Locking Patella any advise please

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xDENISEx

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I have a 3 yr old Andausian Gelding (Just been gelded) around a 2 months ago i noticed that his hind leg every now and again didnt look rigth on the lunge. He'd been in LIGHT lunging work for around 2 months prior to this happening, with lots of ground work, walks out around the bridle paths etc so wasnt just thrown into lunging work. I noticed it more in canter and every now and again he would drop his leg (so to speak) and it would just dragg for about 10 seconds then he'd pick up. Had a vet down and he cant find nothing wrong with him (his not lame, no heat anywhere etc, stands correctly....) his now been gelded and had some time off (had at least a good 6 weeks off everything just been out in field all day and some nigths too. I have just started to bring him slowy back on to the lunge and i still noticing it, not as bad as before but i can still see it. Is there anything i can do to build him up, is it something he will grow out of? Thank you.
 
Hiya,

I have a 3 year old Welsh D Colt and he locked up last Sunday badly was awful to watch. He's still not completely fine on it but hasnt completely locked up again. Ive been told they should grow out of it and to do lots and lots of hill work. Which I have as it improves muscles and topline which strengthens the patella ?!? Google it tells you so much abotu it. Also lunging can make them worse I was told. Mine hasn't started work yet but is still very gangly and weak so hoping it is due to growing so fast. But lots and lots of hill work and long reining. He gets fed oil in feeds but not seen anything about high oil as its not a joint as such, also joint suipplements won't make any difference. Back him up as well before askign him to walk forward will unlock it whereas sending them forward can cause more damage so i'm now in the habit of always asking for two steps back and no small circles or tight turns. Hopefully they are both growing and will grow out of it. Good Luck!
 
When my Shetland did this there were 4 options - let him grow out of it (he was 2 at the time) get him really grossly fat so the ligament couldn't move for fat (no brainer for not doing that) get him really fit so there was no fat obstructing the ligament or simply get the offending ligament cut.

We got it cut. It was a simple 10min job from start to finish, a 2inch incision, a snip, a couple of stitches and voila - a pony that will never lock up again. The ligament involved is one that has 2 others doing the same job so the loss of one will have no long term effects. The pony is now 5 and is happily ridden, chases sheep, careens around after the TB's and is much much happier knowing that he will never have to loook like a dweeb rocking back before he can go forwards again.
 
My Icelandic colt was the same, but with lots of hard work he became sound. As his supporting muscles built up they pulled everything back into place. It's quite a complex joint. I also looked into the ligament cut option and decided against it; as the horse won't be able to lock the joint at will and sleep standing up. I had visions of him lying in the mud in the winter while the others stood around snoozing :o You should do uphill exercise mainly, avoid downhill work and lunging. This is what worked for me.
 
i have a three year old PBW and this has happened to her three times in the two years i have owned her except its not when i lunge her - i dont lunge her - it tends to happen if she gets cold overnight in the stable and it completly locks and sticks out behind her i've havd my vet and physio look her over and they have both given me conflicting answers but suggested treatment is that she is turned out as much as possible, hill work and my physoio said that if none of this is possible to buy some 2lb wrist weights that humans would use at the gym and fasten them around the back ankles as this will work and tighten the muscle which is slack which causes the patella to lock. on two ocassions the lock has been so bad i haven't managed to un lock it by hand as shown by my vet so i give her a feed with bute/danillion in it leave her a half hour for it to take effect and then try and make her walk forwards snd the movement unlocks it i then turn her out or would put her on the walkerslowly to keep her moving and this has worked on the two occasions it has been quite bad and on one of the occasions even the vet couldnt unlock it by hand. alot of people have told me she'll grow out of it but to prevent it i make sure she is kept warm all the time, it does mean shes rugged up earlier than others but it saves the distress the next morning! good luck with it, i find it painful to watch but my girl is such a star and never panics about it which helps me relax! x
 
i was also told it was due to a growth spurt she had, she grew over a hand in one year. but also come to think of it the first time she locked this year was when i changed her feed from hoofkind-show shine a high oil based feed to a good dooer chaff so might change her back again to see if this has any effect
 
sorry me again :o my vet told me not to push her back as this will lock it further he said thats how he would test a horse for locking patella by pushing it back. i second the no lunging but thats my personal opinion :)
 
Two ponies at our yard had this, one particularly badly who locked up every time he got worked. The other one only had it once in a while when she started to tire. They were both operated on and back in work fairly quickly with no reoccurring issues. I think it's a pretty straight forward op:)
 
My 5 year old has had it intermitantly since I bought him a year ago, we took vets and lots of advice, on fittening, diet etc etc, but in the end, his was so acute and so reccurrent the vet decieded to operate, which i dreaded, but now a month on, he's ready to start gradually back into work, vets delighted with his progress, a very simple quick operation, and I know theres a possibility of Arthritis in latter years, but any horse could be subsepctible (excuse the spelling) too. My point is not too panic, theres light at the end of the tunnel...
 
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