twizzler
New User
Hi all,
Yesterday my new and first horse Annie arrived where I’m boarding her. She is a 12yr old 17hh grey mare with no breeding recorded but reckon she’s a mix of an Irish draft and thoroughbred.
I tried her two weeks ago about an hour or so away in a different county and she was perfect! No lameness whatsoever, a sweet mare but strong jumping but overall I was really happy with her so I said I’d take her. The lady (who is a top eventer and runs a gorgeous riding school) who was selling her for a client was lovely and was upfront with all the details. Annie had a sore on her withers from where her old saddle rubbed and one of her hind legs was weakened due to an injury from the summer. She didn’t have much muscle because she had been out of work for a month or so.
She arrived in the lady’s yard a year ago and was shortly used as a riding school horse before a teenage girl started loaning her. Apparently the girl was letting Annie away with blue murder because she was frightened of her because of how strong she gets at jumps and Annie quickly developed bad habits. Anyways after a year of loaning her the girl got bored of her hence her sale.
Annie arrived yesterday and everything seemed great, she was immediately settled and seemed cheerful enough in her new home. However this morning when I went down to see her and get some 5 saddles fitted none of them fit her because her withers are very high up and she hasn’t got much of a topline because of her lack of muscles. So someone let me borrow her saddle and lunged her. Immediately you could see how stiff she was, but when she started trotting you really could see the real problem. Her right front leg was extremely lame and something was wrong.
The guy who was helping me lunge Annie tried some stretching exercises on her front legs and said he could hear a slight cracking in her front right fetlock area. Immediately he said he thought it was arthritis and my heart sank. He is not a vet by any means (and we are getting a vet out tomorrow for a full check up) but he is well experienced and knows his stuff.
What doesn’t sit well with me is how only two weeks prior when I was riding Annie she was perfectly fine not only flatting but jumping around an 80cm course too, absolutely no sign or indication of arthritis. She 100% was not drugged at all. Not only that but the lady who sold me her has been working on her for the past week or so, lunging and riding her everyday, so obviously if it was arthritis she would of seen it as it simply does not pop up overnight.
The vet is coming out tomorrow and he is doing a full check up on Annie and I will go by what he says at the end of the day but I would like to hear some suggestions. Personally I do not think it is arthritis, perhaps a bone splint or she could of slipped or banged her front leg while she was in the trailer?
Anyways I would love to hear whatever you think!
Yesterday my new and first horse Annie arrived where I’m boarding her. She is a 12yr old 17hh grey mare with no breeding recorded but reckon she’s a mix of an Irish draft and thoroughbred.
I tried her two weeks ago about an hour or so away in a different county and she was perfect! No lameness whatsoever, a sweet mare but strong jumping but overall I was really happy with her so I said I’d take her. The lady (who is a top eventer and runs a gorgeous riding school) who was selling her for a client was lovely and was upfront with all the details. Annie had a sore on her withers from where her old saddle rubbed and one of her hind legs was weakened due to an injury from the summer. She didn’t have much muscle because she had been out of work for a month or so.
She arrived in the lady’s yard a year ago and was shortly used as a riding school horse before a teenage girl started loaning her. Apparently the girl was letting Annie away with blue murder because she was frightened of her because of how strong she gets at jumps and Annie quickly developed bad habits. Anyways after a year of loaning her the girl got bored of her hence her sale.
Annie arrived yesterday and everything seemed great, she was immediately settled and seemed cheerful enough in her new home. However this morning when I went down to see her and get some 5 saddles fitted none of them fit her because her withers are very high up and she hasn’t got much of a topline because of her lack of muscles. So someone let me borrow her saddle and lunged her. Immediately you could see how stiff she was, but when she started trotting you really could see the real problem. Her right front leg was extremely lame and something was wrong.
The guy who was helping me lunge Annie tried some stretching exercises on her front legs and said he could hear a slight cracking in her front right fetlock area. Immediately he said he thought it was arthritis and my heart sank. He is not a vet by any means (and we are getting a vet out tomorrow for a full check up) but he is well experienced and knows his stuff.
What doesn’t sit well with me is how only two weeks prior when I was riding Annie she was perfectly fine not only flatting but jumping around an 80cm course too, absolutely no sign or indication of arthritis. She 100% was not drugged at all. Not only that but the lady who sold me her has been working on her for the past week or so, lunging and riding her everyday, so obviously if it was arthritis she would of seen it as it simply does not pop up overnight.
The vet is coming out tomorrow and he is doing a full check up on Annie and I will go by what he says at the end of the day but I would like to hear some suggestions. Personally I do not think it is arthritis, perhaps a bone splint or she could of slipped or banged her front leg while she was in the trailer?
Anyways I would love to hear whatever you think!
