterinary??

Zeb93

Zeb93

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Hi all,

A bit of a history:
I got my horse (a tb) about 6 weeks ago. He is 6yo, has been at a small racing yard since unbacked 3yo but although being trained for steeplechase has never raced. He has done little else other than race training and hacking. We got the physio out to him straight away when we got him and she noticed that his pelvis was out which we suspect he did on the lorry as he was quite wound up. After a few sessions this has been rectified (she said it improved much quicker than she expected) and she gave me the go ahead to start riding. We haven't been doing too much, just a bit of hacking and popped in the school once or twice - very low pressure atm.

He is a bit funny with his back legs, he snatches them away when picked up and doesnt like boots etc on them. His back is also quite weak over his hindquarters with one side having more muscle than the other. This has improved enormously since we have had him but it is still uneven.

On there own these things wouldn't concern me but twice recently he has done something which makes me think there is an underlying problem. Whilst out a hack at the weekend we were trotting and he suddenly stopped putting weight on his back leg. I got off immediately but he walked forwards fine and then trotted fine.. I walked him home and he seemed ok, tracking up walking forwards, ears pricked and nothing unusual. We trotted him up the next day and he was completely fine. I took it that, as he can be very overreactive with his back legs something had brushed against him and given him a fright or something so decided to ride again. This time I put an exercise sheet on, despite it not being as cold. He was completely fine out hacking. When we got back I decided to trot him up to double check (without anything on his back). He was fine the first time, my mum then took him and he started trotting then did the same thing again. He again held his leg up for a few steps then put it down and walked and trotted sound. I have never seen anything like it!

I have a few thoughts on what it might be but really don't know enough to draw any conclusions and wondered if anyone on here had seen anything like this before. Sorry if its not clear or not enough information, quite a difficult thing to try and explain! I have a video of him moving if that would help.

Thanks a lot
 
Ok, is that something that should be further investigated or should I get on with it. Im worried about doing things which will cause him more damage but also if he is sound an happy don't want him bored in the field if that makes sense? Have done a quick google search, looks like that is something which will improve as he gets fitter and stronger so should I just keep going with a slow fittening programme?

Thank you for replying! :)
 
We had one that did that intermittently when jumping. He was a grey and I have a theory that greys are more prone to shiver and I wondered if it was shiver/stringhalt related?

It was very, very rare for him to do it but there was something a bit strange which we never got to the bottom of.
 
Clip doesn't work for me, but the first thing I thought was locking stifle.

The fitter they are, the better it gets, so lots of slow hill work, plus pole work in the school, but not lunging at least for a while.

Is it the side which is less muscled?

When mine did it, odd things would set it off - going through water made him hold it up for 2/3 strides (jump judge yelled out pull up he's lame, but I knew what it was and he got it working after a few strides!), being shod was tricky, and putting studs in was something we learnt to do carefully, leaving the toe on the floor as much as possible.

He went on to be a Grade A with someone else, so it didn't hold him back.
 
Zeb93 said:
Not that I am aware of - but then don't know a huge amount about his history.
Click to expand...

Just curious as I once had an ex racer that came to me as a three year old with a fractured pelvis, quite common in young TB's, he had lots of time off as I was just pregnant at the time, and did go on to compete until navicular set in but the muscle wastage to one side never did even out.
 
The uneven muscles and snatchy back legs would also make me ponder sacro iliac damage. Worth looking at him over poles and backing up etc as both can show muscle weaknesses or discomfort that normal going forward-ness doesn't always highlight. Does he pick up both back legs equally over poles, for example. And can he pick up, flex and put down cleanly both feet in a rein back or does he scrape them more stiffly back? Obviously not a full veterinary diagnosis ha ha, but can help show discomfort in SI area...
 
philamena said:
The uneven muscles and snatchy back legs would also make me ponder sacro iliac damage. Worth looking at him over poles and backing up etc as both can show muscle weaknesses or discomfort that normal going forward-ness doesn't always highlight. Does he pick up both back legs equally over poles, for example. And can he pick up, flex and put down cleanly both feet in a rein back or does he scrape them more stiffly back? Obviously not a full veterinary diagnosis ha ha, but can help show discomfort in SI area...
Click to expand...

It was the SI area that the physio picked up pain in and it was definitely sore although now seems much better and the muscle development is coming. We have been doing exercises for this area. I haven't looked at him over poles or backing up but definitely will.

It hadn't occured to me that the two things (muscle weakness and touchy legs, and the sudden snatching up of his hind leg for a few strides) could be different problems which of course they could be.
 
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