Shoulder or something else...

[AshTay]

I'll be getting the vet out but just wondering what others think about this....

My gelding was in work 5 days a week of riding or lunging (not more than 20 mins on lunge).

On Bank Holiday Monday I noticed he seemed slightly short in his outside (off) fore leg on the left rein on the lunge. He'd been hooning about so thought maybe he'd tweaked himself. Put him back out as it was only slight, no heat or swelling, and I thought he'd be better off moving around than stuck in stable and would bring in and keep in if still not right the next day.

Next day - same and then noticed he was a bit delicate on his near hind! So kept him in and the next day he was really bad - called vet: abscess in near hind!
(Vet also looked at foreleg and couldn't find anything but obviously hard to really look when he was on 3 legs with the abscess so we decided to sort the abscess first then worry about the other if it was still not right).

So he had a week in, then put him out as it was nice and dry. On saturday, the farrier checked the foot again and said it's fine no need to pack or wrap anymore.

So yesterday I lunged him again and he's still short on that rein on that leg but my friend also pointed out that he was also short behind (but only on that rein).

He is still a little footsore on the abscessed foot on stoney ground (totally fine on the flat).

So I'm wondering whether he had in fact tweaked his shoulder. Or whether he appears short in front on that leg and on that rein because he's still uncomfortable behind on the diagonally opposite foot....

What would be your thoughts? All much appreciated!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Difficult to say what the problem is however it may be a good idea to get someone in to check out his back & possibly do a bit of manipulation. It's easy for them to tweek their back in the field, yomping around, rolling etc & if there is a slight back problem it can show up in other things i.e. the issue are having with him being 'short'.

Good Luck.

 

[AmyMay]

I'd stop lunging him, pop him in the field and give him a break for 10 days. Bring him in, trot him up and if still lame call the vet.

Out of interest how many times a week is he lunged?

 

[AshTay]

He hasn't been lunged since Bank Holiday Monday other than a quick couple of circles yesterday to see how he was.
He was being lunged 5 times a week (this was on vet's advice to build up his muscles as he was quite weak and we had some problems last year which the vet thought might be dues to him having a weak back) either on grass or in school and not on small tight circles - I tend to lunge him on the track with me moving about quite a lot. Two of those times would be in his tack just to take the edge off him for 5 mins on each rein before I rode, twice would be in pessoa and the other would be just in bridle and we'd do some pole work.
I'm worrying now that it was too much?!

 

[AmyMay]

Yes, have to say I think that was excessive.

In that case, I'd be inclined to have a lameness work up done on him.

 

[mcnaughty]

I would say it was most likely the near hind still. To navigate the left circle the near hind has to come right up under the horse so would show up any pain far more than on a straight line. These simple abscesses are very sore and as we all know, can reduce a perfectly sound horse to a quivering wreck of agony.

I would give him a good week off in the field to allow any bruising to heal.

 

[AshTay]

Thanks, McNaughty - I was wondering that. I have seen him trot straight across his field and he's half welsh and did a big trot with his knees under his chin and he looked totally sound.
Do you think that the work I described was excessive?

 

[mcnaughty]

No - I don't think it is excessive but I think you need to give your boy a bit of a break as he is obviously feeling a bit tender ;-)

My old mare had a very nasty foot abscess and you would have thought she had broken her leg the way she behaved. She was shaking with the pain, sweating, staring coat, not eating and hopping on 3 legs.

 

[AshTay]

No - I don't think it is excessive but I think you need to give your boy a bit of a break as he is obviously feeling a bit tender ;-)

My old mare had a very nasty foot abscess and you would have thought she had broken her leg the way she behaved. She was shaking with the pain, sweating, staring coat, not eating and hopping on 3 legs.

Don't worry - if he's not 100%, he won't be doing any work. A soon as I spotted the problem on BHM I stopped and he was only lunged briefly yesterday to see if he was ok (he wasn't, so stopped) as he'd had 6 day's boxrest and then 5 days out in the field and was looking fine in the field and when being brought in and out and trotted up straight on the flat.