Do you obsess about you horse being sound?

[kirstie]

... Or is it just me?

Due to some pretty bad luck on our yard, there are lots of lame horses. 1 with navicular, arthritus and side bone (10 yrs old), one just done a check ligament (30 yrs old), one with DJD (9 yrs old), one fractured shoulder, another one just been diagnosed with navicular (10 yrs old) and another one with intermittent lameness and terrible feet, one with fractured pelvis after freak accident and has suspected navicular (8 yrs old). That list is not exhaustive!

I am becoming increasingly neurotic about my horse, constantly wondering if she is going to get something terrible. I'm not normally like this!

She is my once in a lifetime horse and I love her to pieces and could never afford to replace her and wouldn't want to.
She isn't lame, but I really feel like getting a load of x rays done of her front feet and joints just to put my mind at rest, but really can't afford it at the moment!

Am I a bit mad or do other people worry as well?

 

[jsr]

Afraid I think you are a bit mad...Lol!! No can't say I worry about it, if he shows he's lame then I'll do something but otherwise I've got more important things to worry about. Love my lad to the ends of the earth but I'm certainly not about to start stressing over nothing.

 

[Wagtail]

Yes, and quite rightly so! Out of the 7 horses at my yard, only 4 of them are ridable and the oldest is only 17.

 

[tabithakat64]

I never used to be but now I am as they've all had quite serious lameness issues over that last couple of years. I'm constantly feeling legs and trotting horses up and down

 

[Wagtail]

But having said that, it is pointless having checks done really, as what happens in reality is hardly ever what you expect. We had a horse with two bowed tendons and were always so careful bandaging them up and taking care of those front legs, then one day his hind leg just snapped whilst he was bucking in the field. His hind legs had always been completely clean and free from stiffness.

I'm not exactly putting your mind at rest, am I?

 

[kirstie]

It's ok, I'm realistic about things! Just get worried when such young horses who are pretty low milage go lame and have serious problems.

I used to work with horses as a rider and YM until I had an accident last year, I've had some pretty bad luck, guess I'm waiting for the next bombshell!

When she rests her near hind, she always slightly points her off fore. I really don't like it, although I'm pretty sure she's always done it. In my head I just think, oh god, navicular stance!!!

I know it is a bit obsessive but I don't think I'd be riding now if it wasn't for her. She is just so important.

 

[BorgRae]

I completely get it! I'm a worry guts over my lad... Not with his legs, but his back!

He had a tender back about a year ago, had several physio sessions and is fine now, but my god the worry is always there!

...In fact just read a post bout kissing spines and am panicking! Not that he has any of the symptoms, but I'd love the x-rays just to be double, triple sure!

 

[Bert&Maud]

I have never worried about soundness, until now! Found the perfect buyer for my lovely horse last week, but he's not being vetted until next week, so now I'm paranoid!!!!

 

[Kenzo]

Yes a bit too much really, so much so I discovered a lump and ordered the vet down to to Xray it without him taking a look first, he wasn't even lame but why pay for two visits, my mind wouldn't be at rest until I'd had it xrayed so asked for it doing straight away. I'm constantly looking out for things that are not right, really I should spend less time doing this and more time riding and worrying about things but there you go.

Sometimes we do worry too much though, end of the day, so long as you look after them well, respect their legs, get them well shod/trimmed and make sure your tack fits well and you work them according to what they can do, that's all you can do really, you can't prevent nature taking it's course.

Etd to say - years ago and well all the time I've spend growing up around horses and within a horsey family, nobody even talked about DJD, arthritis, PSD, navicular and god know what, you just cracked on and rode and we never had a lame, sick or sorry unhappy horse, what's happening are we just more in tune and recognise when things are wrong (along with advances of vetinary equipment) or are we all turning into equine hypochondriacs?

 

[gryff]

I coul have posted this myself. You've got me down to a tee. I came home the other night and said to my OH that I can't deal with the stress of horse ownership anymore. Nothing major has happened but after having my nine year old, very low mileage gelding diagnosed with bilateral spavins, ringbone, torn ligament in his knee and dodgy looking pedal bones, I keep 'seeing' my five year old as being off. I permanently watch her in the field seeing I she's unsound. she's ever so slightly girthy-of course, in my head she's definitely got kissing spine. This is all made worse by me being adamant that another horse down the yard was lame, everyone else saying don't be silly, only for it to be diagnosed with a massive tear down the entire length of the sdft. I'm not sure being obsessed with the veterinary forum on here helps though!

 

[StormyMoments]

i dont worry about it but where taz has been lame so many times i think hes lame and i do like a thousand checks with other people on the yard making sure they definatly dont think hes lame, hes a wimp anyway so when hes lame he really is lame, but get a bit paranoid about him taking a funny step when trotting at speed in the field but when he is lame im not a panicer, well unless obvious gapeing hole in his leg or something (this has happened, as soon as i see blood or anything internal i think the world is gonna end but im oober careful as i have been so close to loosing him but i can understand where you are coming from but if your horse isnt showing signs then i wouldnt go and get x-rays and you can always just get your vet to feel her legs when she has her routeen vaccinations

 

[Britestar]

years ago and well all the time I've spend growing up around horses and within a horsey family, nobody even talked about DJD, arthritis, PSD, navicular and god know what, you just cracked on and rode and we never had a lame, sick or sorry unhappy horse, what's happening are we just more in tune and recognise when things are wrong (along with advances of vetinary equipment) or are we all turning into equine hypochondriacs?

