lame irish draft...Saddle or stifle??

[JJtheJetPlane]

Hi there, i have a 4 yr old irish draft x tb 16.3 , over the last few weeks she has become very slightly lame, off hind, this is only obvious as she doesnt quite track up the same as the other side , being about 3 inches short.. I have had the vet do a lameness dignosis and i felt he was clutching at straws after several nerve and joint blocks..He finally made a slight improvement to the stifle joint but not that i could notice! He is on about coming back to mediacate the joint but im a little uncomfortable with this as she is only 4 and her x rays were good. i have another issue though with her back, my saddle i believe hasnt been fitting that brilliantly but i always wear a thick lambswool numnaha, she has now become very sore across her back if i run my hand across it, and seems to have a very small diff with the muscle on her rump building up more on the off side...same side as suspected stifle problem...What im wondering is could my saddle be causing a bad back that would affect her movement as in tracking up and would this in turn afftect the muscle diffrence and possibly the stifle. Im waiting for a back man who im seeing in ten days but my vet wants to push ahead...of course its on the insurance! Has anyone else had any experiences like this ..could it be the saddle causing it all...or coud it be she is just young imature very unbalanced she is a big girl and has grown a lot this last yr she is quite a slow maturer!! Help! dont want to do to much to soon!!

 

[Doris68]

Sorry to hear this, but when you say you have "the back man" coming, is this a registered physio or some other sort of registered person?

I only ask this as I have had a "back person" several years ago who was neither use nor ornament and told me a whole load of BS! She was not qualified/registered for doing anything on horses (nor rabbits!!). Please make sure that you have a qualified person to look at your horse - it may cost you a little more, but it is worth it in the long run.

 

[Passtheshampoo]

My friends 6yr old horse is being treated for something similar. He had an op on his stifle earlier this year and although improved is still not tracking up evenly behind (was through insurance). As he has recently become uncomfortable in his back she has now asked the vet/physio to look at him again. It's very much a case of what came first the back problem or the stifle problem. Perhaps you could get her back checked first and then look at the more expensive treatment options if that doesn't resolve the problem. My own RID mare went through a handful of saddles when she was growing so it could be a saddle fit problem. Hope your horse recovers soon.

 

[spacefaer]

IMHO sounds a bit quick to medicate the joint - has the vet asked you to give her bute for a few days to see if it's pain related or mechanical? Has he suggested some box rest/controlled exercise to see if it changes?

If your saddle doesn't fit well (presumably due to her changing shape) and has been putting pressure in the wrong places, it could well be that her back is sore and making her move differently to compensate. I know when I put my pelvis out (from falling off yet again) that it makes my knee hurt.....

I have a horse who has pulled the muscles across his lumbar area (directly behind the saddle) and he dips away when I press them. You can also feel a lump where the muscle is in spasm. He is sound in walk, but when he trots, particularly uphill, he moves very oddly, almost lurching, and it would be very easy to put it down to a strained stifle as that is where he appears to be dropping his leg from. If I massage the area 1st for about 5-10 mins - until the spasm eases, then he's 99% sound.

My boy is being treated by a McTimoney Chiropractor who has made a huge difference.

Not sure if this is the same as your mare, but could be similar. Make sure you get good references from your "back man" and check his qualifications - not dissing him, but there are a lot of prats about

 

[canteron]

I agree don't be too quick to medicate the joint. After an unsuccessful attempt at this with my horse, I have been monitoring this is all my friends horses and can't really find many success stories and there are risks involved (infection, more likely to get laminitus).

Spacefaer's way forward sounds much more sensible. Your horse is only young and time may be the best healer of all. Irish Drafts tend to be slower to grow - I know my pure bred ID didn't really get her 'grown up' shape until she was 9.