lame on hard ground

[lifewithflash]

my pony Blue has had problems with walking on concrete for a while but the farrier never says anything and my mam says she's fine so I can never get a vet out for her.

she goes "lame" on gravel, concrete, etc. always pulls me to the grass. she's had 2 front shoes and was the same. we took her shoes off as I wasn't ride her much and she still did it. something is wrong with her and I tell my mam but she just says im making things up she perfectly fine on soft ground.

I don't really know what to do. she's in a field now and I don't ride her but still id like to know if anyone had a horse that was like this and what was causing it.

 

[IrishMilo]

Do you think she's lame because she's pulling you to the grass or have you notice other signs like head bobbing? Lots of horses chose to walk on a soft surface over hard even when shod so if it's just that there's probably no reason to panic. If she's genuinely lame unfortunately there's nothing you can do if you can't get a vet out other than rest her for a couple weeks on a small area to see if that helps.

 

[AmyMay]

How old is Blue?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Is she lame or just footsore on rough ground? Any horse I know would prefer to walk on the grass than gravel I suspect

 

[Gloi]

You should probably get the vet to take bloods to test for Ems and ppid and check her for laminitis. Trot her out on a hard surface and let your mother see if she is lame so you can persuade her to get the vet.
If you can't persuade her then try to reduce the sugar in your pony's diet by reducing grass and feeding soaked hay and see if she improves.

 

[JackFrost]

FWIW - a very good horseman once told me of a saying that lame on hard ground is a hard tissue problem, lame on soft ground is soft tissue.
I have actually found it to be largely true. My arthritic pony only shows lameness on hard ground.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I would get the vet, personally as there are many reasons footsore on concrete, like navicular and laminitis

 

[[153312]]

Unfortunately no one here can say what is wrong. Lots of people can make suggests which aren't guaranteed to be the issue, but are guaranteed to get you overly worried. It can be difficult when you're reliant on parents/others to make appointments on for your animals but I would remind them (nicely) that it is actually a legal duty to get a vet out if an animal needs it. And, whilst it's very true it might just turn out to be the pony's own personal preference, it could also be a health issue which needs attention.
Good luck

 

[lifewithflash]

How old is Blue?

23 in January

 

[lifewithflash]

Is she lame or just footsore on rough ground? Any horse I know would prefer to walk on the grass than gravel I suspect

I don't know how to explain this very well but when she's walking on concrete her back leg like collapses. when im on her it feels like her back end just falls and usefully she's fine and just walks off but sometimes she's started limping. I suspect she has arthritis in her back leg with her age but again my mam just says im overthinking things. she doesn't show any other signs of being lame that I can think of.

 

[lifewithflash]

You should probably get the vet to take bloods to test for Ems and ppid and check her for laminitis. Trot her out on a hard surface and let your mother see if she is lame so you can persuade her to get the vet.
If you can't persuade her then try to reduce the sugar in your pony's diet by reducing grass and feeding soaked hay and see if she improves.

im sure she had her blood tests done last year and they came back clear. so if I say something to my mam she just says she had her blood tests done and she had nothing. I might try and have a talk to her soon and see if shell listen

 

[lifewithflash]

Unfortunately no one here can say what is wrong. Lots of people can make suggests which aren't guaranteed to be the issue, but are guaranteed to get you overly worried. It can be difficult when you're reliant on parents/others to make appointments on for your animals but I would remind them (nicely) that it is actually a legal duty to get a vet out if an animal needs it. And, whilst it's very true it might just turn out to be the pony's own personal preference, it could also be a health issue which needs attention.
Good luck

its really frustrating when I think something is wrong but cant do anything. she's been like this since if had her if only really started paying attention to it 3 years ago. Ive asked my training when we were out on a hack to look at her walking but she says she looks fine, which then makes me think im just thinking something is wrong and that im crazy

 

[nikkimariet]

Lame on hard ground is a good indicator of bone issues. Arthritis/navicular etc. 23 is a standard age to be displaying symptoms. Quick vet check would do the job.

Really, you could flexion test and trot up yourself and you’d see clear as day how well she trots off.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I don't know how to explain this very well but when she's walking on concrete her back leg like collapses. when im on her it feels like her back end just falls and usefully she's fine and just walks off but sometimes she's started limping. I suspect she has arthritis in her back leg with her age but again my mam just says im overthinking things. she doesn't show any other signs of being lame that I can think of.

Id definitely get the vet out to have a look, it could be anything from sacroiliac issues to anything on the leg

 

[Hollylee1989]

If she's pulling you to walk on the softer ground, I'd get her checked for laminitis. Does she have bounding digital pulses at all? Get her on a nice deep bed and soaked hay for now.

 

[Birker2020]

Sounds like hocks or S.I but ultimately she needs a vet. Struggling on harder surfaces is normally due to changes in the joints, I.e arthritis but lame on the soft is more likely to be soft tissue damage.

If you think it might be fore lameness there's usually a chance at that age she needs her DIP'S (coffin joints) medicating. It can take around 2-4 weeks for soundness to return following the injection.