Loose joints in young horse

[nelliefinellie]

I have a 5 year old KWPN mare, who has started going very slightly unlevel in trot (in front). Bizzarely enough she did exactly the same this time last year - I thought she was throwing a splint, gave her a bit of time off. At the same time the farrier said her feet had grown and put some bigger shoes on. Now exactly the same this year! It coincided with her being turned out and putting some weight on, even wondered if it was slight laminitis. Again her feet have grown and she is in the next size up shoe. She is sound in trot in a straight line, just slightly 'off' on a circle, but definitiely not lame enough to nerve block, and nothing to see / feel though she does sometimes get a bit of filling above her fetlocks. I got my physio to have a look at her tonight a she was out treating my other horse, and she thought her joints were a bit loose and immature, and that this coupled with the change in shoeing and the weight gain was the cause. The leg she is not quite right on also turns in a little. She suggested keeping her in light work, lost of walking on the road and some light schooling. I have reduced her grazing to try and get her weight down. Any one come accross this before?

 

[Petrie]

I haven't experienced a horse's feet growing like that, aged 5, so not able to to comment on that bit.

The very slight intermittent lameness on circle on the bent foreleg in a 5 yr old, I am familiar with though! With mine, it was chronic suspensory desmitis (as in, a repetitive strain in his suspensory ligament.) Of course, that's not to say yours has that at all.

The same horse (a very tall 5 yr Hannovarian) was also described by my physio has having 'loose joints' (ie. he's still growing and not yet developed) She also recommended lots of walking on all types of surfaces to help him strengthen the joints without straining them.

As it happens, he's on 6 months of walking only anyway for the ligament!

He hasn't had the windgalls you describe, but my other horse has. He gets slight filling above his fetlocks after he's been eventing on firm going, so I now only run him on very good going, and it doesn't happen. I wouldn't necessarily worry about windgalls, especially in an older horse that is working hard, but I would be concerned to see them in a 5 yr old like yours. It is a sign of weakness, after all.

TBH, it could be anything, so I wouldn't like to speculate, but if it happened at the same time last year (ie. spring grass time) it could be low-grade laminitis, or a niggle brought on by the hard ground we had recently.

You could give her 2-3 months of walking only, and a diet, see if that improves things. I normally have to know what's going on though, so if it were me, I'd get the vet!