Bridle lameness ?

[jazzsuperstar]

Is there any such thing as bridle lameness.My instructor is sure there is due to a improvement after a couple of strides but i have always thought if they are lame or unlevel there is a reason;advice or thoughts please

 

[ThePony]

yes there is such a thing as bridle lameness. This webpage describes it really well, so I won't try and do a worse job and explain it here!! http://traceygarrett.co.uk/horseback-riding-instruction-understanding-bridle-lameness/

 

[jazzsuperstar]

Thank you found that very interesting and makes sense.My problem is that the horse in question was poorly ridden before we got him but with work improved.He is lame on a tight circle on lunge but when ridden or lunged with side reins etc is sound after two strides.Has had all vet checks including scan's,xray and nerve blocks and nothing found.Riding instructor is sure it is bridle lameness and when really worked he is fine.Has evented and been placed every time out.

 

[Kenzo]

horse once he was going correctly and working through his back and came ‘alive’, he was a very idle horse,

When I first started riding him, I noticed a few things about him, un even muscle tone on his chest/shoulders and he'd been heavily worked in draw reins before he came over to this country and quite heavy on the forehand and very numb in front. But when he was in regular to hard work, he stayed sound, once back out of work, he's now back to square one again, doesn’t stop him from galloping around the fields however. I do think what ever has gone on in the past has had a knock on effect, I also believe he does have a soundness issue in his feet and through his back, but he was not my horse.

I think there is always a reason, no matter how small their must be some unsoundness somewhere, I don't think bridle lameness should be the end conclusion to something, it should be the start and further investigating should be done to find the true problem, it would have to a very very bad rider to damage a horse in this way and if a horse is only showing lameness on a circle/lunge etc then I’d suspect something else was wrong.

 

[dany]

I have to agree with Kenzo, if a horse is also lame on a lunge, then there must be an underlying problem in the body somewhere.

In the months leading up to my boy being lame, people around me said he was bridle lame. But he didnt show any signs of being unsound on the lunge, just looked a little backward and unsteady in the contact (I couldnt attchieve true throughness, although my trainer could)

4 months later he became lame, then diagnosed with bi-lateral stifle OCD, which im now guessing the bridle lameness was the onset of pain / power loss.

 

[pollypock1211]

Same here.. My horse would be lame for a few seconds out on hacks and then be fine. He favoured canter and would not trot. We thought it could be bridle lameness or a schooling issue. He had xrays, steroid injections in his hocks and adn treated for OA, he was still the same. He started losing patience and trying to throw us off. At first we told him off, but realised he was not a naughty horse. Thats when we got him reffered to specialist and they found severe OCD in both his stifles and a fragment was present in his hock. There were no signs other than the suspected bridle lameness. No swelling (like OCD usually presents) He had surgery earlier this year and is currently back in work slowly - we have just started troting and so far he has not shown any of the signs before.. fingers crossed for him.. I personally dont think bridle lameness exisits theres always a reason behind it ..xx

 

[pollypock1211]

I have to agree with Kenzo, if a horse is also lame on a lunge, then there must be an underlying problem in the body somewhere.

In the months leading up to my boy being lame, people around me said he was bridle lame. But he didnt show any signs of being unsound on the lunge, just looked a little backward and unsteady in the contact (I couldnt attchieve true throughness, although my trainer could)

4 months later he became lame, then diagnosed with bi-lateral stifle OCD, which im now guessing the bridle lameness was the onset of pain / power loss.

Hi Dany, what was the outcome of your horse with bi-lateral stifle OCD ? did he have surgery ? just curious to know, Archie had the same & it was very severe but I opted for surgery in March - Thanks