locking stifle

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catherinem

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hi guys! i have a 6year old section a mare who i an absolute love. When i went into her stable last night she walked towards me and trailed her toe of her off hind accross the floor then the stifle looked to click back into place.... i walked her out and after a few strides she seemed to be walking normally again, i turned her and she trailed the toe again took a few awquard steps and then again back to normal. i susected that it could be locking stifle and after watching some videos of youtube i amsure thats what it is. ive owne her since she was a yearling and its never happened before.
i was just wondering if anyone could offere any advice as to what to do with her, does the condition get worse, is there anything i can do to help treat it?
i dont have a jockey small enogh for her so she is lunged a couple of times per week and waked out usually about once per week just to keep her doing something and to try and stopthe little cutie getting too fat.
thanks
 
Reduce hard feed i.e. protein, work her lunging on that side to increase the muscle on that side which holds the stifle in place. You can also ride her walk and trot but basically it means weak muscles. I would still get a confirmation it is locking stifle from a vet.
 
putasocinit said:
Reduce hard feed i.e. protein, work her lunging on that side to increase the muscle on that side which holds the stifle in place. You can also ride her walk and trot but basically it means weak muscles. I would still get a confirmation it is locking stifle from a vet.
Click to expand...

This pretty much. My boy came to me with one however with correct physio work, better diet (glucosamine I find has really helped) and regular work (especially raised trot poles on the problem side) built his muscles up and it really doesn't effect him at all now, you wouldn't know he has it. We do everything together from hacking to hunting to eventing, and he's never come up lame however he is in regular work.

But yes get your vet to confirm before you start working her, just to rule it out.
 
Thanks for the advice you too... Much apreciated! I will get the vet to check it out! She isnt on any hard feed just hay and grass.
I will increase the work load slowly then and build her up a bit.... I havent noticed it happen before or since that occasion either!
 
The only problem is as shes only dinky i dont really ride her that often as i weigh about 8.5 stone now and although she copes fine i do feel that im a little heavy!!
 
Locking stifle is pretty scary when it happens. If it does again back her up, it unlocks much easier than walking her forwards. Many ponies grow out of it but maybe that's due to increased work as they get older.
As already said, hill work is best and trotting poles.
At 8.5 stone I wouldn't say you are too heavy. Many light weight ladies compete on section a's. you may feel a bit strange on a small pony but your certainly not to heavy! It will help her more than anything else if you can ride her.
Supplements and vitamins as suggested and micronised linseed will help with those joints. Also turnout as much as possible and a larger stable if theres one available.
There is an operation but that is in severe cases which yours is not and can cause permenant restrictions on the hind leg so if ever it is suggested to you I would advise against it.
Good luck, saddle up and fingers crossed for you it doesn't happen again!
 
Yes i guess you are right, and she does seem to cope fine and does enjoy work...... Looks like ill be riding her again then! Thanks for all the fab advise its all very helpful :) shes turned out all day and in at night, her stable is quite small so maybe i should try and find a bigger one for her so that shes got a bit more space to mooch around. X
 
..... Well i rode her yesterday and we both loved it! Hehe. She was absolutly fine and touch wood so far it hasnt locked again. Thanks again guys!! Xx
 
Hopefully it's a one off. So pleased you both enjoyed your ride, it sounds like some good has come out of it after all!
Just keep an eye out for any stiffness in that hind leg and call the vet if you have any concerns.
 
My yearling has this but I noticed it got much worse soon after I started feeding Hi-Fi unmollassed (only a handful twice a day to go with his feed balancer - too much protein) and has got markedly better once I finished the bag and started him on Mollichaff (which I had avoided because it is molassed!). Vet also told me that it can stay with a horse for a longtime/all its life, but only becomes apparent again when the horse is less muscled, eg when off work. So hopefully mine's will disappear once he is broken and being ridden.
 
My mare has been suffering terribly with a locking stifle since the spring. She is an older lady and is retired due to arthritis in other areas but is usually paddock sound and had been enjoying a quiet pampered life. Her stifle started locking about the time of the very heavy snow we had in the spring when she was in for a few weeks. We tried resting her thinking it was an injury then tried increasing her pain killers, she is on one danillon a day anyway for her arthritis but no difference so tried increasing her exercise which helped a little but it was still locking almost continuously. I thought I was gonna have to have her put down but 2 weeks ago we had a steroid injected into the joint and the difference within 48 hours was amazing. It's hardly locking at all now and she is much more cheerful in herself. Just hoping it lasts now x
 
hill work and walking over raised poles, leg yields and turn on forehands.

My TB suffered as a 4yo, no OCD of joint just weakness.

got progressively better as a 5/6/7yo and this year hasnt had a single episode so far-he's competing PSG and working GP so it hasnt affected him in the slightest :)
 
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