Horse lame for 3 weeks

[beckyannjohnson]

Just looking for a bit of advice - vets are already involved also.
I have a 14.1 7 year old cob x trotter who has spent the majority of his life in a field doing nothing before I got him. He was then a driving pony who has always been 100% sound. Recently I started lunging him and riding him more..starting with hacking then progressed to the odd session of small jumps and schooling. He went lame around 3 weeks ago..wouldn’t exactly say lame but just short on a circle on his front left..gave him a weeks box rest and he came sound again so started riding/he went back in the field etc..then went lame again. So called the vet out and he came to have a look at him..trotted him up on a straight on concrete and he was sound, did a flexion test..still sound, then as soon as he was lunged on a circle he was lame on both front legs the vet said..whichever leg was on the inside he was lame on. No heat, no swelling, no other signs of discomfort. He is currently on box rest with bute following vets advice. And the next step will be X-rays and nerve blocks. And waiting on the farrier to come and have a look at his feet also. Baring in mind he isn’t insured..has anyone seen anything like this before? Or have any suggestions as to what it could be? TIA

 

[ihatework]

Really you just need to be guided by your vet (and make sure it’s a good equine lameness specialist)

But as a rule of thumb, if showing sound on hard straight but lame soft circle, it is more likely to be soft tissue. If bilateral quite likely in the feet. Foot balance would be my first good hard look

 

[SEL]

Yes - in my draft who has ringbone. The vet did say she wondered whether he'd been driven on hard ground when he was younger, his action would have put a lot of pressure on his joints.

X-ray will let you know for certain and isn't that expensive. Mine is now retired, but prior to that hacking was fine - we just didn't do circles.

 

[Pinkvboots]

It could be that the foot balance is not right what are his feet looking like? Is he shod ?

 

[moodymare_1993]

My gelding showed exactly the same lameness as yours and very intermittently. this was over the space of a year tho as at first I was told he had concussion so had pads etc first for 6 months.
long story short I knew he still wasn’t right so we went to rossdales for full work up, MRI scans etc, diagnosed with coffin joint arthiritis (which we knew already from earlier x rays) some changes to soft tissue around navicular and collateral ligament damage. He had remedial shoeing, steroid injections, PRP? (Stem cell stuff).
He responded well at first (he had 3 rounds of remedial shoeing) then I decided to take shoes off when I had surgery and try barefoot. This decision definitely took away the few years the vets said I probably had left of riding him full time but ultimately I wanted him comfortable and to have a better, longer quality of life. I had him injected 18months later now barefoot but the effects didn’t really last as well as I’d hoped so He’s now pretty much retired other than the odd hack I take him on and will come in handy when he comes out for pony rides for my new niece/nephew. He’s not on any medication as of yet tho. I hope this isn’t the case with you.