Those with an eye for detail can you look at my horse's behind please?

Nickles1973

Nickles1973

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Bit of a strange request I know. But, my horse has various soundness issues and under instruction from my vet and chiro I have been working on building his muscles up over his back and hind legs. It has only been about 4 weeks and we are long reining and lunging large around the arena alternating between using a bungee or a pessoa type thingy! I am also hacking a couple of times a week to keep him (and me) sane.
I don't have any before photos (stupidly) but I am more interested in if it looks as though he is even over both sides? I am so indecisive I look and think yes all looks even, and then I look again and think no he looks better on the left.
So what do you think?
IMG-20121018-00411.jpg


And a side on photo
Fenland-20121018-00410.jpg
 
Looks pretty even to me, but it's hard to tell these sort of things from a photograph. What are the soundness problems exactly? Just on a conformation note, he has an incredibly straight hind leg, hardly any angle at all - could that be part of the problem (am assuming it's a hind end problem).
 
You can't tell accurately by looking - sorry to say. Your horse isn't standing squarely in the first pic either. I had a physiotherapist take accurate measurements of muscles both sides of my horse - they are skilled at doing this and mine had some alarming differences due to a long standing injury. Maybe your chiro could take measurements? You could also try some good old fashioned strapping after a work out - my horses love it.
Lovely horse btw :)
 
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He looks slightly more muscled on the left hand side to me. Beautiful horse despite a few conformational faults. He is rather straight through his hocks and down hill. This can cause hock problems and stresses and strains in the back. Lovely condition though!
 
Looks even to me too - and agree about his hocks.

Personally, and because of his hocks, I would do more ridden work, than lunging with gadgets.

Worked properly then his muscles should improve nicely. Hill work is your friend.

What have been his soundness issues?
 
This is a view I spend a lot of time looking at, and I would say your horse is the opposite of mine, in that I can see a slope, with the right hand side being a little lower than the left, and the left side muscles being a little more developed.

Barely there,though, so could just be the funny angle on his right hind foot the way he's standing.

Hills help us best of anything, I find :)
 
Agree with cortez. Also, although I'm no barefoot expert his feet look quite short for an unshod horse. (but I could be completely off the mark so no offense if that's what works for him).
 
The right hand side looks slightly lower, but he is not standing square (the right leg being further out than the left) so it's difficult to tell exactly.

Nice boy, though!
 
Thank's for all the replies. He has a dire combination of bilateral psd, confirmed minor arthritic changes to the n/s fetlock and pastern and an S/I issue rumbling on.
I agree that his hocks are straight, though I think the picture does make them look a little worse than they actually are. His hock and stifle x-rays were clear though so that's a positive.
I am only lunging in straight lines around the arena, no circles (unless he hoolies off on one) And our equivalent of hills has to be raised poles as we live in possibly the flattest part of the UK. (Cambridgeshire fens, speed bumps in the road are our hills lol)
His feet are literally 6 weeks out of shoes so they are as they are. Nail holes have pretty much broken off and we are awaiting the new growth from the coronet to reach the ground.
 
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