Pulled muscle on horse - should I ride her?

[Mitchyden]

I previously posted that my horse wouldn't walk properly after her back leg gave way out on a hack on Saturday 3rd December. She wouldn't actually walk on her leg at all after standing still but once moving was ok. But everytime she stood still, she couldn't move again.

She was perfectly alright on the Saturday evening and the vet had a look on the Monday when she had her vaccinations. She did a flexion test on the offending leg which was ok and said that it sounded like she had fixation of the patella problems. Now this could account for why she keeps losing her back leg out hacking but it doesn't explain why she couldn't move forward or backwards once she'd stood still but was alright otherwise.

She told me to carry on riding which i did and she's ok on the flat and at a trot but when I go up any sort of incline, she bucks and then refuses to move. This she did four times on Saturday. It seems to me that there is some sort of muscle issue but the vet says to carry on riding. I was wondering what other people would do as I don't want to make the situation worse and wondered whether to give her some time off or carry on at walk on level surfaces (which isn't actually that easy around here as it's very hill).

Any ideas?

 

[AmyMay]

Nope, wouldn't be riding a horse showing those symptoms.

Vet back out with the recommendation of a good physio also.

 

[Damnation]

What I was always told was generally with a pulled muscle, you ride on the flat with the offending leg on the outside.

The stallion where I used to work had a pulled muscle in his left hindquater. We were told to keep that on the outside (unless doing straight lines) so that the "pivoting action" of the leg when its on the inside doesn't make it worse. But the muscle needs to relax and really swing in order to heal properly otherwise the muscle kind of knots.

We were also only allowed to ride him after 1/2 of bute and to start slowly. On the surface in the school he could do walk and bits of trot for half an hour, mainly walk. Out hacking it was 15mins because the ground was harder.

Obviously I am no expert but it seems like a bit of an extreme reaction for a pulled muscle. My mare had a suspected pulled muscle same as the stallion and the (Very good!!!!) vet said he would expect them to "hop" a little but then be ok once moving. To refuse to move sounds to me like something else.

 

[Wagtail]

Goodness me, no, I would not be riding this horse. Vet sounds incompetent to me. Is she an equine vet or general animal vet? Fixation of the patella can make a horse reluctant to move (it's one of the main symptoms) as the patella 'locks' the leg and is worse when the horse has stopped, but can also cause the problems you describe when on the move. However, I would not rule out other problems such as proximinal suspensory desmitis, or even a back or sacro illiac problem.

 

[traceyann]

I wouldnt ride and i give her some arnica and rub cream on the muscle if that what it is.

 

[flowerlady]

No wouldn't be riding. Would ring the vet and explain what was happening and could you have another vet at the practice come out for a second opinion. Or at least don't ride for a week then see what happens.

 

[Mitchyden]

I have now rung the back person and am waiting for her to get back to me although to be honest I can't see her coming out before Christmas.

I will give Lana another week off and see what happens although it is difficult to see if everything is ok except to go up hills again as she lunges fine in the school and tracks up nicely and is ok on the flat out hacking.

I would just add that she has a very low pain threshold and if she has so much as a twinge, she lies down as if she's got colic. Also when out doing pleasure rides, if she thinks we've trotted too far, she just stops, turns and looks at me and then walks on slowly!

 

[ThePony]

Wouldn't be riding. A pulled muscle is extremely painful!