AbA13
New User
Hi everyone,
This will be a long post as I want to give everyone a good picture of the situation.
I have a 6 year old Warmblood that had a stifle arthroscopy at the start of March as the vet found some bone chips in the stifle joint but I will start from when I think so problems started.
Until about May this year he always was a bit of a weedy and what seemed weak behind youngster. He was broken at 4 and then lightly ridden for 6 months and turned away for 10 months until early last year.
He then went to a professional rider for 2 months and after that I took over.
In about November last year he started being resistant when ridden which first started at canter transition and then he started resisting when going into trot. Once he did a couple of transitions he seemed fine.
I had the saddler out and a physio to look at the back and both said the saddle was hurting his back. Physio said he was right where the saddle sits and a bit light down his right hind but nothing drastic.
I then went and bought a new saddle which seemed was ok for about a month and then he started the behaviour again but it wasn’t each time he was ridden. Some days he was better and some was worse.
He started very very little jumps in January. Fast forward to March and one day when I took him on the hack he seemed very odd when he got excited and started trotting. Took him in the school and he was literally on 3 legs (right hind was lame).
I called the vets that was due to come out few days later. I put him on a lunge next day and he was very slightly off but nowhere near as bad as the day before.
When the vet came he said it was most likely the stifle as he also had slightly swelling. He went for X-rays and the vet found chips. We opted out for a surgery to remove the chips. After the surgery the vet advised that the chip have slightly damaged the joint but he left it alone as seemed stable enough. The prognosis was very good.
My horse then had 1 months box rest and he had Arti-Cell® Forte (stem cell) injected into the joint. After the month he started hand walking which was increased from 5 minutes to 30 minutes by middle of May. The vet then said to start walking under saddle and this was without another examination but the vet said to start trotting etc after couple of weeks. From the start of trot work he was a little behind the leg but we sent videos to the vet and he said looked fine and continue working. Two days before his visit for a check up he felt very bad during his first and second trot transition but third transition he seemed ok. We have all this info to the vet during the visit. The vet said he was sound and that his surgery went as well as it could have gone, basically text book perfect. My horse was given a steroid injection to help with the mild changes in the joint as the vet didn’t think he needed PRP. I was also advised that he might need the injections every 6-12 months but should need them more often.
After the steroids injections he has few days off, then couple of days walking under, saddle, then light trotting and after 10 days pretty much back to 30 mins under saddle with some trot and start of canter. He still was showing resistance going into trot but again this wasn’t every time you rode. Vet told me that if he has a few irregular steps it’s ok to continue as long as he isn’t lame for like 2 laps.
Last forward to few days ago I decided that I am not happy with the way he is. He seems on and off resistant and not happy. We filmed him being really bad at the start of the first trot then second transition and sent to the vet. Vet is now saying too lame to continue and come in for a check up.
I must say I’m really annoyed and a bit fed up. We told the vet in at the start of the riding work that he didn’t seem right but was told after check up that he was sound.
We did everything as asked by the vet and my horse was an Angel to deal with until ridden in trot. I pretty much feel like my boy is not much or any better to what he was like before the surgery.
So I wanted to ask if anyone else went through something similar? The initial resistance going to trot and being really lame few steps seems very bizzare to me. He seems much better after he has done two or so transition even if maybe he isn’t 100% he seems very slightly off.
Maybe he really needed a longer break before riding? I wasn’t aloud to turn him out at all until he was trotting and cantering under saddle and then it was still a very small pen for max 2 hours a day.
If there was anything else wrong with the stifle other than the chips like maybe tear of the meniscus wouldn’t this be picked up during the arthroscopy?
I’m also going to get another vet to look at him.
This will be a long post as I want to give everyone a good picture of the situation.
I have a 6 year old Warmblood that had a stifle arthroscopy at the start of March as the vet found some bone chips in the stifle joint but I will start from when I think so problems started.
Until about May this year he always was a bit of a weedy and what seemed weak behind youngster. He was broken at 4 and then lightly ridden for 6 months and turned away for 10 months until early last year.
He then went to a professional rider for 2 months and after that I took over.
In about November last year he started being resistant when ridden which first started at canter transition and then he started resisting when going into trot. Once he did a couple of transitions he seemed fine.
I had the saddler out and a physio to look at the back and both said the saddle was hurting his back. Physio said he was right where the saddle sits and a bit light down his right hind but nothing drastic.
I then went and bought a new saddle which seemed was ok for about a month and then he started the behaviour again but it wasn’t each time he was ridden. Some days he was better and some was worse.
He started very very little jumps in January. Fast forward to March and one day when I took him on the hack he seemed very odd when he got excited and started trotting. Took him in the school and he was literally on 3 legs (right hind was lame).
I called the vets that was due to come out few days later. I put him on a lunge next day and he was very slightly off but nowhere near as bad as the day before.
When the vet came he said it was most likely the stifle as he also had slightly swelling. He went for X-rays and the vet found chips. We opted out for a surgery to remove the chips. After the surgery the vet advised that the chip have slightly damaged the joint but he left it alone as seemed stable enough. The prognosis was very good.
My horse then had 1 months box rest and he had Arti-Cell® Forte (stem cell) injected into the joint. After the month he started hand walking which was increased from 5 minutes to 30 minutes by middle of May. The vet then said to start walking under saddle and this was without another examination but the vet said to start trotting etc after couple of weeks. From the start of trot work he was a little behind the leg but we sent videos to the vet and he said looked fine and continue working. Two days before his visit for a check up he felt very bad during his first and second trot transition but third transition he seemed ok. We have all this info to the vet during the visit. The vet said he was sound and that his surgery went as well as it could have gone, basically text book perfect. My horse was given a steroid injection to help with the mild changes in the joint as the vet didn’t think he needed PRP. I was also advised that he might need the injections every 6-12 months but should need them more often.
After the steroids injections he has few days off, then couple of days walking under, saddle, then light trotting and after 10 days pretty much back to 30 mins under saddle with some trot and start of canter. He still was showing resistance going into trot but again this wasn’t every time you rode. Vet told me that if he has a few irregular steps it’s ok to continue as long as he isn’t lame for like 2 laps.
Last forward to few days ago I decided that I am not happy with the way he is. He seems on and off resistant and not happy. We filmed him being really bad at the start of the first trot then second transition and sent to the vet. Vet is now saying too lame to continue and come in for a check up.
I must say I’m really annoyed and a bit fed up. We told the vet in at the start of the riding work that he didn’t seem right but was told after check up that he was sound.
We did everything as asked by the vet and my horse was an Angel to deal with until ridden in trot. I pretty much feel like my boy is not much or any better to what he was like before the surgery.
So I wanted to ask if anyone else went through something similar? The initial resistance going to trot and being really lame few steps seems very bizzare to me. He seems much better after he has done two or so transition even if maybe he isn’t 100% he seems very slightly off.
Maybe he really needed a longer break before riding? I wasn’t aloud to turn him out at all until he was trotting and cantering under saddle and then it was still a very small pen for max 2 hours a day.
If there was anything else wrong with the stifle other than the chips like maybe tear of the meniscus wouldn’t this be picked up during the arthroscopy?
I’m also going to get another vet to look at him.
I’m only going to try to pop him in trot each day and see how he is with the transition.