Just Brushing or more sinister?

Lancelot

Lancelot

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Hoping for some thoughts...

A couple of weeks ago my horse went suddenly lame whilst being lunged in the school. By the time he'd been led back to the yard he was pretty lame and not wanted to lift the "good" foot. The vet was called but then cancelled as we found a large pointed stone right outside his stable door and there was a mark on the sole of his foot which suggested he may have stood on it. So, we guessed he'd stood on it bruised and that the lunging had increased blood flow making it painful the more he worked. Anyway, the next morning he was massively improved and sound.
He had a couple of weeks off anyway due to other commitments.

So on Monday he was schooled, all OK, last night he was hacked and was all good, nice and sound. Then, tonight, he was schooled and worked for quite some time without problem. Then, all of a sudden, he went short striding in walk and was obviously lame in trot :( there was a little heat in the inside of the leg about 1/3 way up from the fetlock. We cold hosed and already he was walking better.

We're wondering if he's brushing, giving himself a hard enough knock to hurt but not enough to cause a long lasting problem as he is sound again so quickly? Although there's heat there's no discernible swelling and no obvious injury.
Could the stone 2 weeks ago have been a red herring and it is brushing that is causing the issue?

Obviously the vet will be called if this happens again but he returns to soundness so quickly I'm not sure a vet would find anything anyway.
 
Could it be an abcess? Pain can come and go with them so worth checking, especially as he's trodden on something, could have broken the surface and infection got in?
 
If any of mine ever stand on a stone or something which penetrates the sole I always poultice for a few days just to be on the safe side, it's too easy for infection to set in.
 
Well, this morning he was not too bad when I got him out the stable but as i took him to the field he became quite lame again so I decided to call the vet.
He felt the problem was in the foot rather than the leg although he did find a splint which I couldn't say was old or new. He took the shoe off but couldn't find a sensitive spot but there was a pulse so he was still sure it was the foot.
I have to say, my feeling is also that it's foot but I'm just not so sure if bruising would reappear so much after 2 weeks?
Only time will tell I guess, I'll ask the farriers opinion too when he comes to put the shoe back on in the next day or so.
 
I know when I have bruised myself badly, it does sometimes takes weeks for the bruising to settle, I wrecked my knee, and if memory serves, I was bruised from the thigh to my ankle and the bruise got more tender as it came out, last summer I damaged my tail bone (can't spell coxis) and had to buy a gel pad, even now I am still a bit tender, so your boys lameness could still be due to bruising
Just to say, when I wrecked my knee, I was off work for seven weeks and the bruising was still visible when I went back
 
Just an update. For 2 days following the vets visit, on daytime turnout, there was no improvement so I decided to keep him in totally. He had improved after 24 hours and, after 5 days, is now not head bobbing lame but is short striding. He is going back out now during the day in a small fenced area and the vet is due back on Thursday. Farrier couldn't find anything but also said that's not a surprise as his feet are rock hard and so he probably wouldn't react to hoof testers anyway.
I'm still not sure about bruising. We're now 4 weeks on if the stone we think he *may* have stood on is a factor.
It's left fore that's the problem. He struggles more on right turns and both times he went lame was on the right rein (so affected foot on outside).
Pointless post really, just feeling a bit lost and not sure we've really found the cause, SO wish horses could talk right now!!
 
Usually if it in in the foot they are worse when turning onto the bad one not turning away from it so I would be surprised if it is just the bruising in his foot, you really need to know where the problem is in order to start being able to treat him correctly, the vet should be able to nerve block this time so you can at least find what area needs investigating further.
 
Cud be an abscess or brusing but check for flaring on inside hoof, possibly get farrier to take more off at next shoeing on the inside, some farriers tend
to leave an arc on the inside of the hind hoof, why i dont know, it only be an obstacle a horse will hit when moving his legs about
 
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