Short stride on the right hind leg... What to do?

[Dukey]

Ok, so I purchased a lovely ID mare in the summer who at the time passed a 5 stage vetting. About a month ago she became short on her right hind leg (almost half a stride). She was due a saddle and back check. After the saddle fitting she seemed worse, but a few days after her back was done and then she seemed much happier. For example, she is always very forward going but had lost impulsion, she struggled to do canter transitions on the left rein and she got grumpy when tacking her up. All seemed to be much better after her back was sorted.
However, in the past week or so the shes struggled with the canter transitions again and I noticed her becoming short with the right hind again. My instructor looked at the saddle and on her left shoulder it was very tight, and slightly tight on the right. I have booked her in again (less than a month later) for a saddle fitting and again for her back. But on the lunge last night with no saddle she was still short. So should I be calling the vet too? Could it be something in the leg, or am I right in assuming the back again and getting that checked first?

Any advice or similar experiences would be helpful, thank you

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Short striding on the off hind is often due to a problem with the near hind. The horse puts the OH down quicker (hence the short stride) because it wants to get the weight off the painful NH.

Your horse is lame and has been for a month (Ok she improved then got worse, but did she ever go sound?), so you need to get the Vet. I'm surprised that your instructor, saddler and back person haven't encouraged you to stop riding and get her properly checked.

 

[Dukey]

Yes she went sound and back to normal after her saddle and back was checked. But I was still not happy with the saddle fit, then when this started up again last week I asked my instructor to look who was not at all happy with the saddle. So I have the saddle and back being done again but I'm wondering if the vet needs to be called too...

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I would, just incase the saddle problems are not the whole story.

 

[be positive]

The saddle fit is probably being caused by her compensating for whatever the underlying issue is, as she moves differently to avoid using her hind leg, if it is hurting, this will cause her muscles to build up differently, hence the saddle now being too tight.
Vet first to assess her, it may be that she just requires a course of physio and a well fitting saddle but until you know the cause you will be going round in circles and never getting the problem fully resolved.

 

[Penny Eater]

Agree you should get a vet to look at her first, and then get her saddle and back rechecked. Maybe try a different saddle fitter if your instructor thinks it's been fitted wrong and is too tight?
Could also be gut issues (leaky gut/hind gut acidosis) as the cecum sits on the right hand side, soreness there usually causes shortness on the right side and a preference to using the left side, but think you said it's the left rein she's worst on?

 

[Dukey]

Yeah I think I'll contact the vets too. I booked the saddle and back after the discussion with my instructor but something's niggling at me. I should also point out the short stride is intermittent and when she's travelling forward both are the same. Argh horses!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Trust yourself.

Every time I've had that 'something just isn't right' feeling and called the Vet because I wasn't happy, it turned out that I was right and the Vet was needed.

 

[Primitive Pony]

Not necessarily advice, other than what has been said above re: calling vet - physio worth a call too? - but this sounds vaguely similar to problems my horse has had which turned out to be sacroiliac pain. Problems in that area (pelvis) can certainly cause a short hind stride - my horse is now still ever so slightly short on one side after treatment and having on-going chiro to help. It's also entirely possible for this not to turn up in a vetting as he has never been lame, per se, just struggled in canter in terms of impulsion but even when I called the vet, at his worst he still would have passed flexion tests and sound in a circle etc etc.

I would also say get it checked sooner rather than later as if this is the case (and of course it could be all sorts of others, without wishing to sound alarmist!), the resultant compensation in other areas can lead to other more serious damage such as hind suspensory problems. My boy had treatment for the beginning of that - and like you I had hesitated initially as my instructor didn't really think there was anything too wrong with him - hindsight is a wonderful thing, but looking back I would have called the vet sooner.

 

[Dukey]

Hi thanks, I have my back guy coming out this week, he's who my vets would use too, as well as the saddle fitter. He came out 4 weeks ago as both my horses are done 6monthly and she was again showing the same problem with her hind leg. Also the saddler came for a check and made the saddle tighter (inter changeable gullet) Now after a few weeks of being sound she has started to show similar signs.
Although the saddle is very tight, on the left side you're unable to get your hand between her and the saddle, I'm wondering if there is something else. I don't know if I'm being paranoid as everyone else has told be to eliminate the back and saddle first... But something's not right!!

 

[Penny Eater]

Sounds as if the saddle fitter has made the saddle too narrow? If it's 'clothes-pegging' round her withers then it will definitely make her sore, and possibly cause muscle atrophy. I'm not a fan of saddles with interchangeable gullets, especially for broader types. The back of the tree is left unaltered and by just changing the front it makes the whole thing unstable and unbalanced IMO, particularly when using the wider gullets.

 

[Dukey]

Hi, thanks for everyone’s advice... Just a quick update. As I had the back guy and saddle fitter already booked in for last week, I thought I'd see what they say first then contact the vet. It soon became clear that due to an increase in work load since we purchased her, during the past month she has radically changed. My physio was impressed with her muscle development and said it wasn’t unheard of for a horse to change so much in a month. Both hips were out, more so on the left, she was very sore in both sides of her shoulders and her poll was out. All in all she was very stiff and sore. He checked all the areas that would show signs of wastage or unusual muscle development due to anything more serious like ligament damage and he advised that there was nothing that shows that is the case. In fact, her muscles have 'matured' and she's looking in great condition...
On to the saddle… Well, as predicted it doesn't fit at all. From the drawings of her wither shape from a month ago she has changed loads! She has gone from being flat, round and kind of barrel shaped around the withers to her withers rising as the fat pockets have gone and her shoulders muscling up. I also asked the saddler if she thought there were any signs of her radical change being due to pain or injury but she too said there wasn't. She showed me where she usually sees muscle wastage or odd development and my girl was perfectly normal. As she's now XC training, dressaging or SJing most weekends and ridden 6 days a week, after a lifetime of being in and out of work she is developing. Also she's bum high, so growing at 7 and she's already 17hh!! She'll be like a dinosaur when she has finished!
Anyho, her old saddle even with the extra wide gullet is too small for her shoulders. So, she has refunded us and we exchanged for a Black Country...
She seems much happier already, she has gone back to overreaching on our hack yesterday and in the field... I will lightly hack her this week and she's at the vets for clipping on Friday so I have asked for him to have a look over her. However, for now the problem has been resolved both hinds are doing the same thing! I have booked my back guy to come out again after Christmas and will get her done bi-monthly until her development settles down...

Thanks again

 

[dianchi]

Great update!