Hind lameness

emalou2

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Hi there. I'm wondering if anyone can help with this. My mare (15) on her left rein in trot is really quite stiff. I can't tell if she's lame or not. This evening she didn't seem to get any easier when I schooled her so I'm assuming with that in mind she is lame. Would anyone be able to tell me that if she's on the left rein in trot does she strike off with the left hind? Right rein she appears to be ok but this evening she was pretty much reluctant to work in an outline and was very uninterested in doing anything.
I noticed when I put her in the field she stood by the gate and rested near hind. There's no swelling, heat or Obvious problem. Her feet are done every six weeks and they are not long or cracked.
She is an ex racer and brood are and my physio picked up on an old pelvis injury she had. Could this be raising its head again as she seems to be fine for months (almost a year) then she gets this problem again.
I also noted that she's holding her tail to the side so possibly but her back out?
She looks level from the rear but I was thinking to get my physio out first to check her over. She was done a couple of months ago and had no issues then but I suppose they can easily pop things out..
Any suggestions?
 
At 15 with a history of being a brood mare and possibly a pelvic injury she probably does not have the best core muscles so any slight stiffness or lameness will feel even worse when you ride her, it is probably a case of requiring appropriate and regular exercises to try and build up her muscle tone which in turn should help her maintain her suppleness.

There could also be an underlying problem that is beginning to be more obvious either due to doing more work or her age so a check by the vet then appropriate physio would probably be the best route to make sure you get to the bottom of whatever is going on.
 
I would speak to the vet, it is not an emergency so they may suggest you keep working so if there is something going on it is clear when they come out, they may suggest a week of rest just to see if it resolves without doing anything, without knowing the horse it is difficult to know which is best.
I have just had a slightly lame one that rested for 4 days and got better each day with no need for the vet to come out he is now totally sound and it was probably just a knock, your horse sounds as if it is probably more likely to be a long term type of thing that can get progressively worse and unless you find out what is going on it can be a long haul and very frustrating if they get almost better then once you start to do more go wrong again, that scenario can go on for months if you are unlucky.
 
Thank you. I'll have a chat with the vet this week. She's just had 4 weeks off work as I've been away. I hacked out Sunday and then rode tonight. She's only in light work and is a hack with a schooling session a couple of times per week. I think I'm going to have to get it investigated though. She's insured so hopefully it won't be too painful for either of us!
 
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