Possible hock problem advice appreciated

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HollyJoyce

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Iv been having trouble with my gelding now for 4 months as I was riding and randomly in the middle of our dressage practice at home he started flexing his head to the left. It got worse to the point he would just want to go round in circles. Had his teeth checked he only had them done at Christmas this is 3 months later, they were sharp at the back. But no improvement when ridden. Vet recommended a good physio which we have done. He was right through his lumber glutes and hamstring mainly on the left. He's had 4 months physio every two weeks and ground work and he has improved massively however physio thought it was time or a saddle. Saddler came out (getting a made to measure) however jumped on the walk was okay.. But as soon as I asked him to trot he was flexing his head left again no different. However he's having teeth problems again vet back out Monday but has anyone experienced anything like this similar ?

He's funny about me picking his hind left up I was thinking possible hock problem?


-not lame
-barefoot trim every 6 weeks
-up to date on al jabs
-worse on the left rein
-funny me picking his back left hind up and also clicks when I do this
-5years old Friesian gelding

Any help would be much appreciated vets back out this week but be interesting to see your thoughts[/QUOTE]
 
I am amazed that the physio has not referred the horse back to the vet far earlier, to treat for 4 months, from the sound of things no riding during that time, without a proper diagnosis and without total resolution is very poor practice, as soon as you have got back on you are back to square 1.
I would not use that physio again as they have done a very poor job for you as you are now 4 months down the line, they have put your insurance, if you have any, at risk of them refusing to pay out for any claims involving the hind legs, you need the vet to do a full examination to find the root cause and then get a plan of appropriate treatment, it could be anything and the delay in diagnosing will probably not have helped.

Sorry if that is not helpful but I find it very upsetting when professionals don't do a proper job, I would think your vet expected one or two treatments by the physio to have sorted the issue, which is usually enough, then when he heard no more assumed all was well.

I hope you find the problem and it can be easily treated.
 
I rang the physio once the saddler had been out explaining he was the same as previously she thought it was the saddle that had caused the tight muscles as noticed one shoulder was bigger than the other and she said yes go back to your vet. which I'm doing she's coming out Monday however like you said 4 months is a long time, he has improved on the ground work but under saddle no different never been so gutted and yes back to square 1 :(
 
I would be gutted as well, to have done all that treatment without you riding to see if he had responded is very unprofessional at the least, in my experience it would be negligent, part of being a physio should be to ensure the horse responds to the treatment as expected, 4 months of treating what may or may not have been a saddle fitting issue is way too long.
I have dealt with horses that have had very sore backs, poorly muscled up and have yet to require physio more than 3 times and by the last visit they are back in full ridden work, they rarely get more than a few days off as part of the physio must be to get them using themselves properly, sometimes this is best achieved by groundwork but it must not be exclusively groundwork otherwise how will you ever know how they are really doing, you have sadly had false results showing improvement but not curing the underlying problem.

My physio was sometimes called in by vets, she has recently given up practice, to assess horses that had been undergoing "treatment" for months, sometimes as long as a year, by various therapists who have told the owner they will sort it or not to get a vet it is not lame, etc., etc., she found it very traumatic as sometimes the horse was beyond even veterinary help by the time the vet was called in, yes it is ultimately the responsibility of the owner to call in a vet but it is not acceptable for any practitioner to encourage the owner to continue with treatment when the horse is not improving.
I have always been told to expect the response to treatment to be almost immediate although not always with a good response, the second treatment should show positive improvement and the third if required should just be to ensure everything has continued to improve, they then get signed off unless something else goes wrong or they have an unexpected set back.

Good luck for tomorrow.
 
Just never know who to trust these days thanks for all your advice. I'm tempted to possibly get a second opinion as my vet has all ready also done Chiro on him and seen him twice this was before she said about him having physio and I cannot believe his teeth have got to be done again 3rd time since Christmas one thing after another
 
It sounds to me as if there is something going on that needs proper investigations, I am very pro using physios but not for so long without results, if you decide you want a second opinion after the vet sees him on Monday then either ask for a referral to the best equine specialist in your area or come on here and post asking for recommendations, start a new thread if you do.

Never needed the dentist more than once/ twice a year for any of mine either, 3 times in 6 months is unusual unless they have a problem that causes them to not grind properly but I would expect most dentists or vets to explain this and see if anything can be done to address it.
 
I know it's bizzar loosing my
Mind over it all will update tomorrow hopefully with good news thanks ever so much for chatting really appreciate it none of my family is horsey so it's hard when you need some advice or a chat about things thanks!
 
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