Lameness and back problems

[TicTac]

My mare is going to horsepital next week for a full lameness work up. I thought she was showing lameness in front but according to vet it is in the hind.

I am convinced her lameness is a bit of a red herring and that it's not her legs that are the problem but her back/pelvis based on the history of her behaviour.

Have any of you experienced the same and had a horse with back problems that has been succesfully treated? I am fretting a bit about my mare and would just like to hear about other peoples experiences with back problems in their horses. Also have any of you had vets give a wrong diagnosis?

 

[Hullabaloo]

My horse was lame in front which my instructor and I felt was a back issue. Lots of too-ing and fro-ing with vet, getting nowhere. Eventually I lost patience and asked for a referral to Willesley. When I got there vet watched me ride for about 2 mins and almost immediately diagnosed a back problem. He did x-rays and ultrasound and I think was expecting to find kissing spines, but he found nothing and put it down to weak muscles.
We spend 12 weeks lunging in a pessoa to build up his muscle. He was still slightly unlevel, the vet thought due to the strain of the way he had been carrying himself to compensate for his back. Unfortunately he was totally unco-operative with nerve blocks so vet had to take best guess and advised IRAP therapy in the coffin joint which we did.
All that was 4 years ago. I have to keep his muscles back muscles working and be careful with hard ground but touch wood he's been fine since then.

If you seriously suspect a back problem then stand your ground and insist on it being investigated - I wasted the best part of a year messing about!

Good luck and I'd be really interested to hear how you get on. I will keep everything crossed.

 

[Puppy]

I am convinced her lameness is a bit of a red herring and that it's not her legs that are the problem but her back/pelvis based on the history of her behaviour.

Actually, a very high percentage of back problems are secondary injuries following lameness, and that lameness is most usually behind.

My horse had back problems, which were far more evident and apparent much earlier then the hind lameness was. She had PSD behind, which had led to ligament damage in her back.