Holly Hocks
Well-Known Member
I turned up at the yard this morning and was grooming before riding when I noticed that my illness and injury prone TB mare had a swollen fetlock on the off hind - the opposite one to which was operated on in December for a bone chip. Looked a bit similar to windgalls, but not as puffy - harder and went up the leg a bit, and the back of the pastern was very slightly swollen . I walked her and trotted her up in hand and she was sound. I took her for a small hack in walk through a ford as I thought that the cold water would help and when I got back I rang my vet. He left me some Trimediazine and bute out on the counter at the vet which I have picked up. My first reaction was that she has caught herself and an infection has got in - my other TB gets the tinest cuts which get infected....but because this horse has been so ill for the past nine months I am paranoid that she may have injured a ligament, although I know I'm probably being neurotic. She rolls a LOT and is very leggy - I think she has clobbered it with her other leg......but my question is - how would I tell the difference between a ligament injury and an infection? Thanks in anticipation.