Slipping stifle

[Oswald1975]

Hi,
My boy has some arthritic issues but most recently signs of a slipping stifle . He has had a year off after a suspensions injury but is now sound enough to start short hacks. The vet has told me to carry on riding as the exercise is good for the stifle . However , he is doing strange things with the leg when stood still . Can anyone who has experience with a horse with a slipping stifle tell me the signs that their horse have them that the stifle was a problem .

Thanks

 

[dixie]

I have just started going through this with my boy but he's still young so am hoping it's growing issues. He doesn't do anything unusual when just standing though - what is yours doing?

 

[Oswald1975]

He on occasion stands with it slightly out to the side and at times fidgets with the leg trying to get it into a comfortable position . It’s almost like he is trying to lock the stifle in so he can rest the other leg .

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Mine went through something with his stifle when he was young, and it ended up being growing issues. So if it is a young horse, then it wouldn't concern me so much. The vets at the time said to keep him moving and the quad muscle strong to help stabilise the joint.

I noticed this because he was dragging his leg in the field and had difficulty unlocking the joint at times. Looked bad, but he didn't seem concerned and it seemingly stopped as sudden as it came on.

 

[nutjob]

Mine had a locking patella, he always looked perfectly normal when standing. It was only when he moved off or you tried to pick up a foot that the leg was visibly locked straight and you could see him straining to move it. It looks a bit like the hock is locked as well even though it isn't. It snapped up when it did free off.