Locking Stifle Issues

[Chottsy]

Hello lovely people.

I haven't posted in here for ages but was looking for some info/advice/experiences in horses with locking stifle.

My 4 year Irish cob developed a bad locking stifle in his ring hind over a period of a few hours about 7 weeks ago, zero signs before this and had passed a vetting 2 months previously. I had the vet out at the time and was told to start feeding him a vitamin balancer and to follow am exercise regime for 6 weeks of groundwork. Within a few days the stifle had stopped locking and only locked once more (that we saw) over the next 6 weeks.

A week ago, after exercise, his stifle started locking badly again and has been locking regularly since then. I have the vet coming back out next week to do a full work up.

Basically I am looking for any advice or experience of people who's horses have had locking stifle come on suddenly in one hind and also where exercise doesn't ease it. If there were any underlying causes to point the vet towards.

Thank you for any info you can give. I don't know a great deal about this and all the research online seems to say is exercise will help, which it doesn't seem to have with my lad.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

He is young and still growing…muscular strength built through exercise will help…our old mare had this when young..straight line exercise though..gentle inclines..not lunging on circles.

 

[ycbm]

My cob had this when I bought him at 4, so not sudden onset, but I did get a distinct impression that vitamin E helped it a lot. You could try it, maybe. He did mostly grow out of it, too.

ETA I've just had a quick Google and there are vets recommending vitamin E for this, and there might be a connection with him having a mild case of shivers, also apparently helped by vitamin E.
.

 

[Chottsy]

He is young and still growing…muscular strength built through exercise will help…our old mare had this when young..straight line exercise though..gentle inclines..not lunging on circles.

Thank you. We've been working on the gentle incline in the field for the past 6 weeks. Just in walk to start with but vet wanted him to build up to trot and a bit of canter on the lunge in the last couple weeks. This also incorporates the incline in the field.

Concerned something else is going on basically and the locking stifle is more of a side effect.

Thank you

 

[Chottsy]

My cob had this when I bought him at 4, so not sudden onset, but I did get a distinct impression that vitamin E helped it a lot. You could try it, maybe. He did mostly grow out of it, too.

ETA I've just had a quick Google and there are vets recommending vitamin E for this, and there might be a connection with him having a mild case of shivers, also apparently helped by vitamin E.
.

Thank you. I can definitely get some vitamin E. ? Just worried something else is going on basically and the locking stifle is a side effect.

 

[ycbm]

It's definitely odd that it's one side only, but I did have my cob x rayed and he had different shaped stifle joints. Both within the range of normal, but different.

I would be looking hard, I think, about whether your guy is developing into a shiverer and has dissimilar stifle joints so one is more affected than the other.

This is one of many similar comments online, this one from Horse magazine

“The problem is that in its very early stages shivers can be extremely difficult to detect, and it can be mistaken for other conditions that mimic shivers’ symptoms.

“These include stringhalt, as this results in a similar action in the hindlegs, but as the horse is moving; upward fixation of the patella, where the patella (stifle) locks; fibrotic myopathy, which is where scar tissue forms in the muscles after an injury; and equine motor neurone disease.”

 

[Chottsy]

It's definitely odd that it's one side only, but I did have my cob x rayed and he had fifteenth shaped stifle joints. Both within the range of normal, but different.

I would be looking hard, I think, about whether your guy is developing into a shiverer and has dissimilar stifle joints so one is more affected than the other.

This is one of many similar comments online, this one from Horse magazine

“The problem is that in its very early stages shivers can be extremely difficult to detect, and it can be mistaken for other conditions that mimic shivers’ symptoms.

“These include stringhalt, as this results in a similar action in the hindlegs, but as the horse is moving; upward fixation of the patella, where the patella (stifle) locks; fibrotic myopathy, which is where scar tissue forms in the muscles after an injury; and equine motor neurone disease.”

Thank you for your advice. I will definitely keep that in mind when the vet is out on Friday. I want the vet to fully investigate that stifle to rule anything out so hopefully any unusual or dissimilar shape might be picked up.

Thank you

 

[nutjob]

I had a cob which had locking stifles. Regular exercise did improve it and it got better as he got older. It usually occurred when trying to pick out his feet and never when ridden. Backing him up would always free it off. At the time my vet recommended the ligament snip op but I didn't go ahead with it as I didn't think it was bothering him. Yours sounds different, not a typically presentation of the condition and your right to get the vet to investigate.