kickonchaps
Well-Known Member
After a bit of advice/reassurance here really... I've posted more about this horse in CR and had some great advice which I'm definitely taking on board, but hoping for fresh eyes/perspective/whatever...
He's a 15yo TB, had been eventing on and off for quite a few years now but never above BE100. This year his SJ fell to pieces (as in 5 down on several outings) so we took a break, found an incredible new instructor who got him jumping beautifully, and assumed the problem was me, not him. Last time out he had 4 down, despite jumping a much sharper, neater round, and then clocked 2 stops very quickly on the XC, which would have been more had I not had my determined boots on. Either way, I retired him halfway and decided, with the combination of rubbish SJ and the fact he's not felt himself on the last couple of XCs, and the fact that I'm about to b***r off for 6 weeks to train as a teacher, to retire him from BE as his legs didn't seem up to it.
After his second to last run back in April all 4 legs popped up windgalls and started filling in the stable, but going down overnight and with exercise. He's stabled 8.30am - 4.30pm and out the rest of the time. He's always been a stiff horse and (like his mother!) prone to creaking out of bed like a cripple but getting over it with work.
However, I've recently noticed that while he's not lame per se, he takes shorter strides with his off fore than his near fore. (which I guess you would call 1/10 lame? I mean he's not limping...meh, hopefully you get it!) He's also stiffened up a little through his off hind - a couple of times this year he's been lame on it for one stride, coming out of canter, but recovered with a few days' rest so I presumed it was a knock. My RC said he was stiff on it in our last lesson as we were warming up, but he worked through it.
Today he came in from the field with all 4 legs quite puffy (not normal), and fluid in the off fore pastern (also not normal). Not much change when I got back from work, so I decided to lunge him in a headcollar and see what's what. I'm convinced he's not quite right on that off fore, but I can talk myself in or out of it, and when I called over a 2nd pair of eyes, they weren't certain either way so stayed firmly on the fence
Checking his pasterns I was convinced I could feel a slight pulse, but I was pressing so hard looking for it I could feel the pulse in my own fingers too, so I don't really trust my assessment there... He's not really overweight, slightly more of a tummy than I'd like but he's been eventing fit all year until the last couple of weeks, so no crest, well muscled, extremely low sugar diet. The fluid was still there after work, but reduced slightly.
My original plan was to cut his work down to light hacking and schooling, and reasses in 6 weeks when I'm back, but after today I'm convinced there's something bad happening and I need to get the vet out. It's not even a noticeable lameness, and because he's naturally such a lazy g*t he can make himself look lame just by not bothering to pick his own feet up or track up properly
but usually if I chase him with the lunge whip he wakes up and looks sound and lovely. I don't want the vet to think I'm the crazy lady who calls him out because of a bad feeling, I'm not even sure what I want from the vet... I lost a horse a few years ago to an injury that the vets told me didn't exist, even with scanning - it was only when it broke down we knew it was there - so I don't even know if I'd trust him if he said my horse was fine 
The other thing worth mentioning is that this horse will let me know loud and clear if he's not happy - at the start of the year when fittening up, he would nap like nobody's business because of the slightest tweak in his back - and yet the only sign so far has been the sloppy SJ and the 2 bad days XC. If he was in pain, knowing him as I do I'd expect him to refuse to leave the start box at all, and he certainly wouldn't tolerate the intense schooling sessions we've been having to sort the SJ.
I'm not sure what I'm really expecting after that essay... do we think vet this week before I go, or reassess in 6 weeks? Any ideas as to what it could be? My hunch was initially something joint-related like arthritis, but not sure how that would link to filled legs? Has anyone had a horse that just didn't seem right, even though they couldn't say for sure?! Is it normal for some horses to take different sized steps if they're the type that like to be wonky anyway? Ideas on a postcard!! Thanks for reading
He's a 15yo TB, had been eventing on and off for quite a few years now but never above BE100. This year his SJ fell to pieces (as in 5 down on several outings) so we took a break, found an incredible new instructor who got him jumping beautifully, and assumed the problem was me, not him. Last time out he had 4 down, despite jumping a much sharper, neater round, and then clocked 2 stops very quickly on the XC, which would have been more had I not had my determined boots on. Either way, I retired him halfway and decided, with the combination of rubbish SJ and the fact he's not felt himself on the last couple of XCs, and the fact that I'm about to b***r off for 6 weeks to train as a teacher, to retire him from BE as his legs didn't seem up to it.
After his second to last run back in April all 4 legs popped up windgalls and started filling in the stable, but going down overnight and with exercise. He's stabled 8.30am - 4.30pm and out the rest of the time. He's always been a stiff horse and (like his mother!) prone to creaking out of bed like a cripple but getting over it with work.
However, I've recently noticed that while he's not lame per se, he takes shorter strides with his off fore than his near fore. (which I guess you would call 1/10 lame? I mean he's not limping...meh, hopefully you get it!) He's also stiffened up a little through his off hind - a couple of times this year he's been lame on it for one stride, coming out of canter, but recovered with a few days' rest so I presumed it was a knock. My RC said he was stiff on it in our last lesson as we were warming up, but he worked through it.
Today he came in from the field with all 4 legs quite puffy (not normal), and fluid in the off fore pastern (also not normal). Not much change when I got back from work, so I decided to lunge him in a headcollar and see what's what. I'm convinced he's not quite right on that off fore, but I can talk myself in or out of it, and when I called over a 2nd pair of eyes, they weren't certain either way so stayed firmly on the fence
Checking his pasterns I was convinced I could feel a slight pulse, but I was pressing so hard looking for it I could feel the pulse in my own fingers too, so I don't really trust my assessment there... He's not really overweight, slightly more of a tummy than I'd like but he's been eventing fit all year until the last couple of weeks, so no crest, well muscled, extremely low sugar diet. The fluid was still there after work, but reduced slightly.
My original plan was to cut his work down to light hacking and schooling, and reasses in 6 weeks when I'm back, but after today I'm convinced there's something bad happening and I need to get the vet out. It's not even a noticeable lameness, and because he's naturally such a lazy g*t he can make himself look lame just by not bothering to pick his own feet up or track up properly
but usually if I chase him with the lunge whip he wakes up and looks sound and lovely. I don't want the vet to think I'm the crazy lady who calls him out because of a bad feeling, I'm not even sure what I want from the vet... I lost a horse a few years ago to an injury that the vets told me didn't exist, even with scanning - it was only when it broke down we knew it was there - so I don't even know if I'd trust him if he said my horse was fine The other thing worth mentioning is that this horse will let me know loud and clear if he's not happy - at the start of the year when fittening up, he would nap like nobody's business because of the slightest tweak in his back - and yet the only sign so far has been the sloppy SJ and the 2 bad days XC. If he was in pain, knowing him as I do I'd expect him to refuse to leave the start box at all, and he certainly wouldn't tolerate the intense schooling sessions we've been having to sort the SJ.
I'm not sure what I'm really expecting after that essay... do we think vet this week before I go, or reassess in 6 weeks? Any ideas as to what it could be? My hunch was initially something joint-related like arthritis, but not sure how that would link to filled legs? Has anyone had a horse that just didn't seem right, even though they couldn't say for sure?! Is it normal for some horses to take different sized steps if they're the type that like to be wonky anyway? Ideas on a postcard!! Thanks for reading
