hip problems/back/pelvic area - unsound?

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tinker88

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Hi,

We have been looking and looking for a pony for some time now, and the right one has come along.

I used to manage a yard of 90+ horses (we supplied hirelings and horses for Tv/film work)and i know this pony very very well, the owner wants a good home for him, with the under standing that if any film work comes along she can use him - a win win situation....but!!

he about 3 yrs ago "knocked his back out" and after several vet visits they decided it was in his pelvic/hip area and recommended physio etc. Now i know that she didnt pay for the full 5* treatment and send him away for the vets to do further studies but the therory wa sthat a girl too heavy was galloping him daily (fittening for a film job) and he got injured - ok he could have got it another way but we booked the physio and he had about 6 treatments and maybe a year or so at grass

we started working him again last spring, he sometimes looks lame or as thought he has "pooed his pants" from behind?!!!!!

but he never seems in pain? i buted him up at some point to see if that made him walk better - it never did , its almost as thought thats how he walks?

sometimes he walks more "puddled" some days than others, then he may look right to the untrained eye.

Also if you stand behind one hip is about an inch lower - this maybe his conformation and maybe why he had the injury in the first place - but no one took much notice untill he got injured.

anyway so we are going to pick him up, he is the sweetest boy ever, and perfect for my step daughter (she is soooooo tiny and hes a chunker so will carry her fine) , i have lots of bute, i also am going to look further into his problem.

he has never shown any discomfort when being ridden, jumping etc, just walks a bit odd. Do you think im doing the right thing. (he is only 9)

has anyone else had any experience with hip probs? or can advise me further?
 
Hi

Bits of what you describe remind me of my horse - he has a sacrolillic joint injury
At his worst (when first injured) he had the 'puddled action' now its a shortness in stride when reaching through under himself in trot, esp pronounced in extension and short choppy strides in canter.


This improves greatly to just the odd stride now and again when he is in regular work, he detoriates rapidly when given time off.

He is, however, long backed which i believe increases his issues.

i've never been a jumper so he doesn't do this regulary - but copes without issue with small jumps when out and about. absoutley fine hacking, does rides chucking himself around for 4 hours soild without issue - however vet advised that collection work and schooling will probably cause hi to break down faster.

he's had this injury for 3-4 years and is happy hacking until he's ready for retirement. I have not noticed any detororation in general to the condition over the years - but am expecting this to be the cause of his eventual retirement.

if you can get some kind of diagnoses to confirm its not something more serious (mild kissing spines comes to mind as well) could be fine

mine had a 'bone scan' the result was not definative but there was a slight 'hot spot' over the area - this, his way of going and the vets experaince made him quite positive that this was the issue.
It also showed a hot spot on his spine which was arthuritus (nt kissing spines) so this should show up any other issues in that area.
cost around £1000 (definatley under but not much change from a grand)
 
paulineh said:
I would get a Chiropractor not a physio look at him
Click to expand...

Can I ask why palineh?

I use a chartered equine physio, this is a person who has trained to be a human physio and then trains further to be an equine one. My one still works as a human physio.

I feel that physios have more rigorous training and more of a scientific understanding of anatomy.
 
The way I understand it is that he probably walks funny because he has over compensated for the original injury elsewhere and by walking this way it takes pressure off the sore area. Over a period of time the muscles and ligaments become adjusted to this new way of going so are unable to go back to their previous position without the use of convential treatment, ie. physio or manipulation of some sort. Bute wouldn't have made any difference as presumably he is not in pain due to avoiding the soreness by walking in this fashion. Horses are extremely good at overcompensating.
 
the one hip lower than the other, i believe is known as a rotated pelvis. Or at least this was the diagnosis for my lad. Vet believe's it was caused by a fall/ injury which weakened the sacroilliac area, the ligaments in this area stabilise the pelvis. Due to it being an old injury we decided not go down the expensive x-ray/ tissue scan route.

One visit from the chiropractor and he was like a different horse, the hips levelled within days if not hours of her visit. However, he clearly has a weakness and it did re-occur just under a year later, i spotted him doing the funny walk. This was probably caused by him jumping a 5' fence to escape the field. Chiropractor came back out and it was gone again.

I'm now working with a physio, and doing plenty of ground work to help strengthen his topline and flexibility. I would not recommend lots of jumping!
 
I would never buy a horse on the understanding that the owner could ask to borrow it for any type of use. You could spend a lot of time and money getting this pony right, only for this lady to borrow him for a few days or weeks and then ruin him again. By all means buy him, if you like him and are happy to accept this physical problem. But I wouldn't let her borrow him for any type of work.
 
Last edited:
Tharg

I know what a chartered physio is I trained 40 years ago as a human one and 10 years ago as an equine one.

A Chiropractor also trains for a few years either as a vet or human one.

A physio works on the muscular system or a Chiropractor works on the Skeletal system.

I work along side vet and others.

I have recently been asked to see a horse that was first seen by another physio and then a chiropractor.

The physio had been working on what was thought to be a muscular problem (The horse fell), no improvement so a equine chiropractor was called in to see the horse. The horse had a number of vertebra out.Over 2 sessions these are now back in position and the rest of the skeleton was also aligned

I am now going to be working on realigning the neck muscles through massage as she has learned to use her neck differently and she is very stiff.
 
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