Video Dex is lame... HHO Good Vibes please!

AShetlandBitMeOnce

AShetlandBitMeOnce

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 January 2015
Messages
7,108
Visit site
So I got on for a lesson yesterday and sat for about 12 seconds before saying 'does he look lame?', instructor said yes and then I took this video. He was last ridden for a walk hack on Sunday (he's not been doing much this last week as I am just changing farriers again as his front feet have been getting increasingly long/collapsed).

Video below, please ignore the state of me!!

He gets schooled once per week, maybe twice every now and again and the rest is hacking so I'd like to think I haven't hammered him in any way, he does rather like a hooley around the field when he's feeling good and his field mate has become obsessed with the mares next door, but there's no sign of injury on him.

I think it looks like he may have done something to his SI area which I'd be gutted for, I think it definitely looks higher up than leg, he has no lumps, bumps, heat, swelling and isn't unhappy in himself. The musculature over the top of his rump is harder than usual, but around the stifle area and on the sides of the flank are as soft as usual.

Current plan is to keep turning out for 17hrs overnight, give him a bute this AM and tomorrow AM to see if it makes a difference, get his bodyworker out early next week to see if she can pinpoint an area to look at with the vet, and then if no improvement by the time she comes (Mon or Tue) get the vet out towards the end of the week. (Edited: no bodyworker, just vet first thing Monday morning)

Any thoughts welcome!! Please send those good old HHO vibes. He's been a bit off before as he's grown and its gone away, but my gut feels worried about this one.
 
Last edited:
Yes, he's lame behind and does look very sore over his SI area, though that can be a bit of a red herring if they’re trying to protect something lower down. I'd have him on a decent dose of bute and probably box rest or small, flat paddock if he's quiet in the field.
I had one really wrench himself in the field and it did take a fair while to come right- he had 2 lots of steroids in to help everything settle and an in-hand rehab plan to follow.
 
Okay, thanks both - is it 'emergency' call out on a Saturday vet territory? Below hock I am sadly well versed in, but higher up is outside of my speciality!

I only have managed to borrow 2 sachets of bute as the vets won't give me any without coming out, so perhaps I just call them and suck up the weekend call out.
He is pretty quiet in the field generally, him and his fieldmate don't play so much. He will sometimes take himself for a hooley entirely unprovoked but I can't imagine he will do so if he's sore, he's obviously feeling it even if he's as bright as he always is (if that makes any sense).
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Okay, thanks both - is it 'emergency' call out on a Saturday vet territory? Below hock I am sadly well versed in, but higher up is outside of my speciality!

I only have managed to borrow 2 sachets of bute as the vets won't give me any without coming out, so perhaps I just call them and suck up the weekend call out.
He is pretty quiet in the field generally, him and his fieldmate don't play so much. He will sometimes take himself for a hooley entirely unprovoked but I can't imagine he will do so if he's sore, he's obviously feeling it even if he's as bright as he always is (if that makes any sense).
Click to expand...
I think you need the bute - annoying it's Sunday.

The rock hard ground is quite slippery too so he could have tweaked himself in the field.

Vibes for minor tweak....

ETA if you've already given bute then I'd keep him quiet and get vet tomorrow when its out of his system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JBM
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Okay, thanks both - is it 'emergency' call out on a Saturday vet territory? Below hock I am sadly well versed in, but higher up is outside of my speciality!

I only have managed to borrow 2 sachets of bute as the vets won't give me any without coming out, so perhaps I just call them and suck up the weekend call out.
He is pretty quiet in the field generally, him and his fieldmate don't play so much. He will sometimes take himself for a hooley entirely unprovoked but I can't imagine he will do so if he's sore, he's obviously feeling it even if he's as bright as he always is (if that makes any sense).
Click to expand...

No, not emergency, but I agree with IHW that'd be phoning vet on Monday morning to get in early next week. 2 sachets isn’t much for a big horse though so I might be thinking about who I knew that might be able to lend me a bit more (the vets are right to not prescribe without seeing the horse, but, practically speaking, most people have a little 'just in case' stash!)
 
Okay understood - I will see if I can borrow a couple more, I have a couple options, if not I'll call them out and if I can then I'll keep him quiet and call them first thing Monday morning.

Edited for another question: He's due to be shod Wednesday by a new but known farrier, he isn't overdue as was last done less than a month ago but his front look horrible as I have said, would you continue with this appointment?
 
ihatework said:
Personally, I would wait until Monday and just keep him quiet until then. But then I’m notoriously tight 😆
Click to expand...
This is what I would do, but as I'm not insured I don't like to pay for initial exams and call outs I'd rather cut to the chase and go straight for a full work up. I'd want my horse to be seen by a lameness expert not who ever is on call at the weekend especially for a hind end issue.
 
Fingers crossed it’s just a tweak. Agree that it is not looking like a weekend OOH call out job.

Normally I’d suggest transporting in to horsepital for a work up in the first instance, but as he’s sore behind the travelling might aggravate it, and he might not travel well. So maybe yard visit first by good lameness vet? But he’d have to have the bute out of his system.

As an aside, apart from the lameness, the pair of you look great 🙃!
 
Last edited:
Tiddlypom said:
Fingers crossed it’s just a tweak. Agree that it is not looking like a weekend OOH call out job.

