Muscular lameness... experiences?

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_jetset_

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As many of you know, Grace was not right in my lesson with Spencer. She was not lame as such, just not moving the left hind as well as she moves the right hind. I took her to my vets and they could not see anything obvious enough to nerve block etc. so sent me away with some bute and told me to ride her this weekend and go from there.

However, due to my operation I am not allowed to ride for a few days (it would be too painful anyway
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). The lady who is riding her for me is a very good dressage rider, and it was interesting to watch someone on her. She said she felt she was blocking through the left hand side, and not moving away from the left leg quickly enough.

Grace started off working a bit stiff and with the strange movement, but after 20 mins of being worked, it had completely gone... She was being made to give with the left hand side of her body, and was doing some really lovely work by the end. To me this screams that it is something muscular which is causing this movement, but I thought I would see what other people's opinions on this are? We are still going on Wednesday regardless even if it is just for them to say it is nothing other than weakness as at least I will know and not worry about it.
 
It isn't neccessarily muscular as both ringbone and spavins 'wear off' with work when the horse has warmed up. I am not saying that your horse has either of these things - just an example.

Does the vet you are taking her to on wednesday know that she is on Bute? When my horse had a lameness work up the vet was very isistent that she hadn't been on anything.
 
TBH when you posted about this earlier in the week, my first reaction was stringhalt. My big TB suffers in particular in the colder weather but it literally disappears after 10-15 minutes work. I havent looked into it too much, but I try to keep his back as warm as possible, and I use a magnetic rug on him which helps immensly. I wouldnt panic too much I am sure whatever it is, it is entirely fixable.
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It isn't neccessarily muscular as both ringbone and spavins 'wear off' with work when the horse has warmed up. I am not saying that your horse has either of these things - just an example.

Does the vet you are taking her to on wednesday know that she is on Bute? When my horse had a lameness work up the vet was very isistent that she hadn't been on anything.

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Yes, he told me to continue with it until Sunday so she will not be having any tomorrow.

Wouldn't a spavin show up in a flexion test though? She had both legs on that diagonal flexioned twice each with no change whatsoever.
 
[ QUOTE ]
TBH when you posted about this earlier in the week, my first reaction was stringhalt. My big TB suffers in particular in the colder weather but it literally disappears after 10-15 minutes work. I havent looked into it too much, but I try to keep his back as warm as possible, and I use a magnetic rug on him which helps immensly. I wouldnt panic too much I am sure whatever it is, it is entirely fixable.
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[/ QUOTE ]

I know a horse with this, and it is not this type of movement at all... although from how I described it I can see where you are coming from. This is a very minimal change in the movement, and once she was straight it was no longer present. We even put her on some very sharp corners as this was when I saw it the most, and there was absolutely nothing at all.
 
Yep Spavin would show up in a flexion test. I wasn't saying that your horse had these things just using them as examples. Good Luck wednesday and I hope you get an answer, and a good answer.
 
No no, I know that... I am trying to rule things out of my mind, that's all
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I am trying to see what things would be affected on a circle but not on a flexion test, and now to add to that improve with straightness and work.
 
Yes I would think it may be muscular. I think I may have anwered one or your other posts but my horse was unlevel on his near hind, not lame, just not stepping under correctly. It was a pulled muscle, probably a hamstring. If you feel under the inside hind leg, beneath the buttocks and compare the muscle, my guys was stringy on the side he injured compared to smooth on the other side. Have a look at her muscle development on both sides, lift up the tail and compare the development of the muscles beneath her hind legs, are they even or is one rounder than the other? Even if it's only a recent or minor injury there may be some assymmetery. I did hamstring stretches and gentle hillwork for a few days with my guy and he was fine. He also worked out of it after about 20 minutes of light schoolng, rein back helped aswell.

I was talking to the chiropracter about it and he said that as the weathers been so bad this year and the ground so slippy, that this type of injury is quite common. The horses try to put their hindleg under them and it goes from beneath them, pulling the muscles in the hindleg. It might be worth getting the physio or chiropracter out.
 
I am a bit of a dubious bute user as I believe it is only like an anadin for us and does make a difference but not a massive one... I do not think it is anything going on over her back because she still finds rein back incredibly easily and is very supple through the back when doing this.

There is definitely a difference in muscle development in her two hind quarters... I noticed that yesterday. Her left is less round than the right.
 
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