Pulling hind leg away when picking them up

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emfen1305

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My horse is now 5 weeks post surgery for PSD on both hinds, we have almost completed one week of small pen turnout (cue the coldest week in the UK!!) and have one more week before normal turnout. The vet is due back out on Thursday to pronounce him sound or not so I can ask her to have a look then but wanted to get some wisdom for HHO.

I have always had issues with picking up his back legs, it started with just not wanting to pick them up and offering the opposite leg to snatching them away and slamming them back down. This got progressively worse as his other symptoms developed. Over the last few days I have noticed that he will now offer them to me to pick out but pulls them right up and almost twists them and is really not happy about stretching them back. I don't know whether this is due to a bit of stiffness or something else. I know he is sore around his SI joint but not sure if something else going on. He is very tight behind, his muscles feel quite firm and he still looks to be holding himself a bit funny still but this is nothing new.

Does anyone have any ideas? Anything I can bring up with the vet? The physio is due the same day as the vet (as well as the farrier for remedial shoeing) so maybe he is just a bit stiff and sore from being in for 4 weeks and then only being in a small paddock. He was particularly bad tonight but I know he was hooleying around early!
 
I would try very hard not to stretch them too much until vet / physio have been.

When one of mine gets sore (her issues are hocks and muscles) I pick out her hind feet as close to the floor as possible. No point in having the argument and I don't want her to associate having her feet handled with pain.
 
SEL said:
I would try very hard not to stretch them too much until vet / physio have been.

When one of mine gets sore (her issues are hocks and muscles) I pick out her hind feet as close to the floor as possible. No point in having the argument and I don't want her to associate having her feet handled with pain.
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Thank you, this is what I used to do pre surgery but now he has taken to picking the foot up for me without asking and then when i take hold of it he draws it right in and when i try to bring it down he is really resistant. I am hoping the physio will be able to help him a bit! He is much more 'active; with his hind legs since the surgery which I don't know whether is normal or not - I am looking forward to the vet coming back so i can ask my page long list of questions haha!
 
A quick call to the vet involved would be the best advice in these circumstances, if he is behaving differently to before. It could be an infection issue for example....
 
Mine took 9 months after surgery to get back shoes on. He found it very hard to balance on the other hind leg whilst the other was being trimmed, let alone shod. 5 weeks is no time at all for recuperation.
 
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