Lame with a rug on?!!

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amy_b

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Brain picking required!
My mum has bought a new horse and when she puts a rug on him within a day he goes so lame on his front leg/s he can barely walk. as soon as you take the rug off he is fine again.
he had a little rash so she thought he was just being sensitive to that but the rash has cleared up now and he is still doing it.
We are quite sure it is something in his shoulder/wither area (ie not legs) and she has a physio coming out to have a look at him first in the next day or two, in the mean time anybody got any ideas?!! :confused:
 
amy_b said:
Brain picking required!
My mum has bought a new horse and when she puts a rug on him within a day he goes so lame on his front leg/s he can barely walk. as soon as you take the rug off he is fine again.
he had a little rash so she thought he was just being sensitive to that but the rash has cleared up now and he is still doing it.
We are quite sure it is something in his shoulder/wither area (ie not legs) and she has a physio coming out to have a look at him first in the next day or two, in the mean time anybody got any ideas?!! :confused:
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I can't see how a rug can make a horse lame unless its so tight across the chest that he can't lengthen his stride so gives the appearance of being lame. Could it be this? Have you tried different types of rugs. Not being funny but are you sure it is the right length for him???

Glad you are getting a physio out though. My friend is an excellent veterinary physio and would possibly travel to you. I will PM you with her details.
 
no your right - its the first thing we have thought, so we have tried two other rugs on him aswell and they all do it! They definately fit.
and it is definately something to do with the rug because as soon as you take it off he is fine - he literally can barely walk with it on!!
The only thing I can think of is maybe a pulled/tight muscle in his shoulder that the rug presses on. But he is fine on the lunge...!
 
Have you tried putting a rug on - with a roller & then folding back the front of rug to the roller (attaching clips/straps round sides of roller) to see what horsey does?

mum is going to try this tonight. hopefully he won't do it then, at least we know then that we can get a rug on him somehow!! :(
good idea tho, thanks. :)
 
haven't tried a quarter sheet on him yet, havent had the need to...
its quite dramatic and I could be prvoed 100% wrong but he really acts like he cant move his front legs. yesterday with just the fly sheet on he stepped forward with the left leg and brought the other level, then forward with the left leg and the right one level...the first time he did it he had his neck swung to one side - abit like how people who need a hip replacement walk!!

Im glad its not just us that are baffled!!
applecart14 has sent me details of somebody that might be worth a try if the McTimony guy is a dead end.
 
amymay said:
Is this horse actually used to wearing rugs??
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yes Mum has spoken to the person who owned him before she bought him and she had him clipped and rugged.
It did cross my mind to make him walk on and see what happens :o -think we'l save this idea for last though!
 
Does the rug have shoulder gussets or is it straight down? This sounds like a horse who feeling the pressure on his upper leg muscles just doesn't like it and is reluctant to walk - think putting on an already wet swimming costume and you will know what I mean! My horse is dead narrow over her withers and shoulders but some rugs seem very tight over the muscle at the top of the leg and the point of the shoulder and I often wonder if they feel odd.
 
no nothing from the vetting!
The is on the list but we thought a vet is more likely to just go straight into nerve blocks/x rays/scans - ££££££
whereas a physio might find the problem straight away?
 
amy_b said:
no nothing from the vetting!
The is on the list but we thought a vet is more likely to just go straight into nerve blocks/x rays/scans - ££££££
whereas a physio might find the problem straight away?
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I have no faith in physio's so my preference is always a vet. But you must do what you think is right for you and your horse.

Good luck - let us know what the outcome is.
 
one is a fly rug,one had a cotton lining and the other had the sort of plasticy cotton lining...
the reason we'r going to the vet second is because he is fine lunging/turned out without a rug, I just get the feeling it might be muscular.
I have done his rug without the front done up and a roller on...fingers crossed he can walk in the morning and then at least he can have a rug on in the meantime!! :/
Il keep you posted! The physio is booked for a week today
 
posie_honey said:
just a thought - and not even sure why i'm suggesting it other than to try something lol
how is he with a breast girth on?
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No, good point actually! she has only just had him two weeks and he's a reschooling project so all he's done is lunge so we havent had one on him but might suggest we put a breastplate on to lunge, see if he react to that...:)
 
Have you tried a hi neck (not full neck) rug - or a rug with no neck join? If the shoulders/withers are pinched, it can cause amines in front... e.g. a saddle slipping forwards going downhill.

Does he look lame behind - is he unable to walk properly behind and front end is compensation?
 
Update - he did have abit of a rash on his chest but it doesnt seem to be the cause.
We think it was sensitivity to static, since changing his rugs to ones with a cotton lining instead of nylon it has stopped.
gingers eh?! :rolleyes:
 
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