billylula
Well-Known Member
Hi. So my 15 year old ISH is occasionally picking his hind legs up in an exaggerated manner at walk. He's not obviously lame and it goes off after 10 minutes or so. Any thoughts?
Horse picking his hind legs up high
- Thread starter billylula
- Start date
AmyMay
Situation normal
Locking stifles?
poiuytrewq
Well-Known Member
String halt? Friends used to just do it occasionally but looked absolutely fine most of the time.
billylula
Well-Known Member
I don't think it's locking stifles. It looks as though he's got something ouchy or sore under both back feet , snatching them slightly high. He isn't noticeably lame and seems perfectly happy
Barton Bounty
Just simply loving life with Orbi 🥰
Stringhalt possibly
billylula
Well-Known Member
Yes could be very mild stringhalt thank you. He does have a touch of mud fever so I wonder if it's just that
Barton Bounty
Just simply loving life with Orbi 🥰
It could be that irritating it too, mud fever is really itchy
HollyWoozle
Well-Known Member
My mare has been doing this a bit lately because it’s been so wet and she doesn’t like her wet tail on her back legs!
PurBee
Well-Known Member
Check your hay supply for cats ear weed, as that can cause stringhalt.
They can get away with eating a bit but not accumulative eating of it like from hay.
It’s likely to be in the hay, than growing in the fields, as cats ear prefers warmer temps to grow, unlike its lookalike plant Dandelion, that is starting to grow even now.
Dried, in hay, It’s a long 12+inch stem, green/brown, with a bobble dried head with black dots on the head.
It’s usually a thicker stem than most commercial hay grasses, so is usually easy to spot when checking hay.
You‘re unlikely to see yellow flower petals of the flower in the hay as they’ll usually be completely dried out/fallen off.
You’d be looking for long stems with a bobble on top. Sometimes 1 stem will be split in 2 with a bobble head on top of each stem.
I once bought hay with loads of it in, and dumped the lot once i realised what it was.
As a fresh plant it looks like common dandelion - except cats ear flower stems are usually much taller than dandelion, and there’s various details of leaf shape that are different to the trained eye.
If you find it in your hay, stop feeding it immediately, change supplier.
Some neurotoxins from plants cause gait abnormalities and cats ear is known for rear legs stringhalt.
Here’s some pics of it, unfortunately i cant find fully dried in hay pictures:
They can get away with eating a bit but not accumulative eating of it like from hay.
It’s likely to be in the hay, than growing in the fields, as cats ear prefers warmer temps to grow, unlike its lookalike plant Dandelion, that is starting to grow even now.
Dried, in hay, It’s a long 12+inch stem, green/brown, with a bobble dried head with black dots on the head.
It’s usually a thicker stem than most commercial hay grasses, so is usually easy to spot when checking hay.
You‘re unlikely to see yellow flower petals of the flower in the hay as they’ll usually be completely dried out/fallen off.
You’d be looking for long stems with a bobble on top. Sometimes 1 stem will be split in 2 with a bobble head on top of each stem.
I once bought hay with loads of it in, and dumped the lot once i realised what it was.
As a fresh plant it looks like common dandelion - except cats ear flower stems are usually much taller than dandelion, and there’s various details of leaf shape that are different to the trained eye.
If you find it in your hay, stop feeding it immediately, change supplier.
Some neurotoxins from plants cause gait abnormalities and cats ear is known for rear legs stringhalt.
Here’s some pics of it, unfortunately i cant find fully dried in hay pictures:
Boughtabay
Well-Known Member
If the field is very wet & they have mud fever it could simply be trying to get a break from the wet. I had to put mine into a dry paddock for a few days last winter just for his coronet bands to have a break from the wet and/or cold. Initially I thought he was injured as he was holding his leg high out of the mud and lifting them in an exaggerated way but a few hours on dry ground and he was back to normal. The other one was fine 
Errin Paddywack
Well-Known Member
It could well be the mud fever. When I worked at a RS we had a pony with cracked heels. He would sometimes suddenly stretch a leg out backwards, presumably because it hurt.
billylula
Well-Known Member
Just put cream on his legs and noticed he has a fresh spot of mud fever so I think it might be that. He really hates it when he has mud fever. Thought we might escape it this year 
Mrs. Jingle
Well-Known Member
Very interesting @ PurBee, just shows every day is a learning day, I had heard of it causing roaring but never stringhalt...off to read up now and get myself educated! thank you! ☺
billylula
Well-Known Member
That is really interesting thank you. Pretty sure there's none in the hay but I'll double check.
PurBee
Well-Known Member
It was due to having a whole load of hay picked-up by OH and truly loaded with this long stalky stuff that had me read about it.
Its confusing because they call it ‘australian stringhalt’ if the stringhalt is caused by pasture weeds, cat’s ear in particular. This erroneously gives the impression that its a problem only found in australia, or the plant grows only in hot places - whereas neither is true. Its just that Aus has seen it a hell of a lot more in the equine world as the plant does do well in dry/sandy soils when other grasses/plants have dried-up and died, due to it’s longer tap-root.
Yet unbeknownst to most due to the term ‘australian stringhalt’ here in cooler wetter europe it grows prolifically aswell. Its a very versatile plant, withstanding many climates and soils.
I had an infestation of it growing in my soggy fields, from seeds that had drifted from the batch of hay i bought and composted! It was never growing on this farm but 1 hay batch seed-drift took years of hand pulling it up, its so persistent.
Some horses just roar, some just have the leg snatching, some have both symptoms together.
It can cause permanent neuro damage so is best checked for, annihilated and hated, like we deal with our pal ragwort!
Here’s a useful quick article:
