MRI/bone scan results, front foot/hind leg

[Bobella]

All opinions welcome!
Very brief history is 8yo homebred, eventing at Novice, no jumping issues but always tense in dressage. 1 month ago, sent her to a pro for schooling who advised that she may have something phsically wrong. When under pressure schooling she was intermittantly threatening to go up. If allowed to work in a relaxed outline, fine, but as soon as she is asked to come up into a more Novice outline, resistance. She would always work forward again, but clearly an issue. More noticable on the lunge, as if something catches.

So... my vet xrayed back and hocks, both fine. Xrayed fronts and found signs of damage to navicular bone, nerve blocked, happier horse. Still lame behind though and no real change with nerve block.
Referred for MRI to fronts and bone scan. Couldn't get in for 3 weeks, so shoes off and chilled out in the field where she's been very happy and thinks that she could easily be a barefoot pony! Stones? What stones!!

She has now had MRI, nothing more significant than general wear and tear, yay!
Bone scan showed several hotspots, leading to more xrays and nerve blocks.
Conclusion so far is left fore lameness eliminated with palmer digital block.
Left hind lameness eliminated with nerve block to proximal suspensory, immediately a different horse to work.
They are going to scan the leg tomorrow so will have a better idea then, but so far treatment going forward is to medicate the coffin joint on LF and look at rest/steroids/shockwave/neurectomy for the LH depending on the scans.

Currently I'm open minded. I'd love her to continue her eventing career, but she owes me nothing and at some point would like to have the next generation out of her anyway.

What do you think? There's been some great threads about this sort of thing recently with some excellent advice, please throw some my way!!

 

[star]

My horse had MRI last week due to ongoing mild bilateral forelimb lameness which blocks out to palmar digital nerve block. It showed nothing other than some slight distension of his coffin joints and some wear to his navicular bones consistent with being a 14yr old eventer. He's had both his coffin joints medicated and is having some remedial shoeing as his foot balance could be better. They have said no reason why he shouldn't carry on eventing.

My old horse had proximal suspensory disease - he responded well to shockwave and controlled exercise and went back to previous levels of work retiring aged 20 for an unrelated problem.

 

[china]

how does she land? toe first or heel first as that will tell you alot.
I have just taken on a horse that was due to be pts that was diagnosed with a tear to the DDFT last year and has been given a blanket diagnoses of navicular syndrome. The vet reports are very contradictory! I went to see him a couple of days ago and took pictures of all his feet and watched him walk and he lands extremely heavily toe first so he clearly has heel pain. Continuous landing of toe first will start causing damage to the ligaments and tendons. He his hopefully coming home on the weekend and we will start the process of barefoot rehab with him. first stage is diet and getting him comfortable. he will probably wear boots and pads to get him comfy and encourage him to use the back of the foot again. I took a still of my new ones toe first landing which I can post if you like.
Film your horse walking and then slow the video down so you can see what is hapeneing. it will tell you alot!

 

[Bobella]

Star - that's very encouraging, she is going to have her coffin joint medicated aswell.
China- I have just played back her last few dressage tests as that's all I have at the moment and she looks to be landing flat footed. Obviously she is being ridden and is shod in these so possibly not a very good indicator. She is barefoot at the moment and not at all foot sore so she's going to stay that way until she hopefully needs stud holes again!
We're going to go for shockwave, write off this year and hope for another chance to event next year.

 

[china]

Star - that's very encouraging, she is going to have her coffin joint medicated aswell.
China- I have just played back her last few dressage tests as that's all I have at the moment and she looks to be landing flat footed. Obviously she is being ridden and is shod in these so possibly not a very good indicator. She is barefoot at the moment and not at all foot sore so she's going to stay that way until she hopefully needs stud holes again!
We're going to go for shockwave, write off this year and hope for another chance to event next year.

my six year old is barefoot and we competed at bath and west this year. our ring was rather chewed up round the edges and he ovbiously didnt have studs and he didnt slip once, and the ring was on a slope! most of the competitors had studs in. You would be surprised how well your horse grips barefoot. Saves you lots of money to :-D
I wonder if anyone has ever done a study in grip of a shod and unshod foot? would be very interesting if anyone knows of one!