Horse not right - odd canter

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samp

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Guys anyone else had this problem?

My horse isn't right at the mo hasn't been properly worked for 1 month now and ended up getting vet out - flexed, lunged on hard, soft etc. Only thing we found was in canter she almost hopped behind so we put her on bute - which she's not eating now. I am thinking as flexed ok etc and it's only in canter and jumping she went crazy I am thinking sacro-iliac as mmy old horse was similar when he did his
 
If it was a sacroiliac injury it would have shown up on a high flexion test (as it did on my horse). I would look at back first - most back leg problems stem from the back.
 
Thing with nerve blocks as the vet said is not significantly lame enough to really be a true reading. They advised going for a bone scan but I am a bit reluctant due to insurance
 
I had 3 vets out to investigate my horse as he had the same problem being described - a sort of hopping behind and he was short on one leg in the trot. Each one (from a different practice) said that the standard procedure with hind leg lameness was to check the back first and then the leg? Or perhaps they just said that in my case as he was sound on the flexion, lunging on hard ground etc. but when I rode him it was clear that he was pottery behind and sort of skipped in canter (when I could actually get him to canter). He also bucked on one rein. It did turn out to be the back even though he was lifting it and working well through it but it was an underlying injury. I did a bute trial for 10 days (he only ate 3 days worth) but it was clear in those 3 days that he was more forward, had no problems cantering on either rein on a 20m circle and did not buck.

With my other horse with a SI strain, the vet also said that it is shown on a high (not ordinary) flexion? Apparently it is a very common injury for ex-racers and ex-showjumpers (mine is an ex-sj) and the vet I used said that although he wasnt very obviously unlevel behind when standing square, he could see he was 1/10ths lame on a normal flexion and 2/10ths on a high flexion.
 
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Each one (from a different practice) said that the standard procedure with hind leg lameness was to check the back first and then the leg?

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I think that's because its a damn sight easier and cheaper to do a basic standard back check than it is to start looking inside a leg. The chances of the problem being in the back though are less. Also even if the physio finds back pain and fixes it, chances are the lameness will show up worse.

Obviously this is not always the case but often back pain stems from compensating for lameness.
 

In my case the flexion tests showed nothing obvious. She wasnt really lame but didnt track up but I think my vet just thought I was being neurotic! LOL!!
My horse was diagnosed with SI by pulling the hind leg out behind her. Well that was the clue along with a few other tests. Then scintigraphy confirmed it. However mine was complicated by a hamstring problem and the SI was fairly mild I think.

Interesting about the high flexion as I cant remember really what my vet did but I am pretty sure he did high flexions. It is making me wonder now!!!
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Dozziesmummy - have we got the same horse !!!! My girls SI didnt show up in flexion either and was only 2/10th lame on right hind - so slight no one spotted it until she went to Leahurst, then the scintigraphy didnt show up much but they said it was SI injury of some sort and injected with steriods and anti-inflams. She to wouldnt canter and bucked ..... just having a few little problems now - but I am keeping my fingers crossed we have caught it in time this time !
 
It only first appeared a prob in canter under saddle on the right rein very resistant and kept changing leg. Then when we tried to jump completely lost the plot - which is so not her. Then we had back person who said muscle sapsm to left of sarcral and left hindquarters. Then we rested for 1 week as still didn't feel right. Then started working again but just didn't feel right hence vet coming. My horse also would not eat bute after few days
 
1. Try Danilon - most eat that - or mix into a paste and syringe into their mouth

2. We did a course of a month of bute - to ascertain if it was a learned / in the mind issue or physical - she came sound after the first week on bute - but then one week after coming off it she was bucking again - so it was a pain response.

3. I was given a course of muscle relaxant tablets from Leahurst to come home with after her corticosteriod injections - if you think it is muscle related then you could ask your vet for these to see if it helps (PM me if you want the name of the tabs).

4. I was told to rehabiliate slowly and in straight lines and was given a 8 weeks programme to stick to and then "common sense" going forward.

PM me if you want to discuss further.

MaverickMD
 
I think that's because its a damn sight easier and cheaper to do a basic standard back check than it is to start looking inside a leg.

I'm not sure - he did a very thorough examination of the horse and it cost £1,000 for electric wave treatment which cured the hopping and the shortness in one leg. I didnt get a physio - just called the 1st vet, followed by the second vet and then the third. Each one said they thought it more likely to be back related because he wasnt lame unless being ridden? I said to third vet that I wanted xrays etc but he said it wasnt something he thought necessary and therefore he could not recommend at this stage (i.e. could not claim on insurance). If the back had been cleared then he would look at the leg. It is probably difference in my case as all the "ordinary" tests didnt show the lameness - it was only when being ridden.

