Horse a bit 'pottery' and very crooked behind going down hills. Why?

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myhorsefred

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Just wondering if I could pick your brains please?

I hacked out with a friend earlier and noticed that her horse was very crooked behind when going downhill. She has noticed him feeling odd for about a month, but has had no-one to hack with to watch from behind what is going on.

Her horse turns his haunches into the middle of the road and crosses his hind feet over as he goes downhill - very crooked. Sort of 'pottery' and crab like as his hinds go sideways almost! He is never lame though.

Also sometimes, he will stand in his stable with his near hind leg resting, but he will turn his hock so that it is pointing his other hock, and turn his near hoof pointing out. (Sorry, that was a bit vague I know)

She is going to ask the vet to come out on Monday as she is a bit worried now.

Any ideas in the meantime what it could be? I have never seen a horse do this downhills before?

thanks
 
Has she had his saddle checked lately? Horses sometimes do this downhill when the tree points press into the back of the scapula - the rider's weight when going downhill makes it far worse than on the flat, and the horse will try and alleviate the pressure by carrying the saddle crooked - a bit like if you were wearing a rucksack full of hard objects, you might hold yourself differently to make it less uncomfortable.
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Mine started doing something similar with his hindleg when walking and esp downhill. He was abducting with his hind leg, so swinging outwards instead of straight back and forth. Maybe not quiet as bad as your friends horse. He had a rather sore back (we took him for physio).

I would hazard a guess that this horse has done something similar, he could have fallen in the field and just twisted himself. To be honest she probably does right to get the vet, he can see the horse move and should be able to tell if it is more a muscular problem. Also, if she wanted to claim maybe for treatment she would need a vet to refer the case to a physio anyway so ye, get the vet and then maybe a physio if the vet thinks it would help.

Oh, it could also be something like spavin developing so a vet would be the best to diagnose this anyway.
 
Thanks everybody. She has changed the saddle recently actually as well. I'll mention that to her.

Me being a complete drama queen was immediately thinking kissing spines/navicular etc etc. Always think the worst I do!

thankies
 
mine has always done this, but she has had long term back problems leaving her with pain memory etc. She's also freakishly long and this makes it hard to go down hill.
Back and saddle check is in order!
 
could be hock. if both hockssorethen would give a pottery gait as oppsed to lame. the reason for the1/4 swing is toavoid using the hocks. friends horse started almostrunning with back legs downhill and also would not gostright he was not lame after lot of investigations turned outhe had spavin in both hocks he also devloped secondary back pain too early on
 
I was thinking hocks. My horse was pottery and not keen on hills and swinging his hindlegs out slightly.

It turned out he had bilateral bone spavin with associated back pain from his odd gait.
 
Could be to take weight off the hind or front legs. Sometimes horses with front leg problems will crab down hills.
 
Stuff the saddler and the back person, I'd get the vet to come and do a full work-up. It could be in the hindle-g eg suspensory/hock or front feet. Sounds most likely hindleg though
 
This was the first sign my daughters horse had re-injured his hind suspensory ligament , he had also caused some SI damage. He was not lame at the time just crabbing downhill.
Get the vet and a full hind leg and back work up and if that shows nothing check the fronts!
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sounds like his pelvis is crooked/tilted and needs to have a chiropracter rather than a vet

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Vet definitely. We had a horse on our yard, owner had back person out who 'diagnosed' a tilted pelvis/ back out etc and told owner to continue working her, which she did. Eventually, the vet was called and the horse was correctly diagnosed with a badly torn cartilage in the fetlock joint. It's now retired.
 
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