Any ideas greatfully received!

[Caritas]

I dont really know where to start! I have a 9 year old dutch dressage horse who is completely sound and working at medium/advanced medium level. For approximately 18 months he has shown an intermittant issue with his off hind leg. In work this si only noticeable in canter if he is tense, he will drop this leg short and quick but if he is relaxed there is never a problem. I have talked to my instructor about it and she feels that he has a slight tendancy to do this with both hind legs and that is his gait but it is deffinately exagerated on that side when he is tense. The other time a problem shows is when he is being treated by my back lady or being shod. When that hind limb is picked up, he is more nervous on that side, he can be completely fine and then all of a sudden, you feel him tense and he pulls away, dropping that leg to the floor. He will let you pick it back up again and carry on. Until today, when the farrier walked forward to pick the leg up again, he put his ears flat to his head and lunged to bite him, at the same time, he tensed hisa back and threatened to kick out. This is so out of caracter, he is a nervous horse but has never shown any aggression in the 6 years i have owned him, even when he had kissing spines!! Have anyone else ever experienced anything quite like this, any ideas greatly appreciated, many thanks in advance.

 

[scotsmare]

I'd get a vet to look at him before anyone else TBH especially if he's had a previous problem with his spine. He's obviously in pain of some sort and a vet is the best person to get to the bottom of it.

 

[Caritas]

He is booked in with the vet for next week but was wondering if anyone could shed some light in the meantime!! Many thanks

 

[CBAnglo]

One of mine does that - he has a sacroiliac strain. My other one has KS and doesnt!

What's he like being rugged? tacked up? girthed up? does he swish his tail around a lot?

 

[Caritas]

He is the nicest natured horse i know, fine to be rugged, tacked up etc, shows no other signs, how and when was your horse diagnosed and what was the treatment

 

[Llwyncwn]

Vets will tell you that 9 out of 10 horses with a hind limb lameness/issue is normally spavin, however the fact that he has had KS could mean that it is something completely different. Get his hocks nerve blocked and x-rayed to rule it out first.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

It could be very mild shivers. Is your horse ok walking backwards? Does he twitch or snatch his leg if it is held up? It would fit with the ok-when-chilled, not-ok-when-stressed picture. Talk to your vet and/or Google shivers and look for a good veterinary site. My friend's Dutch warmblood has this very mildly and the symptoms you describe are similar though tbh it could be one of a thousand things! Let us know how he does x

 

[Caritas]

Horse has been to the vets, hocks, stifle, suspensory, no spavin, eek, what is going on? He found slight inflamation in the soft tissues around the fetlock so this has been treated and on box rest for three weeks and then back to the clinic. Vet says horse is in great shape and definately not a back issue, where are we going to go from here?? He had a pain killer and was then happy to have the leg picked up, there is pain but with nothing found as yet!

 

[CBAnglo]

Hi - sorry didnt reply to earlier question in thread.

Have the vets completely ruled out the sacro iliac region? It is very common for horses with KS to have tension/strain in that area and mine with KS certainly had tension there which was released by a chiropractor.

 

[AmyMay]

Did the vet rule out Shivers (which was my first thought)? And did they look at the stifle??

 

[Caritas]

?

 

[Caritas]

Definately not shivers and not a problem in stifle. He said it is not sacroilliac as his top line is fab and no sign of pain. He said he is not moving as if he had pain in his back. We are puzzled, help please someone!!