Help/Advice/opinions on hind leg lameness

L

lastresort

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 June 2007
Messages
1,162
Location
shropshire
Visit site
So I had the physio/osteo lady out to look at my youngster and she said he was fine no back problems no pain or muscle damage from anything. He is a bit croup high as he has had a growth spurt (4 1/2 yo ISH) which may cause him to find engagement harder atm but apart from that he was ok. She though he had slipped his stifle but I assured he he hadnt (he slipped on concrete walking in stable!) Anyway even if he had thats common in young horses so I wouldnt worry about it.

She then asked me to lunge him (she seemed dissapointent not to find anything wrong and said she didnt need to see him again) But I think she was looking to find something. Anyway as he walked around school he was fine. Then she asked him to trot if you can call it that more like dribble round on a circle.She said he didnt track up and was 1/10 intermittent lame on his left hind. She said I wouldnt notice it when riding him. But I had said he didnt tack up on the lunge hence my call to get her out. She then said He needed to see the vet and have nerve bocks and she couldnt do any more.

Anyway £80 poorer I dont want to go to the vets really. So should I

a- give him week off and see if it improves bearing in mind he wasnt lame before maybe with some with bute ??
b- get nerve blocks done
c- give him long holiday and bring him back to work again (he been off for month and has been back to work 4 weeks)
d-carry on riding as normal and see if he works through it as he gets beeter the onger you ride.

HELP
 
I'd get the vet. Sounds like your lady was very thorough - but has concerns that he needs further medical investigation because of something she is unable to diagnose or help with.

We have a horse on the yard who has gone through something very similar. X rays and nerve blocks discovered a whole array of things wrong. Horse is now on a very long road to revovery (if he makes it at all).
 
What did they find?? What was his diagnosis. She wasnt very positive about any horses she came to see and finished by saying that 80% of team horses (she does the GB team horses) were lame too!!

She wasnt very thorough I though in fact she told me what I already knew except I wanted to know he had nothing wrong with his back. She only examined his back for nerves never did any flexion or even looked at his leg. One horse she said hes slipped a stifle and when they looked at its foot it had trod on something.

Thanks Amy opinion apperciated but my gut feeling is still not to go to vet
 
If the lameness is intermittent 1/10, there is no point in the vet doing nerve blocks as standard - the results won't be definitive - it could just be intermittently better after the nerve block rather than affected.

Possibly get a good vet in to do flexion tests, and if these come up positive, relevant nerve blocks.
 
I agree with wishful.Flexation test will do the trick before you investigate further.I have just been through the same process.My lad had surgery yesterday for arthritis in his hock but if he was only 1/10 lame the vet wouldnt have done nerve blocks until he had looked at him on the lunge etc.The vet picked up things that I had missed and the back lady.I would go to the vet before you call anyone else.If he gets better the longer you ride it could be the onset of arthritis .I started schooling seriously and my horses arthritis flared up but its not the end of the road there are options to manage it.My lad is also croup high does he have more muscle development on one side of his rump than the other ?Dont want to worry you its probably nothing but the vet will work out cheaper in the long run.Good luck
 
Thanks for that Cellie.
Will do a flexion test tonight myself as we wont get to the vets this week anyway.

Might start him on the cortaflex aswell, did already consider this
 
Do you have an instructor that can take a look? The vet is undoubtedly the best person to diagnose any problems but my instructor is normally the first person I ask for a sanity check. If I think my boys not 100% (and unfortunately there normally is a problem) then I run things by her or get her to confirm my suspicions as she knows my horse almost as well as I do! I normally end up getting the vet anyway but it doesn't hurt to get someone else to confirm that you're not over reacting or being paranoid or indeed to put your mind at rest that there is nothing to worry about.
My boy is 1-2/10 lame at the mo for suspected deep bruising and took to the vet as was not right after 5 days and had done all the normal things of resting, poulticing, farrier out etc. Apparently there are a lot of foot problems around at the moment due to the extremely wet weather and the softening of feet. Good luck
 
Well just spoke to vet and he agrees with me and my trainer that its nothing probably and nerve blocks are no good. He is only v mild and intemittent and he was not lame before she came.
He said leave him alone for a couple of weeks. As he is only a baby and just come back into work. he also said that he probably did something out in the field as he has been fine the 12 months I have had him.

He agreed that lady not really very helpful but she has to cover her a**SS.

I feel batter now and trainer said she will watch him on lunge as I am paranoid and think my horses are always lame!!!

I am to ring if he still lame in 10 days

That does me and I trust him 100%
 
God what a palava !! I would ignore it, it seems very OTT to me!
If this lady knew sod all about young horses, then she would know that most of them have what is called a 'weakness' in one leg. It is just a baby thing and will come right as the horse grows and strenghtens up through his schooling.
Also the fact that he has no muscular pain anywhere further proves this point. Only if he has muscular pain or has real difficulties in his schooling work then I would be concerned.
 
[ QUOTE ]
God what a palava !! I would ignore it, it seems very OTT to me!
If this lady knew sod all about young horses, then she would know that most of them have what is called a 'weakness' in one leg. It is just a baby thing and will come right as the horse grows and strenghtens up through his schooling.
Also the fact that he has no muscular pain anywhere further proves this point. Only if he has muscular pain or has real difficulties in his schooling work then I would be concerned.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank god someone else thinks this Im really dissaponited with her tbh.

Im just going to chuck him out for a bit. I think some people on here probably are a little over cautious, I only had her out to check his muscles and back after having his teeth as an MOT which were all 100% as she said she couldnt do anything for him as there was nothing to do!!!

She also said he had a nice soft back and good muscle structure.

My vet wasnt impressed either!! think I was jsut a fast buck
 
Dont think that I would turn him away...just carry on as you have been doing., working on streghtening him up and suppling, lots of lateral work to get him to use that hind leg that he is weak on.
Do think that she was a con and that you should cancel the cheque!
 
Not sure But it was def a complete waste of money!!

Going to lunge him again tonight and see how he is. Am really cross, My vet wasnt happy either. My trainer said more work as you have.

I bought him to event this year but that might be next now. Ive had a terribel last year with my other horse being off for 6 months and written off but she is now better than before and starts eventing in March after previously just SJ.

Thanks for your support 2008 its been really helpful. Will update tomorrow after tonights lunge
 
Hi, just being ultra nosey but if you don't mind, would you PM me the name of the "back person" you had out, noticed you are in the South East and I am in that area too.
 
Not sure if this is of any help but my horse was going intermittently slightly lame for a few weeks. Eventually went very lame. I thought he'd pulled something as he'd fallen over in the field but could find nothing. Some time later I found heat in his hind foot - turned out to be a deep seated solar abscess which vet had to drain!
 
The back lady came to see my horse and said exactly the same thing and it turned out my horse had PSD. She was only slightly wrong and I had never spotted it, but it turned out to be very serious.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top