Horse tripping with a hindleg

[seoirse]

Hi everyone, I've got a query regarding a friends horse. He keeps ‘losing’ a hind leg. It almost goes from under him and he trips on it and occasionaly ends up landing on the front of the fetlock, though mostly its just a 'trip', he usually just grunts and carries on going. It only happens in trot and I’ve seen him do it once in canter and I think its always the same hind leg but I can't be 100% sure as it happens so fast and he recovers so quick its hard to tell what happened. He usually does it on the lunge and less so out hacking or in the school. I’d say in a 20 min lunging session he might do it 2-3 times max but you can hack out for 2 hours and he won't do it at all. They've not had this horse long so are not sure if he's just 'always' done it.

We probably ought to ring the vet about it but its one of those things that when you get the vet out to have a look the blimming horse won’t do it!! We're going to try and get it on camera though so we can study it a bit more closely and also have something to show the vet.

Anyone got any ideas? He’s not ever lame, and is otherwise perfectly happy and keen and willing.

 

[maggiesmum]

Do you mean like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_kMGXQOrkE&feature=related&fb_source=message

This horse apparently has a 'patella slip', my TB does exactly the same thing but we've connected it to his colonic ulcers, when on full medication it stopped, when we reduced the medication if started up again - as you say not enough to be seen as a problem in its own right but often enough to notice and to know somethings amiss.

This video shows where to palpate as a basic test for ulcers.
http://www.forageplus.com/forageplusequineulcers.html

 

[Dab]

Do you mean like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_kMGXQOrkE&feature=related&fb_source=message

This horse apparently has a 'patella slip', my TB does exactly the same thing but we've connected it to his colonic ulcers, when on full medication it stopped, when we reduced the medication if started up again - as you say not enough to be seen as a problem in its own right but often enough to notice and to know somethings amiss.

This video shows where to palpate as a basic test for ulcers.
http://www.forageplus.com/forageplusequineulcers.html

Sorry to hijack OP, but i'm interested to know from maggiesmum how you connected it to the colonic ulcers, and what medicine yours is on?

 

[GoodyGoody]

Maggiesmum, from your video I would say your horse has a problem in his right shoulder. You often see the diagonals are off together (e.g front right, hind left). Look at the way he holds his head and swishes his tail when you change to the right rein. I'm not sure why the treatment you used should have had an effect though. My suggestion is then that the horse has muscular pain. Does it give any other indications when ridden or tacking up? Does he flinch when you girth him up or is he stiff or unwilling in a specific gait or a specific direction? Have you tried walk and trot on a longe in tight circles? This is a good test for lameness which might not otherwise be very obvious.

 

[xxMozlarxx]

It could be a lot of things and may just be a fitness issue.

 

[seoirse]

It could be a lot of things and may just be a fitness issue.

I'm wondering this as they didn't notice it initially and when the horse first arrived he was very fit then had to have a break due to the rider getting injured and then when they brought him back he showed this tripping thing.

I will try and get it on vid.

 

[maggiesmum]

Goodygoody - that's not my horse it's just a video I found which shows the same 'dropping a hind leg' action that mine does.

Dab - if you read Dr Kerry Ridgeways research papers on colonic ulcers (if you pm me your email addy I'll send it to you) he describes a 'hitching action' of the hind legs as a symptom specific to colonic rather than gastric ulcers. I didn't read the research until after we'd started the treatment but noticed that he'd stopped doing it, when we tried reducing the dosage he started to drop a leg again.
The current treatment is cimetidine and antepsin (sucralfate

 

[maggiesmum]

Stupid phone posted before I'd finished!!
Gastrogard isn't always the best treatment for colonic ulcers as it allows undigested

 

[maggiesmum]

FFS!!
....food into the hind gut which aggregates the ulcers.
I hear that egusin is also giving very good results.

 

[Dab]

Thanks Maggiesmum, i've seen some of Dr Ridgeways articles and i'm going to a seninar when he is over in the UK. But i'd like to see the paper yuo have so will PM you my address.

Thanks

 

[cobwithattitude]

re horse tripping - mine does exactly the same as in vid on youtube occasionally and is lame in canter trot trans, which is why vet called - on anti inflam at mo, then vet coming back out to see horse to see if further diagnosis required.

 

[happy_talk]

Interesting cobwithattitude- please update when you know more. Is your horse fit/ in full work?

