Strange stance when resting - hopefully pics!

[Marnie]

My mare is an irish cob and we hack and do pleasure rides. I have noticed that she has been pointing one front foot a lot. She has a lip in her stable doorway, and she lifts up her foreleg and places her offside foot over the lip, often with the heel lightly resting on the lip. Her knee is often bent while she is doing this. She only does this with her off fore. She has always done it a bit, but I have really noticed it this last 2 weeks.

The last couple of times that I have ridden her, she has felt very tight in front for the first mile or so, not lame, just tight. I have tried her in both her Albion 'normal' saddle and her barefoot treeless. She loosens up more quickly in the treeless. She is a bit nappy at first (tucking behind the lead horse and will not pull up alongside or go past) and has trouble keeping up with the ride (very unusual for her).

So question is, what do I do? Having had a navicular horse, that has been my first thought although I am not sure that she is the typical type. If she does have any changes, I would like to try and do something sooner rather than later but as she isn't lame (on the straight anyway) I am not sure that it would be possible to come to any conclusion.

Has anyone any thoughts? Sorry this got so long, congratulations if you made it this far!

BTW, please forgive the one hairy leg, she badly injured the YO who was clipping her as the third leg was being completed, so her off fore never did get clipped.

 

[RachelB]

We had a horse at our yard that used to slightly point a foreleg when resting, but she didn't (and doesn't) have navicular. It may just be that she feels comfortable stood like that, especially with the lip of the stable (just like we cross one leg or the other when we sit down) but I would be slightly concerned if it was always one leg... Can you not discuss it with your vet?
ETA: my horse was hopping lame last week with a badly bruised heel, she wasn;t pointing but she wasn't putting any weight on her heel. Any chance it could be something similar? Is she sound, no heat/swelling?

 

[Patches]

Does she lunge sound in front on a circle?

 

[Tia]

Pointing does generally mean that something is wrong and that the horse is in pain either from laminitis, navicular, abcess or just some mild trauma to the foot or leg.

If she was mine, I would have a good old look around her leg and foot, perhaps have the farrier or vet check her feet ..... but it may just be a habit she has got into with this stable?? Does she do it when she is out of the stable and on level ground?

 

[Marnie]

I will discuss it with my vets, but they think I am paranoid anyway

I just wanted some opinions to see if I was being paranoid before I did!

Thank you!

 

[Marnie]

She looks ok in our sand school, but I have to be honest, I have only lunged her on a large circle. I haven't really got anywhere more firm to try her.

 

[Patches]

Patches never used to point a foot like that but she always tripped alot, despite having rolled toe shoes.

I took her for a routine check up regarding surgery she'd had and they lunged her on a circle to see if she was sound. My God she was dog lame! I was horrified! She had x-rays and they simply showed that her foot was incredibly out of balance. She was then shod with more heel support, exaggerated rolling of the toe and toes cutting shorter. It transformed her. She was lunged for the vet last Friday and she's totally sound in front now and the tripping has disappeared!

It could be something that simple. My vet's thought Navicular when they saw how she moved, but it wasn't. She does have very slight low ringbone, which is non-articular so this wasn't felt to be a contributing factor.

 

[Marnie]

I can't see anything obvious with her foot or leg, but with all that hair it is quite difficult to see!!! I haven't seen her doing it anywhere else, when I see her in the field she is always grazing, and she is either in her stable or the field!

She is due to be shod next week so I will ask the farrier to take a look. I think I will also call my vet for a chat.

 

[Marnie]

Thank you for those ideas. Her feet are not brilliant, she was not shod when I bought her (I found out why, she was a nightmare to shoe at first!), and her feet are very flat. She is shod in wide webbed shoes, mainly because I felt with her size they would distribute her weight better - and the farrier agreed. She is very good on her feet, for a large mare she is surprisingly agile. However, thinking back she has 'dropped' her leg a couple of times recently, so shoeing is something obvious I should look at - I should really have thought that before!

 

[Louby]

My mare from years ago did this but she alternated her front legs and I never really thought much of it. Someone asked if she had Navicular which I dismissed at first but she became pottery on corners (in the show ring), tripped and became nappy, mini rears etc so she was xrayed and she had Navicular.
I'd have him checked out to put your mind at rest as you will always be wondering.
I hope hes ok.

 

[clipertyplop]

perhaps shes just trying to tell you that you didnt clip that leg lol sorry im not much help

 

[joanne1920]

hiya you could always get a chiropractor or physio out to have a look? a horse at our yard has had muscles out on his sides ... might be worth considering ?

 

[Stinkbomb]

Simon had navicular and pointing his toe was the first sign i had. Dont mean to worry you but just thought id share my experience.

 

[Llwyncwn]

Have you checked the digital pulse on that foot and compared it to the other three ?

 

[Kezza]

I thought my pony was doing this recently after someone made a comment about him being overbent at the knee (he wasn't he was just standing on a huge shavings bed awkwardly) and then 2 days later I pulled a small twig out of his frog and it made me paranoid. I got my farrier to make a special trip to see him and he said in so many words (but put it nicely) that I was mental and that there's nothing wrong with my boy and that he wasn't pointing a toe, one foot was an inch in front of the other at rest. He was no different to ride and completely sound but I was terrified about navicular. I've been keeping an eye on him and he's not doing it now so maybe it was the twig?... I think unless your horse goes lame, try not to worry about it too much but if you really are concerned, get your vet and/or farrier out x

 

[chunk]

this could due be due to straining in the mud or general tirednes if i were you id give her a week out of work and check then =)