Stressed out with lame horse

B

Bertie10

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Hi
Feeling a bit stressed.boughty horse in today & he was lame. Same thing happened 12 months ago. All of a sudden he went hopping lame- both fronts but much more predominant in the one.I had a full lameness work up done and x rays of his front feet. Luckily I have a great vet. Basically, he has poor foot conformation so he is putting too much weight on his heel and his pedal bone is tipped slightly (opposite way to lami). The x rays showed nothing else and the vet confirmed that the x rays weren't that bad& I remedial farrier work could improve things& therefore keep him sound.
All has been great for the last year. I don't jump him - just dressage& on a really good surface.
But of course he is suddenly lame again.Its exactly the same symptoms as last time. The only thing I can think that may have triggered it is the hard ground we have been having. Its been like concrete here.
I'm gutted seeing him lame again and feeling really stressed as I have been really careful with him. I couldnt get hold of the farrier so will try the farrier again first thing in the morning. Last time I was told to box rest him& start the remedial shoeing (x rays sent to farrier& he has wedges & heart bar shoes). Vet said to box rest him (symptoms exactly same as last time) and if still concerned in a day or two then a vet visit.

Just wondered if anyone has any advice please?
Thanks
B x
 
I'm sure someone else on here had a horse with similar pedal bone issue. I'll bump your thread up in the hope that someone knowledgeable sees it and can help. You could also post it in the Veterinary section of forum.
 
My horse had the same problem many years ago. X-rays showed the angle of pastern and the hoof wall was not in line, weight was on the back third of the hoof. My vet, without specifically blaming the farrier, subtly suggested I changed..... I did that and found a newly qualified farrier who wanted to meet with the vet and see the x-rays first. We moved to shoes without a toe clip on the front, and set up the shoe to take a little more off the toe, and give the heel extra support. Heart bar shoes were never mentioned, and the cost of this was exactly the same as standard shoes. The lack of toe clip meant the break-over point stayed a bit further back and the hoof naturally wore at the toe. That was 12 years ago.... I still have shoes without a toe clip, and horse has never had another problem.
Well, not related to his shoes/hooves anyway!! :rolleyes:
I'm not saying this is the same problem as yours, but worth having a quiet word with the vet?
 
Hi
Thanks so much both. His front shoes don't have the single toe clip either- he has heart bars with a double toe clip specially made for him& the wedges on the back. All has been going so well that I am gutted. No doubt in myond that it's the same issue causing him to be lame now.my husband says I am over reacting & worrying unnecessarily. I have the x rays so at least know there is nothing else wrong with his feet. I guess I will need to be even more vigilant next time we get such hard ground.
The vet& farrier worked really well together - vet sent the x rays to farrier & they spoke on the phone when the farrier came out.
Just feel a bit panicky so thanks so much for the replies.
B x
 
Sorry - re read post and wedges are on his fronts under his heels obviously! Sorry my post read a bit strangely! X
 
I had similar but unfortunately in my situation the unusual position of the pedal bone had put excessive strain on the collateral ligament causing damage. Hopefully this is not the case for your boy. It is likely it could be due to concussion as the ground has been extremely hard. It might be worth talking to your vet and farrier about gel pads. They are expensive but could be worthwhile in times like this when the ground is so hard.
 
Thanks marchtime! Oh god- I hope not.I know the vet did nerve blocks etc-would this eliminate ligament damage?he didn't think ligament damage was an issue. He did warn me that concussion on hard ground would be best avoided hence why I decided not to jump anymore. My husband suggested pads as well- I will def ask the farrier If he can get gel pads put on - great idea. Thank you x
 
Sorry didn't mean to stress you, I'm sure with your boy this isn't the case and it is the hard ground as this is far more likely. The collateral ligaments are within the hoof so if a nerve block determined the pain was in this area then ligament damage isn't ruled out. However, considering your horse came sound last time and stayed sound for so long indicates it's unlikely.
I'd definitely give the gel pads a try, they are a real expense but I found we only needed them for up to six shoeings a year whilst the ground was so hard. Just beware that they don't tend to last more than six weeks so if you horse normally goes longer than this between farrier visits you might want to adjust :)
 
Thanks! He is shod bang on every 6 weeks& couldn't give 2 hoots about how much the pads cost so I will ask If they can be put on - thank you.
The vet said that the x rays werent that bad and that there was only a very slight rotation so fingers crossed its just the hard ground? I'm just feeling a bit bad that maybe I wasnt vigilant enough or something.he did a dressage comp on sun & was fine, was only schooled on the ménage & 1 hack just in walk so maybe he was being a loon in the field on the hard ground??
Thanks so much- ringing the farrier in the morn & ask about getting the gel pads fitted asap. X x
 
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