hackedoff
Well-Known Member
Beloved 20 year old pony has the oddest thing at the moment. His front legs have two minor swellings almost like windgalls in that they feel like slightly puffed areas. they can be depressed with a little pressure and are about 5 cms wide by 1 cm high. The odd bit is that they are on the front of his pasterns roughly where the upper and lower pastern bone meet. No where near the fetlock area where windgalls normally appear.
He is 100% sound,both trotted up, ridden and on turns. He isnt happy on rough surfaces but then he has flat thin soles and in the 15 years I have owned him he has nver been happy on rouhg ground. He can keep up easily with much younger bigger horses, but his stride which used to be amazingly long (think 14.3HH pony who could keep up with ex standard bred racer in his youth! )is now a little bit shorter.
He did have an odd lame spate about 3 months ago that cleared up with box rest. These came up last year and during him MOT the vet said it was normal wear and tear and to ignore.They went down over winter He passed this years MOT (I have this done with his flu and tet) with flying colours. They came up again about two months or so ago.
The problem I have is that having moved from the midlands to the north two years ago which is when his stride etc started to change, every one here including vets is used to what they see now where as if I was still in the Midlands I think my old Vet would recognise the difference.
I just keep wondering if its the start of ringbone, but given that the lumps are not mega squishy but can be depressed like a hard windgall I wonder if I am worrying needlessly? I am currently contemplating flogging some tack on ebay to pay for xrays...
He is 100% sound,both trotted up, ridden and on turns. He isnt happy on rough surfaces but then he has flat thin soles and in the 15 years I have owned him he has nver been happy on rouhg ground. He can keep up easily with much younger bigger horses, but his stride which used to be amazingly long (think 14.3HH pony who could keep up with ex standard bred racer in his youth! )is now a little bit shorter.
He did have an odd lame spate about 3 months ago that cleared up with box rest. These came up last year and during him MOT the vet said it was normal wear and tear and to ignore.They went down over winter He passed this years MOT (I have this done with his flu and tet) with flying colours. They came up again about two months or so ago.
The problem I have is that having moved from the midlands to the north two years ago which is when his stride etc started to change, every one here including vets is used to what they see now where as if I was still in the Midlands I think my old Vet would recognise the difference.
I just keep wondering if its the start of ringbone, but given that the lumps are not mega squishy but can be depressed like a hard windgall I wonder if I am worrying needlessly? I am currently contemplating flogging some tack on ebay to pay for xrays...