brightlights
Well-Known Member
So I have a vet appointment on Tuesday but am running the worry loop to exhaustion in the meantime
My reliably sound mare came up lame on Thursday. We jumped the Tuesday morning before that but I would not have thought we overdid it. She trotted sound in the cool down and walked out sound later in the evening to hand graze. The next morning she walked out sound to the walker, came off normally, and grazed that evening with no evident discomfort. Thursday morning she went on the walker and all seemed fine. She took a short step coming out of the stall later that evening before our ride, which I noted but thought was due to the wild, windy weather. She seemed normal through our warm up, reactive to the wind, played a bit (no bucking, just head flips), but after a brief canter, i felt unevenness in the trot. This became almost head-bobbing lame around the corner at which point I got off. Checked her feet, did a walk and trot on hard ground and saw/heard nothing unusual. Got back on, felt slightly wrong at trot, and then worse again. Sure enough, I found very mild swelling and heat on the outside of her fetlock.
I cold hosed the following morning and that took out the swelling and heat. Her leg stayed cool and tight until evening, at which point I started bute anyway. She has been on box rest since except to the hose twice a day. She is not visibly lame and there is no longer heat or swelling but I'm not risking a trot or a circle until the vet.
My fear is a branch suspensory injury as the most apparent lameness was on the corner going in the direction when the leg with heat was on the outside. Our vet is excellent so I know we will have a better idea in a few days, but I'd sure like to hear if anyone has any experience with something like this that was a knock or a slight pull or something that's not not a torn ligament or tendon
My reliably sound mare came up lame on Thursday. We jumped the Tuesday morning before that but I would not have thought we overdid it. She trotted sound in the cool down and walked out sound later in the evening to hand graze. The next morning she walked out sound to the walker, came off normally, and grazed that evening with no evident discomfort. Thursday morning she went on the walker and all seemed fine. She took a short step coming out of the stall later that evening before our ride, which I noted but thought was due to the wild, windy weather. She seemed normal through our warm up, reactive to the wind, played a bit (no bucking, just head flips), but after a brief canter, i felt unevenness in the trot. This became almost head-bobbing lame around the corner at which point I got off. Checked her feet, did a walk and trot on hard ground and saw/heard nothing unusual. Got back on, felt slightly wrong at trot, and then worse again. Sure enough, I found very mild swelling and heat on the outside of her fetlock.
I cold hosed the following morning and that took out the swelling and heat. Her leg stayed cool and tight until evening, at which point I started bute anyway. She has been on box rest since except to the hose twice a day. She is not visibly lame and there is no longer heat or swelling but I'm not risking a trot or a circle until the vet.
My fear is a branch suspensory injury as the most apparent lameness was on the corner going in the direction when the leg with heat was on the outside. Our vet is excellent so I know we will have a better idea in a few days, but I'd sure like to hear if anyone has any experience with something like this that was a knock or a slight pull or something that's not not a torn ligament or tendon