Lame? Opinions please - videos

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
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I don't want to post the videos on here but if anyone is willing to have a look at a couple of videos and pass comment on the horse's soundness, I would be very grateful. Just ask me on this thread or PM me and I will PM you the links.

Background is horse has ongoing riding issues which stem from a sore back in wither and shoulder region. This is kept at bay by regular physiotherapy, but the cause of this soreness has never been identified despite owner spending thousands on investigations. Horse has very mild KS (not touching) which the vets do not think affect her.

I have my own views on this. I think the horse is lame. I am not going to say where because I don't want to colour others' opinions, and I have been staring at the horse for years now, so don't know how much is in my imagination.

First video is lunging in head collar. Horse is not going forwards properly and so looks a lot worse. Second video is lungeing with two reins which makes her go forwards better and so she doesn't look too bad. Thanks
 
I'm not experienced at all with lameness or diagnosing it but I am trying to teach myself to get better, would you mind sending me the video so I can see if I can get it 'right' so to speak? :D
 
I will but I always think everything is lame. :p

If you do rein back in hand and then straight up into trot, I find that can really make any unevenness much clearer. Also video the horse from behind, and then slo-mo it and you can see if it's dropping one hip more than the other, that's a pretty good indicator.

I've just had one diagnosed with wobblers and no-one picked up on it until he went in to a specialist, so global things like that can be seriously difficult to identify.

I'm guessing scans of the withers have happened? I know they can get fractures quite commonly in that region. And ks I think at the base of the withers, but don't quote me on that!! It's an unusual place to have a problem, probably why vets are stumped. Has she been for a soundness work-up somewhere? We did that after a year of umming and ahhing (and several months box rest) with a horse that just wasn't quite right and nothing showed up on x-rays anywhere, and he was diagnosed within the hour. Well worth the money I think, even though we didn't get the diagnoses we wanted :(
 
Pigeon said:
I will but I always think everything is lame. :p

If you do rein back in hand and then straight up into trot, I find that can really make any unevenness much clearer. Also video the horse from behind, and then slo-mo it and you can see if it's dropping one hip more than the other, that's a pretty good indicator.

I've just had one diagnosed with wobblers and no-one picked up on it until he went in to a specialist, so global things like that can be seriously difficult to identify.

I'm guessing scans of the withers have happened? I know they can get fractures quite commonly in that region. And ks I think at the base of the withers, but don't quote me on that!! It's an unusual place to have a problem, probably why vets are stumped. Has she been for a soundness work-up somewhere? We did that after a year of umming and ahhing (and several months box rest) with a horse that just wasn't quite right and nothing showed up on x-rays anywhere, and he was diagnosed within the hour. Well worth the money I think, even though we didn't get the diagnoses we wanted :(
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The close processes are under the saddle area. The saddle is due for a refit and that is booked in. It is the physio who says the soreness is in the front end. The horse also finds it very difficult to lift her back. I'll send you the links. Thanks :).
 
I'd be interested to have a watch and agree with Procrastinator that slowmo can make things a lot easier to identify or if it looks to be hindlimb two white sticker at the same height on either hip can make it easier to see watching from behind.
 
In both videos i see the two hind legs being short, and in particular the hr on the r rein causing bother. Its reluctant to go into canter but is hopping up at the front in my view to try and not have to put the back end in under itself. This is probably totally off and it is opposite leg, opposite area etc haha
 
equi said:
In both videos i see the two hind legs being short, and in particular the hr on the r rein causing bother. Its reluctant to go into canter but is hopping up at the front in my view to try and not have to put the back end in under itself. This is probably totally off and it is opposite leg, opposite area etc haha
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Thanks, that is what I see. She is not stepping under behind. She goes into canter as an evasion (I was trying to get her more forwards in trot when she keeps going into canter because she finds it easier than pushing through in trot). When I changed to using two reins, she steps under behind and is much more forward. The lameness is not so evident. What I see is she is bilaterally lame behind. I think her soreness is from trying to do more work to compensate in front.
 
Wagtail said:
Thanks, that is what I see. She is not stepping under behind. She goes into canter as an evasion (I was trying to get her more forwards in trot when she keeps going into canter because she finds it easier than pushing through in trot). When I changed to using two reins, she steps under behind and is much more forward. The lameness is not so evident. What I see is she is bilaterally lame behind. I think her soreness is from trying to do more work to compensate in front.
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Ah get me, i feel all educated! I had to learn a lot when my horse went lame lol yes going better in the lines, but i saw the hr bothering more so in them.
 
Is she always lame Wagtail or is it intermittent? One of mine moved a bit like her before, not lame lame but not right either, he turned out to have an OCD lesion in one of his hind fetlocks, once it was removed he was like a different horse. Might be worth getting her joints x-rayed if the owner hasn't already?
 
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