I think the usual procedure is a bute trial first to eliminate or confirm pain - the problem is my horse (like the OP's) wont eat bute despite using apple juice, garlic, etc etc he is just too clever and refuses to eat (and he loves food). He ate a jam sandwich once but then realised something was funny. And I was being asked to feed him 4 a day (by the first vet - did not get her out again!)
 
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It only first appeared a prob in canter under saddle on the right rein very resistant and kept changing leg. Then when we tried to jump completely lost the plot - which is so not her. Then we had back person who said muscle sapsm to left of sarcral and left hindquarters. Then we rested for 1 week as still didn't feel right. Then started working again but just didn't feel right hence vet coming. My horse also would not eat bute after few days

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this does sound like my horse with the SI strain. All I know is that the vet who saw him said that he could always tell this by the high flexion test (my horse is very difficult to shoe behind as a result of the SI strain). Also, the muscle on one side is very slightly more built up than the other - the injury is mild and is very old so my horse has learnt to adapt his way of going to make it more comfortable for him. I did not notice this in the beginning as he was stiff on both sides and didnt feel unlevel when ridden but one day we had changing legs in canter and then he was unlevel behind which is when the vet came. He had aggravated the injury by sliding around in the field which is why I noticed it.
 
Well missed the vets call but she has advised I now spend 2 weeks lightly lungeing long and low and see what happens after that.
 
Is this on bute? What was she like to ride when on bute?

To be honest your horse sounds a bit like both of mine. One has a SI strain and the other had severe muscle spasms from a fight.

The one with the SI strain struggled to canter on the right leg, even on the lunge, rushed the canter transition and couldnt bascule over jumps bigger than 3 foot.

The one with the severe muscle spasms on his back was just really difficult to ride, napped badly to the point of spinning and rearing, bucked into canter. We stopped jumping because he always put in nasty stops. At first we thought it was just him being difficult (he was a nightmare as a youngster) but recently we noticed he was stiff in the back and short on one leg and hopped in canter. He is the one that has had 3 vets out to see him.
 
My horse had similar symptoms - suddenly developed a "hop" in right canter, which changed into constantly disuniting; to start with it was only when ridden then gradually started doing it on the lunge.
He has been in and out of Leahurst for tests, x rays, nerve blocks, gamma scans of his legs and back; anyway he was diagnosed with kissing spines which was a shock for me as he wasn't bucking or reacting violently to being ridden. But when he had his back nerve blocked and was ridden his canter improved a lot which helped pinpoint the problem.
Steroid injections & physio didn't help so he has recently had surgery & we are in the middle of the rehab. Good luck with your horse & I hope it isn't anything too serious.
 
We are no longer on bute as she finished course but also towards the end wouldn't eat it. CBanglo what exercise are you now doing with your horse? We ight lunged yesterday and this am with lots of walk - halt transitions and a little trot to walk. The trot looked great on left rein a little stiff on the right. I will not canter for 2 weeks though.

I didn't get to ride her on bute as I had injured myself and was unable to ride - always the way
 
My boy does not lunge - he always tries to kill you.

I have only been able to ride him for the last 4 weeks. For the first week we built up walking hacks in straight lines. Second week I introduced trotting on hacks (he cantered off down the road anyway). The third week I tried to introduce a short canter on a hack and he bucked me off. The 4th week I rode him in the school, walk and trot and had a 1 hour lesson (W/T). All hacks out have been walk with very minimal trot but I have been working him up and down hills to strengthen his topline.

He has this week started rushing in the school and rushing into canter when asked to trot. He is not an easy horse to ride (he only lets me ride him - everyone else is bucked off) but I have noticed that he is completely different. In the first 2 weeks he was very free moving and forward. In the 3rd week I noticed a bit of hesitation and in the 4th week I had the bad behaviour again. He is also hopping in trot - tries to get me onto the wrong leg as it must be easier for him to work this way. He also cannot manage more than a couple of stride of canter, and only seems capable of cantering on the right leg - on the left rein he does counter canter. His back is also starting to show sensitivity to touch after being ridden but is fine the next day. At first I thought this was due to the fact that he had been off work for 3 months, then he got cast and hurt his back which led to another 2 weeks off work. But in the back of my mind I suspect it is kissing spine - there is no way his back should be sensitive again, and the severe muscle spasms he displayed at the beginning are usually attributed to KS or arthritis in the back. The vet wanted to see if it was just soft tissue first (he did get into a pretty bad fight), but have to accept that there maybe something underlying. He is having xrays on Tuesday and then off to Rossdales.

At the moment I am also using a magnetic rug on him which seems to help - I also have the magnetic hock boots (he capped a hock in the fight).
 
It sounds very much to me like you need to have its back checked. There is no point doing remedial exercises or long and low work if there is problem in the back which hasn't been fixed - the problem will just keep re-occurring. Once it has been sorted, then long and low work is a good idea to build the muscles around the subluxated joint, if indeed there was one.

Check out this site;
www.equine-spinal-therapy.co.uk
 
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