Can I have your experiences? - Stifles.

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Ilovefoals

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My mare is going to the vet tomorrow for a lameness work up. She's very subtly lame on her right hind and the vet is thinking it could be stifle. She stands with that toe pointed outwards and dips her right hip in trot, though seems able to track up well.

Any experiences or ideas to prepare me would be appreciated. She's my horse of a life time and a very good friend and I'm currently going out of my mind with worry :(
 
Poor you, Hope shes ok.

Only experience iv had was about 5 years ago. Our youngster kept mounting the mares which resulted in a very nasty kick to his stifle.

Vet came and cut open wound to flush infection as the area had swelled like a football.


Vet said was unlikely he would survive night and if he did he wouldnt be able to be ridden.

Me and mam came to check on him in middle of night, he was laid down and was unable to get up as he wouldt put any weight on that leg. Que lots of tears and was heartbreaking watching him struggling to get up.

Anyway next morning he was up and he made a slow but full recovery!

We broke him in as planned and now a teenager has him and he jumps and hacks with no problems at all. You would never no he had an injury.

Hope this gives you a bit of positivity!
 
If she is turning her toe outwards that would make me think sacroiliac rather than stifle - stifle is usually more obvious, unwillingness to bring that leg forward, and you say she is tracking up. Have you had a body worker look at her?
 
She has seen the physio twice but she couldn't pin point anything. My trainer rode her the other day and said she felt like an unexploded bomb to start with. Really tight behind the saddle. After 10 mins of trotting and suppleness work, she seemed to relax. When I ride her, she sometimes feels like she's holding her breath she's that tense :( She's only been in work 3 months since being broken as a 3yr old and having 2 foals - she's now 7. She's always had issues with not being forward off my leg and will also plant and nap if she finds something too difficult. We had her scoped and she had grade 2 ulcers which were treated but there has been no improvement in her behaviour. She's always reacted worse on the right rein until this past week when the left rein has caused the most problems and then lunging her on sunday night, I noticed the slight dip when trotting on the right rein. Aaargh!! Tomorrow can't come quick enough!!
 
No help I'm afraid but my sister's hores is booked in for a similar lameness work up in about 1 momths time (if following the next vet's check he is still not right). He has been lame for over 2 momths now but noone seems to be able to pinpoint where it's coming from. One day it's hardly noticeable and the next he's quite obviosuly lame. Seems to b his hind leg and that's what the vet and physio think too but thetre is no swelling, no obvious tenderness and a thermal imaging check showed no heat anywhere! It's a mystery so, if he's still not right in the next couple of weeks then a full lameness work up it is!
 
One of mine had both stifles operated on a few years ago (before I took him on as a companion). He is 10yrs old and has arthritis. The way he bombs around the field and plays with my other horse, you wouldn't know he was arthritic!! As for the stifles, the only time is in the winter he can get a bit stiff, very noticeable when picking his feet out! It only happens probably once a week but it's like it locks and then he snatches his leg up quick, then stretches it and then I can pick it out!! I give him a couple of bute and he's okay. I do try and make sure he gets plenty of turnout in the winter, although he's in at night. I can also do some light ridden work with him and I turn him out in the menage with a few poles up and he takes himself over them!! He's on a joint supplement also.
 
Nothing serious but mine has weak stifles. Have to keep them strong or he suffers with his canter as struggles to get his bum under him.
 
Full recovery following an acute stifle injury. Box-rested for 3 months, with walking in hand from 1 week after the injury and very gradual return to ridden work from 8 weeks following the injury. It was a horrible time as we never knew how well the healing process would go, but touch wood seems ok now.
I really hope you get to the bottom of your horse's problem and she makes a full recovery too.
 
Flicker said:
Full recovery following an acute stifle injury. Box-rested for 3 months, with walking in hand from 1 week after the injury and very gradual return to ridden work from 8 weeks following the injury. It was a horrible time as we never knew how well the healing process would go, but touch wood seems ok now.
I really hope you get to the bottom of your horse's problem and she makes a full recovery too.
Click to expand...

What had your horse actually done to itself? What was the injury?
 
Hiya

My mare has the same symptoms in her right hind i.e. toe out & dips right hind more.
However she also has "hyperflexion" in her right hind in canter on the left rein, best way to describe it is like stringhalt in canter...I have posted vids on here before if you search my posts. Does your mare look any different in canter between the left & right rein? Vet's have never seen it, physio baffled, etc...
She is @ RVC today for a bone scan having tried box rest, anti inflam steroids, turning away, wedge heels etc...
I'd be really interested as to what diagnosis you get & if you have noticed a difference in the canters...I am frustrated that no one can diagnose my horse:-(
 
Good luck OP. I hope they get to the bottom of it.

Mine is going up to Liphook next week for full investigations after a run in with the fence back in the winter which has left her with sudden acute lameness in the off hind which just as suddenly goes. It has been getting worse and the vet thinks she has either got a bone flake in the stifle, a bit of cartilage catching or something catching the end of the extensor tendon. Like you I am worried sick and hope they can find something that they can do something about as she is not rideable at the moment.
 
we are going through what sounds like the same thing with our boy ...he has been and had bone scans and scans and finally found he has torn his middle patella ligament..can't find any info on it as it is rare for this to happen...he is on rest for the summer in a very small paddock as he is getting to stressed to stay in..and will be off by the sounds of to at least the end of the year...
 
baily said:
we are going through what sounds like the same thing with our boy ...he has been and had bone scans and scans and finally found he has torn his middle patella ligament..can't find any info on it as it is rare for this to happen...he is on rest for the summer in a very small paddock as he is getting to stressed to stay in..and will be off by the sounds of to at least the end of the year...
Click to expand...

What were his symptoms baily? How did they diagnose in the end?
 
kinglouis - I can't say I've noticed a difference when she canters. I'm going to have a look at your video just now.

Everyone else - thanks for replying and I hope you all get answers for your lamenesses soon. Hopefully with good outcomes!
 
he has been off now 3 months...came in from field just not right not lame lame just didn't look right.. but when ridden was really lame...swinging his stifle in walk and really sore not so bad in trot but worse again in canter when lame leg was on out side..box rested 2 weeks on bute then checked a little better..but with jockey worse again ridden...went for full lameness work up after 3 weeks...was sound in all paces with no rider but still 6 to 7 10ths lame when ridden really surprised vet...he thought foot so x-ray...seemed to be a possible fractured to pastern..hence bone scan....no...still lame on ridden and when trotted up after being in 24hrs and positive to flex...still swinging hip and acting like string halt-ish...scan on patella showed tear to middle ligament..so now on rest should be box but goes mental so out in very small patch in field during day and in at night...he is at the moment sort of field sound..just hates turning tight circles and stands and rests with hip out and often toe pointing....we had every idea from back to foot when it happened but i was sure all along it was stifle just the way he was moving...good luck with yours...
 
Thanks Baily, bone scan showed nothing & horse sound other than this hyperflexion in canter everything seems normal...I'm one frustrated horse owner:-( I'm turning her away for a few months to see if that helps, it has improved very slightly in the last 3 weeks and I have left her out 20 hours a day & not ridden so maybe that will help, she is only 5 1/2 so plenty of time for her to mend...
Hope you get a diagnosis Ilovefoals, not knowing is worse than knowing.
 
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