any ideas please - hoofpicking

grandmaweloveyou

grandmaweloveyou

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for some reason, my boy has recently started to become an absolute git when i pick his feet out but only one foot. it doesnt matter which way around ie what order i start to pick his feet out in but the hind near side seems untouchable. ive managed to get to it this weekend on thurs, fri, saturday and sunday but with the biggest battle. he isnt naughty or malicious just fidgets with his back end to an unworkable point. i took a photo of the foot to show yo but we cant see anything wrong with it. any ideas or even tips on how to resolve this? as i said its a new "thing". thanks.
 
He might have an ache somewhere else! When you pick a foot up the weight of te horse is shifted on to the other legs. The problem might be in another leg , back or neck if you can't find anything wrong with the foot/leg in question.
 
Agree, it could be putting pressure on some point in the body or legs/feet elsewhere.
 
yorkshirelass / donkeymad - continuing this, thanks - any thoughts then on the most likely problem area? he is fine walking out, schooling, hacking etc so its a bit "loose" to get a vet out for, theyll think im being neurotic......
 
i'd worry about the hock and stifle on the leg he doesn't want to pick up, all the joints really, and otherwise the whole other hind leg, tbh. either he doesn't want to bend the first one, or he doesn't want to weight-bear on the second.
if he's never done this before, and he's doing it consistently on just that leg, he's not being a git, he's telling you something, very loudly.
i had a mare with osteochondrosis in the stifles who was like that, had to be shod with her hind toe almost on the floor for about a year, because it hurt her to flex her hindlegs hard. she fidgetted like mad and did everything but kick, but i could tell it was going to be her next resort if i didn't get the message and sort out whatever the problem was...
 
hi kerillie - vet or farrier as first port of call? we are lucky enough to be surrounded by highly knowledgable horsey folk so please dont think ive been ignoring it, ive been asking and getting advice, its literally been a week and cos he is young and gets quite bargy we were inclined to think it was misbehaviour until it became obvious it was the one foot. thanks all.
 
Oh your post would have been identical to one I would have made back in February. I had the exact same problem with the off-hind. After investigation with physio etc it appeared that he had a problem in his hip which made it painful to pick up - absolutely no hint of lameness in work.

He had physio for some time which involved my doing exercises to release the hip joint. I have to place a lead rope aroung the foot under the fetlock joint and raise it forward - when he relaxed and allowed this I had to gently rotate the hip joint. Throughtout the weeks of treatment picking the foot up was impossible but after a while I could get him to raise it onto the toe and pick out without lifting it. He had to be twitched for the farrier on that one foot.

The hip problem is now sorted but unfortunately he remembers that it used to hurt so we still have some problems but we are getting there!!

You really do need to get this checked out.
 
no worries! umm, i'd palpate the whole of both hind legs very carefully and gently (with people around and a hat on etc, just in case he takes exception!) feel very slowly and carefully for hot or swollen areas.
is he totally sound on both reins? to trot on the hard in a straight line, is the tempo absolutely spot-on 1-2-1-2... sometimes you can HEAR a slight unsoundness more than you can see it.
if you lunge him, you might be able to see something.
i'd get the farrier to check his feet out first, tbh, because it's cheaper and because sth like 80% of lameness and problems are in the foot. worth a try. make sure farrier realises there's a prob with him picking that foot up and doesn't lose it with him about it... not all farriers are patient, i have no idea if yours is, but i hope so!
i wouldn't work the horse other than for these tests. i'd also try not to have him out in a big field where he might charge around and make things worse, or where he might get kicked etc.
 
I'd suggest a problem high up the leg ass others have said, hock/stifle/hip, even a back problem. The horse I used to share holds his tail to one side and is really, really awkward about picking up his hind feet (especially one in particular). He's quite the expert now at cow-kicking. I've always suspected back pain from these signs, although as he's not mine it's not my place to suggest anything (and I'd be jumped on if I did so I keep my mouth shut). If he were mine I'd be getting my chiropractor or physiotherapist to take a look (after the vet, of course...
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Erm well Willow started cow kicking when I started picking out her hind leg (1 was much worse than the other) and when we eventually got the vet out we discovered she had arthritus in her hocks. (Then it was treated and her hock collapsed but she's all better now and thats another story), so yeah I second the vet idea.
 
Agree with the others - your boy is trying to tell you something isn't right. My mare was always reluctant to pick up her near fore, turns out she has arthritis in her off fore coffin joint.

How does he look on a tight circle on concrete? That quite often shows up any slight problems.
 
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