Opinions needed ASAP - twisted leg!

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JJ2

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I have just been to see a lovely horse which seems perfect in every way except his off fore was slightly twisted from the knee down (pointing outwards).

He was totally sound, but obviously his gait was ever so slightly effected. Has anyone had any experience of a horse like this and has it had any detrimental effects, short and long term?

I am very torn as horse will be perfect for what I want him for.

Opinions needed quickly please!
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No it is different to pigeon toed as it is the whole leg not just the foot.
He is priced accordingly but i am just worried about the potential stresses it could put on his joints and tendons etc
 
Well it is turned out from the knee down. Only twisted one way but obvious enough to spot it but doesnt seem to affect him if that makes sense!

So torn!!!
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Any idea what the twist is due to? an injury or was it born with it?
Shell has a twist she was born with and she used to event regularly, my farrier once mentioned that she will have a longer working life now she has stopped eventing as obviously hard and fast work puts more strain on not just the twisted leg but the other leg too as she would compensate for her odd action. he shoes her to help with her dishing and altho we only hack she's not had a days lameness in the 2 years i've had her, and we don't exactly plod about and at 17hh she's no lightweight
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Well they dont know but he has no marks or lumps or bumps so they presume he was born with it. They also claim he has had no lameness with it but can never be sure i guess!
He appears to cope fine...i think it looks more cosmetic but im not a vet!

If he is not sold tonight (someone coming now) i am arranging a vetting tomorrow...fingers crossed they hate him!!
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what is it you want to do with him? shell's has certainly never stopped her jumping lol, in fact it's her most favourite thing, shame it's not mine lol
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Barnaby had a twisted hind and he worked very hard on hard ground for 12 years. He did go slightly lame towards the end and we retired him before anything untoward happened to him as he'd been such a trooper but he would have been sound enough to still work. It wouldnt put me off buying the perfect horse, just be something to keep an eye on
 
Just want to do local shows and Riding club really. Nothing major or strenuous....i am renound for not working my horses hard enough so there would be no worry on that front!
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If it is twisted then I would say it'll bring problems eventually, my opinion would be leave it, but ditto above, vet is the best person to ask X
 
If the horse hasnt already got arthritis, he soon will have. The abnormality could even be the result of arthritis.

If it was me and It was the right horse and I was totally in love, I would have him/her vetted.

Horse would probably be suitable for hacking and light schooling and if that is what you are intending then thats great, but as I say, in the next few years expect arthritis.

Is the deformity why the horse is for sale?
 
I'd leave it if I were you there is a mare on my yard who has exactly the same thing she was fine up until a month ago and now she is permently lame, because of the arthritis the twisted leg has caused, she is only 8 years old and it's looking like she will never be sound again, these were the vets very words!
It may not be troubling him now but it will in future, its not nice but you would only be buying a problem for yourself later down the line, sorry i can't offer any good news! But there are plenty of others horses out there without conformational faults!
 
I would definitely talk to a vet. I looked at one with pigeon toes and was told it depends where the twist starts. Unfortunately, this one started from the wrong place but I cant remember where it was! Think it was the fetlock. Sorry! But worth taking expert advice if you like the horse.
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My friend had a horse with a really twisted leg. It was a cracking jumper, it would have been a serious horse if it wasn't for the dodgy leg. She didn't ride it much and jumped it occasionally and it seemed to cope happily. It snapped the opposite leg in its box and had to be PTS aged about eight. I don't know how much it was down to the extra strain put on this leg over time. I just always thought she was lucky that leg never gave out landing after a fence. Personally I'd keep looking, wouldn't you rather have a horse with normal legs? I've just travelled an hour and a half away to see an all purpose horse, took one look at it and walked away purely because it had flat feet. Its frustrating, but it could be the best horse in the world and if any or all of its legs don't work its useless.
 
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If the horse hasnt already got arthritis, he soon will have. The abnormality could even be the result of arthritis.

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Codswallop
I have just bought a baby for £300 with a twisted hind leg. Vet looked at him and said he was not more likely to get arthritis than any other horse. Being twisted from a baby means the body has adapted.

If he's as cheap as chips and want you want, you go for it. As a perfect horse with perfect breeding and a 5* vetting can still go tits up!!! That's horses for you and often the slightly abnormal have the most amazingly trouble free life (sods law???)
 
a mare i knew years ago had twisted legs, both her fronts. they turned in from the shoulder (i think).
anyway the stud who bred her couldn't sell her as they'd have never made any money on a racehorse like that, so they kept her and raced her themselves.
anyway she raced for 6 years under rules with legs like that.
if in doubt get your vet to look at the horse.
 
