Stretching back leg out?

J

Jim bob

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I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone's horses. My horse is currently off work due to possible Inflammatory bowel disease. I have noticed in the last.. 2 months or so . I would say he has done this a couple of times during the 2 months. In which he will be standing still for a short period of time, once it was in the field and he was just stood still. Another time he had been tied up on the yard for a short time, 15-20 mins of so. He will stretch out one of his back legs, either after a few strides of walking, or just before he starts to walk off. He has also done this once or twice when I have gone up later on at night just to check on him and I have ended up picking his feet out. He has done it then. He doesn't appear in pain or anything just stretching and its only happened a handful of times in the last few months or so. Is this anything to worry about? Does my vet need to have a look at him?
 
Could be something going on in his stifles or it could just be he is stretching. A couple of mine are "stretchers", nothing sinister, just as we might if we had been sat down for a bit iykwim.
 
Because of where the gut is in a horse it can affect the right hind leg, so any assymetry may or may not be a sign of gut troubles. Also, they will sometimes stretch a leg to ease a bit of stiffness (or just 'cos they want to!!).
As your horse is being looked at for IBD then make a note of it, which leg and when it happens - worth letting the vet know, it may or may not help with diagnosis/treatment.
 
As he's not in work at the moment I expect he is a little stiff. My horse sometimes stretches out like a cat with his belly close the floor and his front legs right out, this is normally before I put a rug on in the morning prior to turn out.

Other times he has been known to stretch his back leg out, it always makes me laugh, it reminds me of the cat!
 
My boy hasn't been in work since the end of May. I will look up what you had all said. I am hoping its nothing and he is just stretching.
 
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