Billyooo
New User
Hi All - this is for anyone here who has had a horse who appears to be very so very subtly intermittently lame read on for more! She is a show jumper 6 years old.
Mare can go for months and appear to be fine but something is niggling me still about her. So when you read these bear in mind there can be months between getting these signs from her and have had a lot of vet checks! But these are the clues!
1) Easier to spot on the lunge and only seen in trot when the horse flexes away from the handler, ie when she pushes her right shoulder in towards you and flexes away from you. When she drops head and neck and relaxes on the circle horse then appears to be sound. Please note this is not often and I only see it in few strides now and again.
2) This I think is the important one: When cantering right she puts her head very low to floor and shakes it from side to side if on lunge when she starts cantering. She DOES NOT do this to left ever. Had teeth, physio and massage no one telling me any problem. Chiro diagnosed a poll problem but mare still does this do who knows?
3) Points right front leg at rest very occasionally but the problem is not thought to be in that front leg - in fact on lunge the time I and vet saw she was lame in front it was defo the opposite front leg if anything, but aware could be diagonal hind limb that is the problem? Bute trial made no difference to this by way.
4) Is hard to tell if lame in front or behind - sometimes seems to be front and at other times would swear is a subtle hind end lameness. Vet has also seen this. Defo does not show in a straight line even on hard surface.
5) Ruled out so far are kissing spines, scans of ligs and tendons revealed nothing, Xrays of front legs (not done shoulders?) reveal nothing, Xrays of hind limbs up to and including stifles reveal nothing.
6) Horse brave and happy to jump and makes a great shape and very scopey but can occasionally buck a few strides after the fence when first starts jumping but she is an exuberant, sparky, scopey mare anyway.
7) In canter ridden is sometimes reluctant to go into canter but is quite a nappy horse sometimes to her mates, so is she not cantering because of pain or because she would like to go back to field. Time of day does seem to play a factor in this ie nearer tea time more like likely to do this so is this a red herring? Hacks out really well in all paces never naps into canter or gallop out on hack so again could be an arena thing? Once in canter though there are no kickbacks, no particular squintness, no bunching up of body and absolutely no reluctance to go and jump.
8) Not a marish mare at all in fact hardly know when she is in season so thinking not hormonal, ovaries etc - had that in mares before.
9 ) Not checked for ulcers as absolutely does not look the type going on condition and lifestyle but open to suggestions.
Thanks for getting through long post - really interested in hearing if you have actually had anything similar in own horse - and if you ever managed to track down the cause
Am going to send her for more tests after corona to check shoulders poss SI? etc. Will add that I am a really experienced owner of many years, had, compted and bred a lot of horses and this particular one is under usual great vet care.
Over last 18 months Vet has once seen this mare lame in front once and once lame behind and several times he has seen no lameness - even under flexing - so just wondering if anyone else has had a case like this - I think that the lowering and shaking of head to right is significant myself.
This mare rides great 99% of the time but have you ever had one horse that just niggles that something is not right. That's where I am and just really interested in others' experience with anything similar. Thanks
Mare can go for months and appear to be fine but something is niggling me still about her. So when you read these bear in mind there can be months between getting these signs from her and have had a lot of vet checks! But these are the clues!
1) Easier to spot on the lunge and only seen in trot when the horse flexes away from the handler, ie when she pushes her right shoulder in towards you and flexes away from you. When she drops head and neck and relaxes on the circle horse then appears to be sound. Please note this is not often and I only see it in few strides now and again.
2) This I think is the important one: When cantering right she puts her head very low to floor and shakes it from side to side if on lunge when she starts cantering. She DOES NOT do this to left ever. Had teeth, physio and massage no one telling me any problem. Chiro diagnosed a poll problem but mare still does this do who knows?
3) Points right front leg at rest very occasionally but the problem is not thought to be in that front leg - in fact on lunge the time I and vet saw she was lame in front it was defo the opposite front leg if anything, but aware could be diagonal hind limb that is the problem? Bute trial made no difference to this by way.
4) Is hard to tell if lame in front or behind - sometimes seems to be front and at other times would swear is a subtle hind end lameness. Vet has also seen this. Defo does not show in a straight line even on hard surface.
5) Ruled out so far are kissing spines, scans of ligs and tendons revealed nothing, Xrays of front legs (not done shoulders?) reveal nothing, Xrays of hind limbs up to and including stifles reveal nothing.
6) Horse brave and happy to jump and makes a great shape and very scopey but can occasionally buck a few strides after the fence when first starts jumping but she is an exuberant, sparky, scopey mare anyway.
7) In canter ridden is sometimes reluctant to go into canter but is quite a nappy horse sometimes to her mates, so is she not cantering because of pain or because she would like to go back to field. Time of day does seem to play a factor in this ie nearer tea time more like likely to do this so is this a red herring? Hacks out really well in all paces never naps into canter or gallop out on hack so again could be an arena thing? Once in canter though there are no kickbacks, no particular squintness, no bunching up of body and absolutely no reluctance to go and jump.
8) Not a marish mare at all in fact hardly know when she is in season so thinking not hormonal, ovaries etc - had that in mares before.
9 ) Not checked for ulcers as absolutely does not look the type going on condition and lifestyle but open to suggestions.
Thanks for getting through long post - really interested in hearing if you have actually had anything similar in own horse - and if you ever managed to track down the cause
Am going to send her for more tests after corona to check shoulders poss SI? etc. Will add that I am a really experienced owner of many years, had, compted and bred a lot of horses and this particular one is under usual great vet care.
Over last 18 months Vet has once seen this mare lame in front once and once lame behind and several times he has seen no lameness - even under flexing - so just wondering if anyone else has had a case like this - I think that the lowering and shaking of head to right is significant myself.
This mare rides great 99% of the time but have you ever had one horse that just niggles that something is not right. That's where I am and just really interested in others' experience with anything similar. Thanks