We have a mare at our yard who was one of a set of twins and was born with a twisted leg from the knee down, she is absolutely fine. She does hacking, dressage and schooling sessions plus has just started jumping and is as sound as a bell.
 
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If the horse hasnt already got arthritis, he soon will have. The abnormality could even be the result of arthritis. ...
Horse would probably be suitable for hacking and light schooling and if that is what you are intending then thats great, but as I say, in the next few years expect arthritis.



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blimey thats a bit of a statement to make, best i run down the field and check on my rather heavy 17hh 13yr old girl right this minute to see if she's developed arthritis overnight or at least warn her whats coming!!
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how long do you think my girl has got then given her previous career eventing up until she was 11!
 
My little mare has a slight conformational twist from the knee down on both fronts making her very slightly pigeon toed. She is very carefully shod to control this.

She showjumps, xc and dressages and is absolutly fine. The vet has also never indicated that this will be a problem, it may be in her golden years but at that point she will have had many "useful" years
 
Crikey, you could be describing my horse. I bought him aged 3 and at that time the deformity wasn't too bad, although he was very pigeon toed on his left side. His knee deviates out to the side and his leg comes down at a kind of slant.

Sometimes he doesn't look too bad standing still if he's standing square, but when you watch him walking from the front or from behind it can make some people feel physically sick.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, he got arthritis in that knee when he was 10 and underwent Xrays etc. He is now on Danilon and joint supplement for life and was retired from riding in 2007 when he was 12.

He now lives the life of Riley bossing my other horse about!

So, in answer to your questions, yes a deformity like this can have long term repercussions, but my horse is gorgeous and I don't regret buying him.
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I think it depends on how badly twisted and how cheap the horse is!
If it has been like this from birth then the horses body will have adapted to the fault to a certain degree.

Definitely a vet job to assess the horse, but if it is minor and the horse is very cheap it could be worth the risk
 
I agree with ben and jerrys. I think it depends on the severity. If it is very pronounced I probably would not buy it, if it is only slightly twisted I would buy it anyway.

I know of a horse that has the most horrendous leg conformation you have ever seen, his knees practically touch and his front feet splay out very dramatically. He retired from advance eventing at the age of 14 last yr after a very successful 7 years of eventing, he is now doing pony club. I also know of a very expensive horse that appeared to have perfect conformation, he passed a 5 star vetting with x rays etc, a yr later he had to be put down because of side bone artheritis in all four legs, he was only 6.

You dont want to ask for trouble by buying a horse with a very bad obvious fault but even 'perfect' horses go lame, so if it is only slightly twisted and everything else was spot on I would buy it.

Our horse failed the vet because he was a bad 'roarer' we brought him anyway and 20 years later hes still going strong. Hes had a life of affilliated sj and eventing, won pony club areas, sj regionals, qualified for HOY's etc even though the vet said he wouldnt be able too. We went with our instincts and we were right. His body learnt to adapt to his problem and he has the fastest recovery rate of any horse I know!
 
Personally I would be inclined to say keep looking as there will be a load of horses out there who DON'T have a twisted leg. However, as someone said earlier - any horse can 'break' no matter how perfect it's conformation may appear. How many horses owned by forum members seem to be 'broken'? I bet they don't all have terrible conformation.

Get the vet to assess it. If the horse is only young then some remedial type shoeing/trimming may be possible to ensure the leg twist doesn't worsen and to lessen to the strain. If not then the horse has probably adapted to it and if you're not wanting a top competition horse I can't see why it would be a problem.

If you really like it that much and it will be ideal for you then go for it, providing of course the vet does not find any underlying problems.

We bought my sister's horse 4 years ago, his front feet both turned out quite badly and our vet advised he couldn't pass him but neither could he fail him but we couldn't expect to do any real heavy work (ie jumping) until he had grown some more (he was only 4) as he was undeveloped and with his legs how they were his splint bones had not grown evenly and he would be likely to develop splints due to the increased stress on the bones. He is now 8 and has had no probs, his legs are alot straighter thanks to good farriery and he is a fab jumper and competing BSJA and BE.

Having a horse is a risky business whatever. Do be aware though and insurance company is likely to exclude any condition that could occur as a result of this confomation fault though.
 
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