Mista C
New User
Help, my 15 year old 15hh welsh section D has a mistery lameness.
A year after I bought him 4 years ago he developed a clicking sound coming from his back end when I rode him on the left rein. He would always be difficult to get into canter on the correct leg on this rein too. However, we thought nothing of it and continued with his hacking and showjumping up until August this year. I jumped him the last Sunday in July and to my horror by the first weekend in August (a week later) he was running around the field lame on his back leg. This has since continued (the clicking sound is still there but the same as before only now and again). However at the same time as going lame he decided that everytime I was to pick the hoof out on the lame leg he would hold it up and be unable to put it down. It doesn't seem as thought it is stuck it seems as though he is just reluctant to put it down. Then as he lowers the leg he either puts it to the floor without weight on it or puts it slowly down and then jumps his weight onto both legs.
Now into November, he has been seen by the Vet in August who ordered 3 weeks box rest with a week of bute. Did no good, so they x-rayed his fetlock. The vet is totally sure that the problem is in his fetlock, although it seems to me higher up, given his action of holding the leg up. However, the vet said that he failed his flexion test in his fetlock so therefore it must be in this area. The x-rays showed nothing but a small amount of arthritis, but nothing that would cause this reaction.
I have also had the back man out who said that he could be suffering from sacrolliac (sorry for the spelling) when he worked on him it did seem to help a bit, his leg went down a little quicker than normal and he had a reaction by a lot of coughing. Apparently this is a good reaction to the work with his nerves. But a week later he was back to his old ways not putting the leg down. The blacksmith has seen him and witnessed it and asked me to trot him up. He said that he is dropping his pelvis on his lame leg.
The weird thing is he seems so happy, running around the field and eating his food. I just can't ride him!
The vet suggested ultrasound and nerve blocking. My parents won't pay anymore out on him. He is insured but the excess is high and they are not really interested in forking any more money out. So there he stands in a field! The back man is coming back the end of November but doesn't really think there is anything else he can do for him. He did say that if the problem is higher up in his back end then this is very difficult for a vet to diagnose. However, he said he'd take a look and then put him on box rest with controlled exercise (the last time he came out I had no stable to put him into for box rest).
I can't find anything on google to help me and none of my horsey friends have ever heard of such a problem. It is very frustrating, can anybody help me?
A year after I bought him 4 years ago he developed a clicking sound coming from his back end when I rode him on the left rein. He would always be difficult to get into canter on the correct leg on this rein too. However, we thought nothing of it and continued with his hacking and showjumping up until August this year. I jumped him the last Sunday in July and to my horror by the first weekend in August (a week later) he was running around the field lame on his back leg. This has since continued (the clicking sound is still there but the same as before only now and again). However at the same time as going lame he decided that everytime I was to pick the hoof out on the lame leg he would hold it up and be unable to put it down. It doesn't seem as thought it is stuck it seems as though he is just reluctant to put it down. Then as he lowers the leg he either puts it to the floor without weight on it or puts it slowly down and then jumps his weight onto both legs.
Now into November, he has been seen by the Vet in August who ordered 3 weeks box rest with a week of bute. Did no good, so they x-rayed his fetlock. The vet is totally sure that the problem is in his fetlock, although it seems to me higher up, given his action of holding the leg up. However, the vet said that he failed his flexion test in his fetlock so therefore it must be in this area. The x-rays showed nothing but a small amount of arthritis, but nothing that would cause this reaction.
I have also had the back man out who said that he could be suffering from sacrolliac (sorry for the spelling) when he worked on him it did seem to help a bit, his leg went down a little quicker than normal and he had a reaction by a lot of coughing. Apparently this is a good reaction to the work with his nerves. But a week later he was back to his old ways not putting the leg down. The blacksmith has seen him and witnessed it and asked me to trot him up. He said that he is dropping his pelvis on his lame leg.
The weird thing is he seems so happy, running around the field and eating his food. I just can't ride him!
The vet suggested ultrasound and nerve blocking. My parents won't pay anymore out on him. He is insured but the excess is high and they are not really interested in forking any more money out. So there he stands in a field! The back man is coming back the end of November but doesn't really think there is anything else he can do for him. He did say that if the problem is higher up in his back end then this is very difficult for a vet to diagnose. However, he said he'd take a look and then put him on box rest with controlled exercise (the last time he came out I had no stable to put him into for box rest).
I can't find anything on google to help me and none of my horsey friends have ever heard of such a problem. It is very frustrating, can anybody help me?
