Gait Analysis *video link* Comments please!

Darkly_Dreaming_Dex

Darkly_Dreaming_Dex

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Some History: 16.2hh 3/4 ID 9 years Hunter. Last Nov he didnt seem right, we had a full lameness work up at our vet clinic inc xrays and other than some "very mild pedal ostitis in the off fore, he needs his toes brought back a bit" he had nothing wrong or brewing. The farrier also found a corn in the off fore. He has been shod every 5 weeks since and the vet doesnt think there is anything wrong
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Yet we feel the horse is still not right, he still stands with his off fore further forwards than the near but with full weight (not pointing or leaning back) and seems pottery on uneven ground but can hoon round the field looking magnificently sound
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we have both noticed that on the road he sounds like clipetty clod rather than clippetty clop so you often look down to confirm there is still a shoe on. He did lose a shoe a couple of weeks ago and in the short distance home on the road, he scrubbed the outside edge of the off fore with hardly any wear on the inside. This made us look closer at how he walks so my clever OH set up a video camera and i put yellow tape around his legs so we could make our own gait analysis tape: *mute if you are at work to avoid clip cloping noise!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SSxj3en7-ww
This is him walking in hand (of course the horse eating monster at the far end of the yard meant its not very straight)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJ0wTQo3sM
This is the same tape slowed down so apologies for being a bit fuzzy- not only can you hear the off fore landing differently- you can see that the off fore lands on the outside edge first then rolls his weight onto the inside edge- we hope to have found his problem and have our farrier coming on Thursday to watch the video and shoe our boy.

Sooooo anyone have any thoughts on this or experience or anything to add as the big soppy boy is our farriers (and vets) favourite and he really wants him to help him get better
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Have you had a physio out to him at all?
My horse had a horizontal crack in one of his front feet, which caused him to move like your horse when it grew down, and the farrier put nails in too close, making him ever so slightly lame.
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Because he ended up moving like this for some time, while the crack was growing out, the muscles in his shoulder got very tight and actually stopped him from moving straight, so he had a few physio sessions and is now better.
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Apart from the abscess he now has in the foot because the farrier stuck a nail where he shouldn't have
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Yes he had the physio and dentist in Dec. Also a new saddle which fits perfectly. Unfortunately my physio has gone home to NZ so am on the hunt for another..
 
ok im going for the lateral approch! in some of the videos there seemed to be some intermittent toe drag behind. could it be a hock type prob which throws in fornt sometimes? this could also explain the just not right part esp if both hinds as then theycan apper sound. just a thought?
 
If you dont mind me saying but think you are looking too far down
...very definatly a delay in one lateral in the slow down trot.

Would be interested in seeing the whole horse in the walk as he does also appear to not be following through straight.
Could be a number of factors...hock ,pelvis etc that would cause this.
 
Would be most interested to hear what happens after your farrier visits. My mare is doing a similar noticeable outside landing on the off fore and I mentioned this to Sue Dyson Animal Heath Trust asking her was it significant bearing in mind my mare had just had an op for suspensory ligament desmitis in both hinds. She was landing this way before the op. Sue Dyson said all horses land outside first but usually it is so minimal and quick the eye cannot see it. She didn't think it was related to the ligaments. The last shoeing my farrier fitted different shoes that have slightly beveled front edge so the breakover is better, i.e. shorter toes as well and the landing outside edge is much less noticeable. She is going well too and not slamming her feet into the ground so much.

Your videos are fascinating but apart from saying he looks rather unbalanced and not straight I can't offer any useful comment. I do know that many horses can be very one side dominant and prefer to load one fore and shoulder more than the other and I think it looked that way to me on the tape. I think it is the right side. Again, my mare was like this and I have slowly straightened her by schooling. Theres a great book called something like Correct Movement in Horses which explains this situation brilliantly and it has transformed every horse I now school.
 
Thanks so much for these replies, they are really helpful
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To answer your comments collectively: In the original lameness workup, the vet said it was in the off fore and a nerve block into the back of the off fore hoof brought him sound.
He moves in a far straighter line when he isnt freaking out at the invisible monster at the end of the drive!!!
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Amazona: i think you are onto something with the slower lateral...
Oldred: very interesting about your mare, will post tomorrow after farriers visit and i will make a better video clip so everyone can have a better look.I agree with your comments re being crooked.When we got him he was weak behind (just a hint of cow hocks too)and rather ewe necked so i have spent hours lunging him in a pessoa which has massively improved his shape, he has been seen a total of 3 times by a proper physio over the last year with no problems to speak of.
He is my OH horse and he does sit to the right which tends to drag the saddle to the right but now OH is aware of this and seeing a physio himself, i hope that issue will be resolved
 
i think he looks like he lands heel/toe which would indicate foot pain. How good is your farrier? If vet has advised shortening toes etc surely you should get vet to talk to farrier about remedial shoes? or perhaps get referred to a remedial specialist?? i think your horse needs more heel support and would be better in bar shoes. We have done this with several horses and it will make a big difference. it may take some time for them to get used to them - some of ours were on box rest initially as changing foot balance can make them worse before they get better - good luck!!
 
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