Help horse lame no clues to why!

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vikkibeth

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I have had this horse on loan for coming up to three months now, she is now ten but owner bought her as a foal broke her when she was four for four months but the due to owner having a back injury she's been out to grass ever since. September last year she was loaned out to be brought back into work by someone but owner after going to see her at a three month check on the loaners brought her back as she felt they weren't taking good care of her. I fell in love with her and for a horse who had been hardly worked she listened extremely well. Day before I went to collect her owner said she had become lame due to a small injury on her front left knee. A week later she was better and I collected her. I have her a further week off when she arrived so she could settle down and then lunged her in only walk and trot three times a week for a maximum of 10 mins and rode her twice a week again for only ten mins but we were only mastering walk and listening to leg aids so she most certainly wasn't over worked. Three weeks ago she suddening became lame on her front legs but only in trot when being lunged on both directions on her inside leg. I stopped working her straight away and put her in box rest for a few days as the ground was so wet I wasn't sure if she had just pulled something tearing around. Lunged her a week later and she worked nicely on both legs for 5 mins then became lame again! I have checked all over her legs but no swelling or heat or any signs of injury, i also doubt tat the small knee injury has anything to do with this lameness. Farrier came out and has checked her feet and found nothing, had someone check her back and nothing was out there. I obviously have been chatting to her owner but she says she has never had her lame like this, but she says she wouldnt be surprised if the other loaners could have done something but am not convinced, i also really want to believe shes telling the truth but then agian you never know! I gave her bute for last four days and she has been in a small paddock to prevent her from running around too much. Lunged her today and she seemed worse :-(. Am going to get the vet out but am impatient and was wondering if anyone else has come across and thing similar, I have very much fallen in love with her and she is to be my 30th birthday present next month so very worried it might be something bad. I hope that covers everything! Sorry for going on....but please help!
 
I think that could be loads of different things, best just to wait for the vets to take a look. i hope its nothing serious.
 
The sort of problem you are describing is very typical of muscular damage, often starting with the pectorals (the 'armpits' as I call them!). It is of course always next to impossible to offer much insight without seeing the horse but this type of injury is also very typical of the sort of thing you get when a horse tears around a wet paddock and then slips. Muscle tears are poorly understood in horses in my experience although it is becoming more common as people realise that the standard forms of investigation (such as x-rays) miss many issues. I would recommend you find someone reliable locally who can diagnose lameness reasonably reliably and offer a way forward. Things like Bute are, in my opinion, only a stop gap, generally only masking the symptoms and not addressing the root cause. Good luck... So why do we keep horses? :)
 
Thank you GoodyGoody that sounds highly feasible and your right we never really think about that! We can get it why can't they?! Vets coming on Thursday so will ask if that's a possibility. I just praying it's nothing bad as will rip my heart if there's something too bad :-(
 
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