stiffness/almost lame

Amyjayne

Amyjayne

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I have recently been trialing a gorgeous 15hh 12 yr old connemara mare as the owner before didnt bother with her and wanted her sold. She is on trial to me till they come in for winter shes an absolute dream(never loved a mare so much) however the first day i started the trial she had horrendous overgrown feet which had not been trimmed for around 7 months :'( poor princess ,so i quickly got on to my farrier and had them trimmed asap i noticed she was very stiff before she was trimmed and after she was trimmed almost that she was lame however many people told me to carry on working her to try get the stiffness to budge.She is very foot sore on the roads so im now getting shoes on her its been 2 weeks since she was trimmed but the stiffness isn't really budging no matter how many days i work her. before i started trialing her she wasn't ridden for 7 months so baring in mind this could have something to do with it . what do you guys think about the stiffness will it go or could it be some mild arthritis?
 
Stiffness of an unknown origin may not budge however much you try, she has been neglected to some extent, is probably very unfit and now footsore, you need to be very careful about bringing her back into work, I think having her checked by a vet before you get in any deeper would be the best thing to do, it may be that there is nothing wrong but it sounds to me as if there is more going on than just an unfit pony that requires shoeing and exercise.
Once you know what you are dealing with you can decide whether or not to continue, if she has arthritic changes to her joints it may be possible to treat it, being footsore may require more than putting shoes on, it could be low grade laminitis and shoeing so you can ride is not a good idea, she may be the most wonderful pony but she could also prove to be a very expensive pet that you cannot ride, no one can diagnose on the forum only offer advice and mine is to get the vet sooner rather than later.
 
Thank you guys, ive not gone and bought her yet do to this. i will get a vet check before i carry on with her :) really appreciate your advise
 
Agree with the above, if the feet have been left to get very long it can cause all types of problems in the hooves and higher up the leg, so a vet first and no riding until you know what the problem is.
 
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