HELP???? - advices!!!

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Stormi

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My horse the last 2 months has been slipping with his hindlegs ( when trotting and rarely in walk). I have been trying to find out what is wrong with him but i cant. The yard manager told me its stiff muscles. So i gave him a week off, and tried him again. But he was still slippping. So i gave him another 2 weeks off and when I lunged him today he was still doing it. I asked the vet to check whether its the muscles and he said that he doesnt seem stiff. I am bringing the vet again next week, Do you have any idea what it might be? Is there a chance to be a joint problem? He is 6 years old,TB.
 
If its stiff muscles then I would get a physio out to him, two sessions with the physio has done wonders for my TB

I don't agree with resting a horse with stiff muscles, but I do agree with resting a horse with tired or damaged muscles and the only way to find out what you are dealing with is a physio, they average £60 a visit and its money well spent, mine was fully asessed , trotted up, lunged, a a large discussion about the horses way of going and how I find schooling the horse, followed by a hands on approach to find areas of stiffness and pain, then treatment with a tens machine and physical stretches and massage, I was then shown specific stretches to do with my mare twice a day and she is so comfortable now, it has made a real difference to her, and I was really shocked at just how much pain she was in, horses do a really good job of living with pain and not really letting us know, but I trust my physio to tell me and I can see for myself that muscles are sore and not working properly when they are fixed and can!
 
You're doing the right thing getting the vet in again. It sounds like you need a full lameness work-up for him. I'd also get the vet to check his co-ordination, on the off-chance that it's less a lameness problem and more to do with proprioreception, which could be caused by trauma, or something like Wobblers syndrome. I assume you've checked him over for any painful spots or heat?

Is there any way you can get a video of your horse on the lunge or something? It might give a better idea of what's going on with your horse.

When it comes down to it though, the vet's the only one who can really get a full picture of what's going on- there's only so far we can speculate, so you're doing exactly the right thing.
 
Stormi said:
My horse the last 2 months has been slipping with his hindlegs ( when trotting and rarely in walk). I have been trying to find out what is wrong with him but i cant. The yard manager told me its stiff muscles. So i gave him a week off, and tried him again. But he was still slippping. So i gave him another 2 weeks off and when I lunged him today he was still doing it. I asked the vet to check whether its the muscles and he said that he doesnt seem stiff. I am bringing the vet again next week, Do you have any idea what it might be? Is there a chance to be a joint problem? He is 6 years old,TB.
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I'm afraid that I suspect either upper suspensory desmitis or bone spavin. Is he insured? If not, is there a record of this problem on his vet notes?
 
He used to had only front shoes. And 5 weeks ago I put him back shoes as well ( it was around the same time when he started slipping). He is working on sand, and hacking around twice a month. Is there any chance it could be the shoes?
 
If he's only started slipping since being shod on his hinds there's a good chance that his could be the problem. He will have had a lot more grip without shoes and may be struggling to adjust, Could your farrier use some Mordax (non slip) nails to help him? Did you mention this to your vet? Having a Physio to your horse is a good idea anyway, if he has been slipping he may well have pulled a muscle so a good check up wouldn't do any harm.
 
Stormi said:
He used to had only front shoes. And 5 weeks ago I put him back shoes as well ( it was around the same time when he started slipping). He is working on sand, and hacking around twice a month. Is there any chance it could be the shoes?
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This looks like a bit of a light bulb moment to me, lol.
 
Stormi said:
He used to had only front shoes. And 5 weeks ago I put him back shoes as well ( it was around the same time when he started slipping). He is working on sand, and hacking around twice a month. Is there any chance it could be the shoes?
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YES

Why did you have him shod behind? It doesn't sound like he needs it, working in a sand school and hacking twice a month.
 
My farrier told me that it would be better to have back shoes as well. And when I asked him if there is any chance that it could be the shoes ( for the slipping)he said no.. What should I do?
 
If you had said "my horse slips when he walks on the road and he's only reently been shod behind". I'd be likely to say - oh it's the shoes.

But, you say he only gets ridden on the road twice a month ? how can a horse slip in a sandschool ? what exactly do you mean he does ? You mean he slips when he walks on grass ?
 
As you are in Cyprus you dont have access to the same resources as we do in the UK I would think that the shoes are not helping your horse and that with the work he is doing that he should be ok without them.
I wonder if he is physically rather weak and that is causing him to loose his hind legs at times,does he look in good condition or could he do with a little more muscle on him.
A friend lives in Cyprus and I know that she thinks a lot of the horses there are rather underweight. There is very little grass and hay is hard to get as well.
 
Stormi said:
My farrier told me that it would be better to have back shoes as well. And when I asked him if there is any chance that it could be the shoes ( for the slipping)he said no.. What should I do?
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In what way did your farrier think it would be "better"? More money for him to put on a full set??????

He looks to me like he catches a toe and "knuckles over". I'd take the shoes off, if the toes are making him trip then he will stop and you will know.
 
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