Intermittant lameness!!!

Caritas

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My horse has been intermitantly lame for about a year. It is only about 0.5/10 on a circle and very slightly almost never shown up trotting in a straight line on the hard. Took him up to the vets a few months ago, nerve blocked coffin joint, no difference. Nerve blocked navicular, no difference. Nerve blocked whole foot, went sound. The vet then took x rays that showed no abnormalities what so ever. He decided for me to carry on working him and to have him shod slightly shorter and wider in the front and felt that the lameness could be down to bruising in the laminae area. After being shod he was sound for a few months. Now on and off over the last month or so has been lame again, very slight as I said before. Now resting this horse or working this horse doesnt seem to make any difference. Until, I had a lesson on sunday, he felt sound until I asked for medium trot and he felt completely crippled. 8/10 lame, he was not extending with that leg atal but was with the opposite foreleg. This is a horse that has a fantastic medium and finds it very easy. Even throughout all this lameness before it has never really shown up in his medium trot, normally always on a straight line!! The questions that I would like to ask firstly, do you guys think it is related and secondly where do I go from here? I cannot constantly build my hopes up and get him qualified for comps and keep being knocked back by this lameness, although a judge has never picked up on it. I have booked him in for the vets next week for a full investigation but not really sure what to expect, what if they dont find anything specific? Any of you had experience of a lame horse as young as 8 and never got to the bottom of it?? Thanks for reading this post, any info greatly received.
 

lizzie_liz

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Feel sorry for you it must be so frustrating. As x rays showed nothing then maybe if you have insurance or can afford it then maybe MRI or other such scan may be needed.

Sorry am not much help
 

nelliefinellie

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Could be soft tissue damage in foot - my old horse had slight bilateral forlimb lameness which only really showed up on a circle on the hard and sometimes in 'banked up' arenas. His x rays were clean and nerve blocks were also inconclusive - he was finally diagnosed by MRI - he had medial collateral ligament strain.
 

Caritas

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Thankyou for your replys. Nellie, can you please tell me how much your MRI cost and what the treatment for the diagnosis was, and how the horse is since? How long was he not right for prior to diagnosis? Many thanks
 

brightmount

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Sorry, not Nellie but FYI, MRI is around £1000. In my case, Petplan covered all of it. NFU cover half of it. You may have to travel some distance to a facility. Mine was done at Bell Equine (standing MRI) which fortunately isn't far for me.
 

BethH

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Caritas have no experience to help you with this one, but just wanted to wish you luck with the investigation and hope it is minor and resolves itself. If it is a strain, then hopefully a bit of rest will sort it.

Just wondered if you needed to chat with an expert remedial farrier - wonder if your vet knows one that can give some advice, I am also a Bell Eqine client as they are based round the corner from me in Kent and they have a remedial farrier who does work with their clients on site.
 

wendy42

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Hi have had same problem with my horse for past 4 years. Vet has never really managed to get to bottom of problem despite X-rays etc, but over time we have worked out what brings it on. Mine always goes lame as soon as ground hard but fine on hard flat surface (road). We manage to keep him sound by keeping him off any uneven surface when ground hard and by the farrier fitting gel pads to his feet April - Sept. Good luck
 
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