Odd barely noticeable lameness - any ideas

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travelmad

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Horse is going really nicely, very fit for this time of year, doing good level of schooling and at least one good very long cantercize session a week. However I have hacked him out on top of usual work and have now twice noticed (a week apart) if he trots on the road he is very slightly (hardly perceivable) lame on a foreleg. Not showing any other signs - no swelling, lumps, heat. Feet are fine - have an amazing farrier who does full checks every time he shoes and it happened once in regular shoes and today in his new natural balance shoes.

W don't normally do any road work so he has not shown any lameness at all except this - not in his canter and gallop work (field based) on being worked on either the sand or rubber arena.

The lameness is so slight no one else really sees it but I can feel his movement is slightly changed and a very slight nodding. No pain signs from the horse.

Anyone got any ideas? Joint related?

Have vet coming out for jabs on Thursday so wondering if I do an assessment.
 
eggs said:
Could the camber of the road be causing the irregularity?
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Hmm, dunno. It happened on 2 different roads, neither are main roads, service roads so not perfect surfaces, but no potholes.

If it was this that would be great, I really don't want something to be wrong after a rubbish season last year, and I'm not insured for vets bills!
 
Splint forming maybe. Feel the splint bone really carefully (try to feel around the back of it as much as you can), Even if you can't feel it, it can still be a blind splint.

Why has he gone into NB shoes - could there be a connection?

Does it wear off, stay the same or get worse the longer you ride him for?
 
I did think maybe splint (he's 11 but have only dealt with youngsters getting them and that was years ago) but I can't feel anything - though maybe a vet would, could be inexperience not feeling it.

I only do about 200 m on a road so I've just left him for a few strides when I notice then walked until we get to softer ground, so can't tell if it would continue or not
 
Oh and only went into NB shoes as farrier is working on getting his feet back to very good condition after a rogue farrier last summer! He reckons this will strengthen the bit we are trying to fix.

Don't think there is a connection as he did it with and without NB shoes
 
travelmad said:
I did think maybe splint (he's 11 but have only dealt with youngsters getting them and that was years ago) but I can't feel anything - though maybe a vet would, could be inexperience not feeling it.

I only do about 200 m on a road so I've just left him for a few strides when I notice then walked until we get to softer ground, so can't tell if it would continue or not
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Try a test on a longer piece of road. Wearing off with time on the road would indicate a soft tissue injury not a bone injury. Getting worse or staying the same could be either.

The other thing I find really useful with splints is a "laser thermometer" (optical pyrometer) which I borrow from the OH's toolbox. They are available on eBay quite cheap. With one of those, you can pinpoint a hot spot only millimetres in size. Two years ago I found a hot spot 3mm across on my horse's splint bone, but no other sign whatsoever of why he was lame. I rested him for a couple of weeks and he came sound, still no sign of anything. Two years on, he has a very large splint right where the spot was!
 
cptrayes said:
Try a test on a longer piece of road. Wearing off with time on the road would indicate a soft tissue injury not a bone injury. Getting worse or staying the same could be either.

The other thing I find really useful with splints is a "laser thermometer" (optical pyrometer) which I borrow from the OH's toolbox. They are available on eBay quite cheap. With one of those, you can pinpoint a hot spot only millimetres in size. Two years ago I found a hot spot 3mm across on my horse's splint bone, but no other sign whatsoever of why he was lame. I rested him for a couple of weeks and he came sound, still no sign of anything. Two years on, he has a very large splint right where the spot was!
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Brilliant advise thank you. Shall do both longer road check and the laser thermometer.

Have been doing some splint reading and actually it's possible - because of the discipline he does he does loads of work on sharp turns, 180 or 360 turns, very short circles, etc ... And I hadn't realised that would be possibly splint forming.

If it is it isn't the end of the world so that's ok. Shall try both these tomorrow. And work on sorting vet insurance so I don't panic!
 
Glad to help :)

If it's a splint, and it sounds likely to me, then you might need to know that they often will not harden off unless you stop work completely.
 
I feel silly if it is because I always associated splints with young horses worked too hard or horses worked on roads too much!! Ah ignorance! :)
 
Not read all the replies, just quickly wanted to say that Shy goes lame when he has a bout of thrush. It's under control now, but we did have a bad time a few months ago. I treat every day for it now.

Just a thought anyway. :)
 
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