 

[cobwithattitude]

Happy_talk: horse came Autumn last year weak behind, not done much and seemingly tripping occasionally in front - 5 stage vet, fab farrier, and slow fitness programme seemed to remedy. Then upped work and tripping seemed to be from behind VERY occasionally and then this week, lame - 1/10 said vet on straight but with the definite showing on trot canter trans. Vet coming back next week/or horse going to clinic for day - will PM you! Have you got horse in similar sit?

 

[happy_talk]

possibly ;-) she trips occasionally like the horse in the video... some days worse than others. she was then diagnosed with bone spavin which is taking a while to resolve (and had very tight deep muscles in hindquarters). due to various reasons she is now unfit and has tripped/patella slipped a couple of times. I'm hoping this will resolve with fitness with muscles that are now loose. might have a chat to my/her physio, but at the back of my mind there may be more going on with her back legs than just spavin.

 

[AmyMay]

Time for the vet i'd say - it most certainly won't be a fitness issue.

Let us know what the outcome is.

 

[laurenn1010]

what is the update on this? one of ours does this occasionally too so im interested to learn more!

 

[cobwithattitude]

lunging mine today and then reporting back to vet. on 1/2 sachet Danilon x2 a day last 4 days. finishes this eve. If not sound going in to clinic next week for further tests.
Seoirse - how's your friend's horse?

 

[seoirse]

She's hacked him out this week twice and he didn't do it at all, ridden in the school and she reckons he might have done it once in trot but its hard to feel when she's on board. Lunged a couple of times and one session he only did it once, second session he did it once and then did a fairly major trip which could have been any leg and she thinks that was due to him pratting about and tripping on a lump in the surface anyway. So not really sure how to proceed! We're going to press on as we are and keep trying to get it on film on the lunge as so far we've failed on that front. It doesn't seem quite as severe or as frequent as some other people are experiencing, but that doesn't mean it isn't a problem of course, but at the moment I think we need it on vid before we can call the vet! Out vet is great actually and once we do have some footage we can email her a link to it and she'll look at it and give feedback before she comes out. I will keep you all posted. Seems like this is not that uncommon though! In the meantime for us though horse is sound and seems quite happy and totally fine hacking out so at least we can keep going and keep him fit as I think that helps in this case?

 

[AmyMay]

Tripping like your horse is doing is often a sign of spavins, or ligament problems - usually most obviously displayed when worked on a surface. Investigate sooner rather than later, would be my recommendation.

 

[seoirse]

Tripping like your horse is doing is often a sign of spavins, or ligament problems - usually most obviously displayed when worked on a surface. Investigate sooner rather than later, would be my recommendation.

Yes, I think she has pretty much accepted the fact there is something wrong and it needs attention. Hopefully we'll be able to get in on vid over the long weekend and then call the vet next week.

cobwithattitude - let us know how you get on lunging today. Hope your horse has improved. xx

 

[BigRed]

My friends (now retired) pony did this a lot, it became worse as she got older. It was diagnosed as a patella problem, in the early stages it would semi collapse the affected hind leg and the pony would just stumble. Some days it seemed worse than others. Her vet advised her to keep it fit and in work. As the pony became older, the problem became worse and on a couple of occasions the log locked and the pony was clearly very uncomfortable. It was a contributing factor to her retiring it from riding.

 

[happy_talk]

not sure if others have found/read this, but is interesting reading

http://www.steinbeckequine.com/pdf/DelayedpatellarreleaseMD.pdf

I'm so glad I've seen that video as it happens quickly in real time and I struggle to describe it to people/the vet. An "anti-trip" was as good as I was getting! LOL!

Amymay- interesting you linking it to spavin. I'm hoping that with increased work and a course of cartrophen soon, that it will improve.

 

[serena2005]

Oh no my horse does this every so often when in the school!! he don't need more problems!

I will.be looking forward to your updates hope its good news xx

 

[seoirse]

So our horse in question did a quite intensive schooling session yesterday and again today with lots of trot and canter work and tons of transitions and not one trip....?!

 

[xxMozlarxx]

Fitness??

 

[seoirse]

Fitness??

Hoping so!

 

[teabag]

My horse does this occasionally. She has spavin in both hocks and we have put it down to this. She has shown improvement since going back on a joint supplement.