Locking stifles....does anyone

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Holloa

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else have a horse with locking stifles....and what do you do about it?

My boy has a locking stifle on one hind leg and occasionally the other hind, it seems to be worse if he hasn't been ridden for a few days, but i know there's not much that can be done, other than an operation, but its not bad enough for that.

Its just not nice to see happen.....you want to help bend his leg for him...!
Would be interested to hear if anyone else has this with their neddy.
thanks
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My filly would get this just before a growth spurt, and I was told she'd grow out of it which she did at about 3 yrs old. When it happened when I was there I would just push her gently backwards and it would click back.

How old is your boy and how fit is he. Lots of walking up hills to build his muscles up may help.
 
put him on a good joint supplement, i currently have mine on global herbs move free, msm and surelimb supplement (dodson and horrell) she is moving better than ever, also loads of strengthening work, hills, slow canters, raised trot poles etc, you should aim to get him 8 out of 10 fit.
 
My young draught developed this at around 18 months due to growing so quick. It is coming right now that she has been backed and hacking out (now 5). Her field is on a nice slope allowing her to build up muscle.
Vet did a load of tests as someone thought she was a wobbler but thankfully she is coming out the other end now.
 
I have 2 with locking stifles..
One is only slight and occasional but she is in regular work which helps.
The other, a shetland, is worse but still fine! Her left hind locks regularly and her right hind occasionally. She lives out on 6 acres of sloping land which seems to have helped. She doesn't seem in the least bit bothered about it and it certainly doesn't stop her careering around and enjoying life..
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Regular active work, plenty of turnout &, like daisychain, I found a good joint supplement really helps.
 
Nari ... now you say it ... I have just realised that my TB has not suffered his, what I call a 'sticky stifle', so much since he has been on his Newmarket Supplement (he started having this after a Cortisone (sp) injection in a hind fetlock, as per Vets advice) .... I have vaguely noticed it now, only when he first comes in overnight after the summer
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I think its to do with keeping the joints really well lubricated so they dont stick, and adquate supplements incase they are lacking in any nutrients.
 
I had this problem with my young filly. She was underweight when I bought her and she slipped her stifle on two occasions. If your horse is young it should grow out of it. Push the horse backwards and it should click back in. A good joint supplement such as Premier Flex from www.equineanswers.co.uk would be a very good idea.
 
Ive always found that unless there is a really severe problem this is generally related to the horse being underdeveloped. Either underweight or undermuscled or both. If you can build up muscle tone through regular work this should solve the problem
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My boy is 11 and very fit. I have been up until 3 weeks ago, hunting him 1-2 times a week. We do hills and muscle work on nearly every ride. But i will look into a joint supp of some kind, he's on oil and blue chip for vits and mins, but thanks for that i'll definately look at the joint supps now.

glad i'm not the only one!!
 
Funny you should say that he has been hunting up until 3 weeks ago, as when I first got my ex flat TB nearly 8 years ago, I spoke to the Vet regarding his 'sticky stifle' and he commented that it can sometimes happen when a horse has just been 'let down' after being fit
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Eaglestone Jim's sticking stifle only occurred when his work load was suddenly reduced a lot, I didn't realise that could be a factor.
 
My boy had this when he was growing and was terrible with it at one stage, He kept falling over with it etc, However he grew out of it as he got older and stronger. Good luck!
 
If a horse is young the stiffle locks because the muscles are under-developped and cannot, yet, provide the proper support. This kind of problem improves with exercise and age.

If a horse is older, first try rest in case you have a temporary problem, such as a strain. If two weeks off work does not help and the problem returns it could be more serious and you need your vet to give you a second opinion. Don't panic, I am not suggesting this is the case with your boy, but my horse's locking stiffle was merely a side-effect of a very serious cartiledge problem which did not respond to an operation and resulted in him being PTS. This is a rare problem but not that rare (the orthopaedic surgeon saw 30 cases a year, all referals), so worth getting your vet out. See also previous posts on this topic.

Good luck!
 
I'm glad this has been posted as I'm a little worried about the boy I ride. His stifles used to lock quite badly when he has having growth spurts between 1-3 years. Now he's 6 and thy are ok in the summer when he's in more work but a bit worse in the winter. It only really happens when I pick his back feet out when he's been standing in his stable over night. He's fine walking forwards but if I ask him to pick his feet up of back his stifle locks, only for a second or so, then releases. This is worse on one stife but is in both. It doesn't affect his work, and as I have said, is better when he is out more in the summer and in more work. Do you think there is still time for him to grow out of it?

p.s. he seems to be able to walk backwards and stamp around his stable regardless of how long he's been in there when its feed time!
 
I am really sorry I can't really tell! With my chap he was bilaterally lame behind, which meant it was impossible to see and we only realised when in desperation we nerve blocked one hind leg and then it was obvious that he was crippled. It really depends on the amount and kind of work you do as well. He was mainly a dressage horse, competing at Elementary and also hacked. His ability to work through was severely affected, he was crooked and his hind legs did not come under him properly (went from scores in the 70s to scores in the 50s). Once you have ridden a horse with either bilateral lameness behind or back problems it can be easier for the rider to notice, but for a long time I thought I had a schooling/useless rider problem. The severe problems are quite rare though, so I don't want to panic anyone.
 
Thanks for sharing Booboos, fingers crossed thats not the case for anyone on this thread, but goes to show could be worth getting the vet out. Sorry you had to go through that but hearing your experience is useful, thank you
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My horse has locking stifles. I have had him since he was 9 yrs and with lots of work, particularly hill work and slow canter work in straight lines it virtually disappeared. Circle work is not that beneficial to locking stifles. He is now 17yrs and I noticed a couple of years ago it didnt improve so much with work, I asked my vet about it and he said it was probably a bit of arthritis due to wear and tear. This has now been confirmed with xrays and scans. I put him on D & H Devils Claw which has helped tremendously, also moved yards at around the same time as arthritis was diagnosed and the fields are all on hillsides.
 
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