Normally I’d suggest transporting in to horsepital for a work up in the first instance, but as he’s sore behind the travelling might aggravate it, and he might not travel well. So maybe yard visit first by good lameness vet? But he’d have to have the bute out of his system.

As an aside, apart from the lameness, the pair of you look great 🙃!
Click to expand...

Thank you! He's been going better than he has ever gone. I will stop the bute Sunday PM, call the vet first thing Monday and friend who works there said to ask for one of two, hopefully they'll then come Tuesday, so it should be out of his system by then.
I am hoping to go from sound to suddenly this lame, it has to 'just' be a tweak, he's not done anything else that could possible cause it, that being said anything to do with the SI region makes me feel sick to my stomach I have to admit.
 
So the vet came out late morning to do a work up - he palpated his lumbar spine area and Dex is clearly very sore there, and he also trotted up/did flexions and he was very much positive to left flexion and still somewhat positive on the right. Vet says left hind lameness. He also found some swelling/fluid to the left stifle that I had missed. So he's now being x-rayed in both areas and ultrasound on the stifle on Wednesday.

Vet said indicative of injury very recently as with stifle pain they tend to lose muscle very quickly in that side over the rump, and he's still very even, which makes sense as he had a bodywork session on the 8th and if he reacted anything like he did when the vet touched his back she would have picked up on it in an instant, she's very good. He also had his saddle fitted a month ago, and 90 days before that as I have every 3 months at the moment, and he's incredibly quick to go stuffy and refuse to move if its a saddle issue, so I don't think saddle is the causation. He said continue to turnout and no bute to try and encourage him to stay quiet, as he's not sore enough for it to be necessary in the walk.

He likes to come cantering over the the gate when brought in and then skid to a stop, my guess would be that he's tried to do that and with the hard ground he's not slid and he's jolted himself badly, but who really knows.

I feel positively sick and quite like I could have a good cry.
 
**hugs**

My littlest pony misjudged her stopping distance having zoomies and skidded into a fence on her bottom. Luckily I was there so when she came up sore 48 hours later it wasn't a surprise.

She had tweaked her check ligament in the process so ended up with a period of paddock / box rest (it was Feb, stormy and very, very wet otherwise I would have avoided box rest), lots of walking out in hand and slowly graduated to walk hacking. I walked and walked that summer because the ground was rock hard but in hindsight did her the world of good. 3 years down the line and you wouldn't have a clue she'd done anything so stupid.

Dex is young so hopefully whatever he was tweaked or strained will fix given time.
 
SEL said:
**hugs**

My littlest pony misjudged her stopping distance having zoomies and skidded into a fence on her bottom. Luckily I was there so when she came up sore 48 hours later it wasn't a surprise.

She had tweaked her check ligament in the process so ended up with a period of paddock / box rest (it was Feb, stormy and very, very wet otherwise I would have avoided box rest), lots of walking out in hand and slowly graduated to walk hacking. I walked and walked that summer because the ground was rock hard but in hindsight did her the world of good. 3 years down the line and you wouldn't have a clue she'd done anything so stupid.

Dex is young so hopefully whatever he was tweaked or strained will fix given time.
Click to expand...

Thanks SEL - It was semi-reassuring, in a weird way as it doesn't change anything, that the vet said he was almost positive it's an injury that's very recent rather than anything rumbling or workload related as the thought that I had broken him in some way was really upsetting.

I think at the very least my summer will also involve lots of walking, it's great to hear that yours came back A-ok in the end. Just got to wait and find out what it is Wednesday now and cross my fingers its something not so bad.
 
Ahh bless him! Hopefully he's just done something daft in the field. Rocky likes to gallop full pelt and then grind to a halt much in the same way! Be reassured it's nothing you've done!
 
My 5YO has also jarred herself up from tw*tting around on the rock hard ground. It’s never plain sailing. Hugs!
 
Thank you everyone! I will update the thread once I know more, even if its just so that if someone finds it in future and has similarly presenting lameness that they can see what it was!

I haven't ever had one with a stifle issue before, albeit I have known a few in passing on the yard etc, so until I know what it is your head plays tricks with you on what it could be - I even found myself googling retirement livery options before I gave myself a firm talking to to snap out of it, silly really isn't it!
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Thank you everyone! I will update the thread once I know more, even if its just so that if someone finds it in future and has similarly presenting lameness that they can see what it was!

I haven't ever had one with a stifle issue before, albeit I have known a few in passing on the yard etc, so until I know what it is your head plays tricks with you on what it could be - I even found myself googling retirement livery options before I gave myself a firm talking to to snap out of it, silly really isn't it!
Click to expand...
Could he have had a kick on his stifle in the field? Good luck with his recovery, I hope he comes sound again quickly! 🤞
 
Northern Hare said:
Could he have had a kick on his stifle in the field? Good luck with his recovery, I hope he comes sound again quickly! 🤞
Click to expand...

It's possible but unlikely, his field mate has decided he's riggy over every mare next door so he could have been caught up next to him protecting them, however every bit of behaviour YM and I have seen from the two of them indicates that Dex is very much top dog and the the other one hasn't so much as put an ear back to him that we have seen. His fieldmate is also dog lame in the foot behind so I'm not sure they would have been having much high jinx at the moment, but honestly - who knows!
 
Sorry to hear this that is miserable especially in a youngster. You feel like there is less risks and they will be stronger and less likely to get a serious injury. There is so much luck involved with horses.

I hope Dex and his fieldmate make a quick recovery.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top