Horse dragging hind hoof / crashed out toe

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Jayfreddo

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Has anyone experienced this? Here goes the story! My horse has always dragged worn/crashed out his toes behind a bit, so has rolled toe shoes behind. Last year, he was noticeably dragging his off hind a lot more - crashed out his toe a lot more than the nearside. Vet was called. Very slightly lame behind after flex test. Took him in for further investigation. Had his hocks xrayed - all clear. He suggested we give him some bute and just walk him out for a bit. I didn't do a lot with him during this time, weather was turning, so he was roughed off a bit and I was recommended to take him to this 'amazing' chiropracter. He spent 2 hours with him, he said all his nearside back end was out (hence compensating on the otherside). Did a lot of work on him, reworking muscles etc around the hip. I rode him, he tweaked him more. He trotted up sound as a pound after. Had to bute him and walk him for a few weeks. He was then turned out for a couple of months. Back to work now, been walked for 4 weeks...now starting to up the game a bit. Again...here we go again, crashing out the off hind significantly. What do I do? He doesn't feel lame, yet if he is it will be very slightly. I will call the vet...yet he wasn't convinced he could tell from a nerve block. I also had some thermal images done of him - didn't show up anything specific. Just wanted to know if anyone has had something similar? Apologies for the essay!!
 
The work done by the chiro really needed his work to be kept up to build up his muscles afterwards, by turning him away so soon after treatment they will just be back to almost where he started, especially if this is a long term way of going. I would get a physio to get him back on track and this time get him fit and muscled up so the benefit remains longer term, it can take many months to get them muscled up correctly, even longer if they have been moving incorrectly for some time.

Otherwise he probably would require a full workup by the vet to see if there is an underlying issue to cause it.
 
Could he be compensating more from an injury elsewhere in his body that has yet to be revealed? Maybe he is overcompensating from a fore injury and not a hind. Did the thermal images only concentrate on the hind quarters and hocks or all over? Just a thought.
 
Totally agree with 'be positive', it will be an on going issue. I had a similar problem with my horse and physio gave me exercises to do which I included in with his regular schooling to keep on top of things. She also showed me the symptoms to look out for that were early signs of a recurrence. I also used a pessoa which worked really well though I should stress this was under the physio's recommendations.
 
I had a TB ex race she would catch the toes in trot we had the back man ,and he said she had trapped nerves behind the saddle ,after ultra sound therapy she was kept in work and she never did it again ,does your horse have any other symptoms,I think some one on this forum said that some horses with ulcers have lameness in off side hind .
 
STIFLES ! I have two horses who drag hind toes and show low grade lameness. Thanks to their mutual sire, they both have partially upward fixating patellas.
 
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