Sesamoid Bone Injury Help/Advice

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FHC1612

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So, I had the saddler out today to check his saddle. When riding, she found he wasn't using his hind right, by holding it in the air rather than reach forward in canter (His hind is usually under my foot in canter) and said she thinks he has an issue with his sesamoid bone, that is possibly giving secondary problems to the surrounding areas.

We never had noticed it before, as he isn't lame. He just wasn't moving forward, but we were putting that down to the wet arena (He prefers to sit on top of the surface, rather than go into) He is always grumpy when ridden as that is his personality, so when he started bucking we thought that was his temper or his saddle. He had his saddle and back checked and they were fine. So, it turn out that might be the issue.

Just someone background info. He is 10yo 16hh Arab X Highland. I have had him for 5 years, before that he wasn't ridden much after he was broken in when he was 4. I know most of his history. His owners (I have him on full long time loan), had him since he was a small foal, as got him with his mum at the horse sales. Before that, he was just kept in a field (The Horse Hoarder programme, both of his parents were there).

We do dressage, training at Elem/Medium. He is ridden max 4 times a week, one being a hack. Leading up to the day, he was ridden 1 to 2 times per week due to me doing my A levels. He isn't a manic horse, unless he goes in the field where he can canter around for a bit. He doesn't get heavily worked at all, due to being a sensitive little soul haha. The only thing I could put it down to is either: being nuts in the field, or his conformation, as he is cow hocked in the hind.

Was looking for anyone's experience with this kind of injury, treatment, recover, outlook etc. anything big or small. She said at this moment in time, he doesn't need to go to the vets, but does need an osteopath to take a look instead of our physio. Also, any advice on what to do riding wise with him, he's got 2 weeks off before he gets ridden 4 times a week (It's being gradually built up). I don't want to leave him to be an ornament until the osteopath sees him, as I have a BD Petplan Area Festival competition in August and this is the worst time for this to happen:(

Thanks
 
I am sorry but a saddler cannot diagnose injury and certainly should not say he doesn't need a vet and that an osteo is able to diagnose and treat him, I would totally ignore her "advice" if you are concerned get a properly qualified vet out to do appropriate diagnostics and don't risk doing your horse any harm by taking unqualified instructions.
This sort of thing makes me so cross, I often have a good educated guess but would never go this far with a client especially when I was not actually asked for any input in the first place.
 
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be positive said:
I am sorry but a saddler cannot diagnose injury and certainly should not say he doesn't need a vet and that an osteo is able to diagnose and treat him, I would totally ignore her "advice" if you are concerned get a properly qualified vet out to do appropriate diagnostics and don't risk doing your horse any harm by taking unqualified instructions.
This sort of thing makes me so cross, I often have a good educated guess but would never go this far with a client especially when I was not actually asked for any input in the first place.
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Actually, if she didn’t mention it we wouldn’t have spotted it. It’s only when she noticed it, we noticed it and realised there was a problem with it. We knew there was a problem with him but couldn’t figure out what. After looking at him we can agree there may be a problem. We would’ve got an osteopath to look at it anyway, to check and then the vet if needed. She has saved my horse a lot of issues, I was going to do weekly galloping work with him to get his fitness up, glad she pointed it out as otherwise I could make him a lot worse.

I never took her word as a diagnosis, but an idea. She’s pointed us in the right direction and we’re getting an osteo out to look and him and point us to the local vets if needed. I could not thank her enough for notifying us of a possible solution. I only created this thread to see what people think and their experiences, more for my nosiness. It wasn’t here to bash my saddler
 
And actually our osteo is qualified to treat to a certain extent, with a vets approval. She’s much cheaper than getting a vet out, to say it’s just muscular. I’m not naive enough to take my saddlers word for a diagnosis.
 
FHC1612 said:
And actually our osteo is qualified to treat to a certain extent, with a vets approval. She’s much cheaper than getting a vet out, to say it’s just muscular. I’m not naive enough to take my saddlers word for a diagnosis.
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An osteo is allowed to treat but only with a vets approval, if there is a hairline fracture to the bone, a damaged ligament or tendon then the sooner you know and treat appropriately the sooner he can recover, I certainly wouldn't allow treatment to something lower down on a limb without a proper diagnosis and I so tend to use alternative therapists whenever I can, I would get the vet out early next week to scan and xray if required rather than leaving him in a field which may be totally inappropriate depending on what the injury is but it is your choice.
 
be positive said:
An osteo is allowed to treat but only with a vets approval, if there is a hairline fracture to the bone, a damaged ligament or tendon then the sooner you know and treat appropriately the sooner he can recover, I certainly wouldn't allow treatment to something lower down on a limb without a proper diagnosis and I so tend to use alternative therapists whenever I can, I would get the vet out early next week to scan and xray if required rather than leaving him in a field which may be totally inappropriate depending on what the injury is but it is your choice.
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Okay thanks, might keep him in and see if I can get a vet out on Monday then. Thank god he’s insured and they cover it.
 
SEL said:
Good to hear it's sorted - what was up?
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First of all I got the wrong bone😂, it was the sacroiliac, completely different part of the body. The osteo is having a look to check it’s not muscular. We’re having the vet to look over, but due to the nightmare place they can’t really diagnose it with normal means. Therefore, we just have to treat it symtomatically which worries me a bit, to think it might never fully leave him when he’s a competition horse, who I have big aspirations for. He’s having 2 weeks off, with a short time in the field each day. Up until we decide how to treat him.
 
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