Stifle locking?

[MeganMarie]

Hi,

I noticed today that my horse (he’s a 6yo warmblood) suddenly has what we’re pretty sure is a locking stifle on his left hind. We’ve texted our vet to ask his opinion. It has come on out of nowhere. We’re pretty sure he’s not lame in walk or trot. The times it “locks” are usually when he turns in walk or first steps off. It’s also bad when you pick his leg up (e.g to pick his feet out), he stretches it straight out and then snaps it up very sharply and you can hear an audible click. He won’t let you hold it up. He’s also reluctant to let you hold the right one up too, because it bares weight onto the left. We’ve lunged him both in walk & trot on soft ground and he seemed sound.
Anyone had an experiences? Will it just go away on its own?

Thanks

 

[ahml100]

My horse has locking stifle in both hind limbs, like you, we first noticed it when he was asked to move backwards (never been a problem in rein-back though, we think this was due to weakness as a youngster) or when we lifted up a hind limb. however, we have never had a problem within the gaits themselves or has he ever been reluctant to pick them up. What we have noticed that though they have not disappeared they have got less noticeable since becoming stronger, though if he time off they will then become more noticeable. He has also never been lame and passed every single flexion test thrown at him! My big tip would be to make sure to build up muscle in all the correct places plus, whenever you go to pick up a hind limb give him a little nudge to alert him-mine will then move his legs about if he is 'stuck' therefore, making it possible to pick them up. From a ridden point of view, they have not affected him in any way, he has just completed his 5th seasons hunting jumping all the hedges, jumped round newcomers with the aim to go fox and 2nd rounds next year and evented up to novice!

 

[ycbm]

It's unusual to start this at six, it's more often something that they are born with and grow out of with strength..

Mine has it. One leg now never does it, at eight, and the other very rarely but he is always weaker on that side.

If a horse suddenly started it at six, I would get stifle x rays. I got stifle x rays at four and they were fascinating. My horses stifles are both 'perfect' but they aren't the same, one is a slightly different shape.