Dragging right front toe

[princesspony]

Any thoughts or insights welcome, or any related experiences:

For past 3 weeks - 20+ year old horse has dragged right front toe (only noticeable in the arena), at walk and trot, hesitant to pick up right lead canter. At start of 3 weeks, noticed the toe dragging, then 3 days later: knee swollen/ upper leg swollen (lower leg not swollen). Sweat wrapped for 3 days, swelling went down and has not returned. No heat. However, the dragging toe has continued. Did not like knee flexed. Trips often.

Vet came out, blocked the leg starting above hoof, then above ankle, then above knee. No change in gait/toe dragging.
Started equinox, has tight muscles in chest/shoulder/neck area (from vet palpitations), so getting a massage tomorrow from a therapist.

Any ideas on the causations of the drag and tense muscles and sore joints? Been tripping occasionally years prior to this. Thinking either wrong angles in feet (would that cause eventual compensation of joints and muscles), or is it compensation due to not using hind end as much. Or stemming from neck? A bit of a puzzle. Horse is in great shape, not head bobbing lame, just dragging toe and moving a bit bow-legged in the front.

 

[Orangehorse]

Arthritis? The physio should help a bit. There may be arthritis there and the tense muscles are from the horse trying to protect it.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My horse with navicular occasionally drags one of his front feet, it tends to be after his worked so more like a tired thing I don't notice it in the school so much I notice it more on the road, his barefoot so that toe can look a bit squared off compared to the other one.

 

[windand rain]

Kicked or bumped heavily into something if sudden onset, Possible arthritic changes if slow onset

 

[ycbm]

I would x ray the neck. Has the horse much TB blood?
.

 

[princesspony]

My horse with navicular occasionally drags one of his front feet, it tends to be after his worked so more like a tired thing I don't notice it in the school so much I notice it more on the road, his barefoot so that toe can look a bit squared off compared to the other one.

Hmm. Seems like a different issue.

 

[princesspony]

I would x ray the neck. Has the horse much TB blood?
.

Neck would be next step after looking at feet. Not TB - a QH.

 

[princesspony]

Arthritis? The physio should help a bit. There may be arthritis there and the tense muscles are from the horse trying to protect it.

Probably some arthritic changes. Mostly tight in the chest area, not as much in the neck.

 

[princesspony]

Kicked or bumped heavily into something if sudden onset, Possible arthritic changes if slow onset

Slow onset with years of tripping, but something happened suddenly that perhaps made undetectable symptoms more apparent.

 

[Hackback]

I read somewhere recently that QH's are prone to Navicular. Pain/swelling in upper leg could be due to compensating, especially if a bit arthritic anyway? How about an x-ray of the feet to check balance and for any changes?