Probably as years ago you rode the horses on roads, hacked in fields and on bridleways/tracks, and rarely rode in schools.

Personally, I think lots of problems come from the fact that so much time is spent on surfaces - good and bad ones. In the 'old' days, horses spent the summer out and than came back into work for the hunting season. They spent a month walking on the roads to 'harden' their legs, and then gradually built up their exercise until they were hunting fit. Much less lameness then.

 

[Morgan123]

Probably as years ago you rode the horses on roads, hacked in fields and on bridleways/tracks, and rarely rode in schools.

Personally, I think lots of problems come from the fact that so much time is spent on surfaces - good and bad ones. In the 'old' days, horses spent the summer out and than came back into work for the hunting season. They spent a month walking on the roads to 'harden' their legs, and then gradually built up their exercise until they were hunting fit. Much less lameness then.

I agree!! Seems to me the people on my yard who just don't give a damn and ride their horses whatever are the ones with the soundest horses, v frustrating!!

I totally agree with others though, I'm one of the horrendously paranoid bunch - I've just started doing endurance and I'mc onvinced they'll always trot up slightly unsound ( not becuase there's anything wrong wiht my horse, just purely becuase every little oddstep convinces me he's got something wrong with him!!!).

 

[Spyda]

Sadly, with front legs like these....

YES! I am paranoid. Have to be. So far, so good though. But I am rather old-school; I believe gradual fittening and a long period of walking on the roads to 'harden' the legs is invaluable to a young horse.

I also agree that it's those less responsible owners who career about on their horses/ponies on the hardnest of ground, re-shoe infrequently, etc that have the soundest horses.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Yes. I think it might be a bain of the less confident horse owners. We're so caught up in doing the best for our horses we end up making ourselves worried sick abotu problems which may or may not arise.
I've just bought a book on NLP and hoping it can help me gain a positive mental attitude and worry less!! (and a horse care manual that came highly recommended to help me diagnose actual problems..)

 

[kirstie]

I wouldn't say that I'm not confidnt, far from it! Just worried that I'm going to be dealt another bit of bad luck. There is so much that can go wrong and I feel so so sorry for the people at my yard who have done everything they can and still have a lame horse.
It is heartbreaking for them, and now everytime my horse takes a slightly unlevel type step I'm having a heart attack!

 

[tallyho!]

Have they all got the same farrier??

 

[kirstie]

No, all different farriers. One of the horses navicular and side bone and arthritis has been caused by bad foot balance... didn't take her long to make a change!

 

[dafthoss]

Yep I am mainly because only 3 horses on the yard where my boy is are truley sound another one is sound but her conformation makes her unlevel (I'm rubbish at describing it but I hope that makes sense) 3 have done tendons (all at previous yards) and are at various stages of recovering or not and one is aincient and has a long list of probems. So yes at a yard full of cripples I am definatly over cautious bad ground is a big worry of mine as most of the tendons were caused by bad ground or surfaces and he is the first pony that is all mine and is only 6 so I would like to keep him sound for as long as possible.

 

[Horseback Rider]

When I first got my horse he was always getting kicked in the field or damaging himself somehow or had an abcess ! Anyway he was very rarely hopping lame it was normally only slight.

He had a month off due to lamness, the day the vet came to check him over to see if he was sound ........ I went to get him in and he had cut the other leg !!!

My vet agreed with me that he was getting V bored in the field and just riding him out for half an hour just at a dawdle would probably help and it did. He did say that I wont get arrested for riding a horse that isn't 100% sound !!

He is still very accident prone ( jumped out of field at the weekend ! ) but I am getting better at managing it and don't panic if he seems a little stiff or uneven I will ride him and see how he goes before I ring the vet in a panic and start scouring the internet looking for a diagnosis !

However I really do sympathise with you my non horsey OH sometimes has to remind me that these beasts used to carry men in to war and they don't normally snap that easily, or melt in the rain ;-)

 

[tallyho!]

I do obsess but have learnt to think on parallels. It helps a lot. How many people do you know have got a bad knee/shoulder/hip etc but still carry on running, cycling. Nobody's perfect, neither are horses.

Arthritis needs joints well oiled so an arthritic horse actually NEEDS more exercise. Just like we do or the dog. Tendon injuries need lots of regular physio after a period of stability. Think footballer achilles. Prolonged boxrest is actually bad for tendons, they heal in thicker more brittle strands unless stretched and weighted. I have a shaved tendon and have to work hard to build up supple fibrous tissue rather than thick crispy ones. Navicular syndrome or disease needs space & movement as it's a disease of constriction, like a bunion on someone who wears tight shoes all day. I had one on each foot until I started wearing lesbo shoes a few years ago - they're gone!

There's ways and means of managing lower limb arthropathies - you just have to think outside the box.

The last thing you should do is worry in my opinion, we're all a bit wonky here and there and if we're not now, we will be soon and if you are perfect, well, get breeding!!!

 

[Ranyhyn]

I wouldn't say that I'm not confidnt, far from it! !

Sorry my post was a general musing on the thread title, not a direct reply to you OP

 

[Holly Hocks]

Yep I am obsessed about soundness. I will be ecstatic if my mare ever takes a sound step. I dream of her being sound! I fantasise about it! Bought to take me up the levels of dressage, I will be holding a party if she ever gets to novice! However the arthritic old bugger at 21 has arthritis in both hind legs, so at least he appears sound! Typical!