Don't know what to do for the best?

[Tilda]

Hello I am feeling really stuck with my mare at the moment and would really appreciate some advice from all you clever people.

Last December my mare was demonstrating very slight (about 2 tenths sometimes a bit more) lameness in her hind legs - it kept switching between the 2. I took her to my vets for a full lameness work up but in the preliminary stages trot up, lunge etc she was sound so nothing further to be done.

A few months later it happened again so I got a different vet this time and he said she was so slightly lame there was no point them doing any further investigations and to just carry on working her to see if she got worse/ better. I also discussed having a chiropractor out to her which he was happy for me to do.

Chiropractor came her pelvis was slightly rotated so she worked on her, sorted that and she seemed fine.

2 weeks ago she was lame (again about 2 tenths) on her inside fore and nearside hind so we though maybe she'd pulled something as she had spun very quickly with me the day before. Put her on box rest for a week the fore came right but she still looked really stiff behind. Chiropractor came and slightly different issue from the time before but pelvis had rotated again.

She was then fine for a couple of days but is now looking really stiff again behind!

I have chiropractor coming again tonight (she is very good and also works with my vets) but I am getting to the stage where I am wondering whether I should be doing something else as this just keeps happening. I wondered about possible arthritis and maybe putting her on a supplement but then I also wonder whether it might be a problem with her SI joint and whether I ought to get the vet again. But because she is not lame lame will they do anything?

For your info she is a 14.3 TB cross 8 years old I've had her for 2 years and just hacked and more recently a lot of schooling and little bit of jumping in the school. I didn't have her vetted (I know I know!) but from what I was told she was very low mileage when I bought her although we now have a suspicion she may have been driven at some point before she was 4.

Sorry this is crazy long cup of tea and double chocolate cookies for anyone who got this far!

Thanks xx

 

[Nocturnal]

If she doesn't stay lame enough for the vet to nerve block it's hard to know what to do. If I were you, though, I'd be having a chat with the farrier to see if it could be related to her shoeing, or foot conformation.

 

[Flame_]

I think it sounds like your vets are letting you down a bit, "its not too bad, go away, work it and see if it gets worse" is not really on IMO. I'm not a fan of chiro type treatments in general, any back problems your horse has are almost certainly due to compensating for whatever problems this horse has in its legs and/or feet. The vets need to address the lameness. If they aren't capable of doing full investigations, they ought to refer you to someone who is. If you want to avoid that kind of expense, you could turn the horse away for up to a year, rest may well solve the problem, however if it doesn't, you've just wasted a year.

Its up to you anyway, but you know your horse isn't right, either give her a total rest, or get your vets to pull their finger out and find out what's going on.

 

[Tilda]

Thank you both. Flame it's funny u should say about the rest thing I said to my YM that if I had my own land thats exactly what I'd do turn her away for a year and get something on loan but I am on a very expensive livery yard which I don't begrudge because after a couple of moves we have both found somewhere we are happy. with regard to the vets I would agree if it was just one vet but I've had to different practices say the same pretty much based on what nocturnal said about nerve blocks.

I think maybe I'll see what my back lady and farrier say and if no further along might get the first vets out again as at least they were willing to attempt an investigation.

It's a good job I love my pony she is sending me grey with worry!