Toe dragging/snatching legs/unhappy... first port of call a back lady?

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EquestrianFairy

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... or a vet?

Toe drags and has started snatching his back feet up when being picked out aswell.

Also had a back lady out about 3 months ago who mentioned a slightly rotated pelvis and was walking short on one side (which was presumably corrected) but has had a badly fitting saddle in the meantime (not me!) and has recently started toe dragging (never did before saddle TO MY KNOWLEDGE!)
Also has a tendancy to nip when being saddled/girthed up.

Also, has no back shoes on (im arranging a farrier) and has started much harder work than hes used to.

Help!

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Edited to add: no lameness and happily jumps and is forward going as normal (although is naturally lazy)
 
Myself - a lot of horses will toe drag if not ridden into the bridle and made to work correctly. My mare will clatter away until I gather her up and push her properly into the bridle and make her work, she is inherently lazy!

If I am sure that I am doing all I can then I question the shoeing balance and also get back seen to. Before I do this I work the horse on the lunge and in free hand to be uber sure it isn't me
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Vet

Poss hock or stifle, which might cause a secondary discomfort in the back. Treat the cause , not one of the symptons
 
Vet - sounds more like hock stiffness - much back pain is due to hindlimb lameness. Plus any 'back person' should not be allowed, by law, to treat an animal without the vets consent.
 
Hock stiffness?! Seriously, badly fitting saddle, faces when being saddled - all points to the fact that the horse has muscular tension in his back. As I said before, look at yourself as a rider, then back person and the saddle before getting the vet out, unless you enjoy exploiting your insurance
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Still, I am trying to come to terms with the fact that vets are overused in this country, when a lot of things can be sorted out with common sense.
 
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- much back pain is due to hindlimb lameness. [/quote/]


no, i dont think you'll find that it is.......................
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Toe dragging can be a sign of spavin but also as mentioned many other things, including back pain. I have just had my horse treated by a mctimoney physio we use a lot and, after seeing him trot up he said he was swinging one of his hind legs out as opposed to straight forwards. Mine has also been dragging his hind leg a bit.

He turned out to be very tight and sore just down one side of his body. I am hoping now he will be feeling less tense and am doing some exercises to help supple him up. I think he is just suffering a little more these days as he's getting older really. I wouldn't generally go to my vet first, he is generally my last resort to be honest but then you know your horse I guess. If you feel it's 'not quite right' in it's movement then get a back person (ask you vet if they are happy for you to do this - most vets don't mind and I don't think nowadays there's such a problem with getting a physio before a vet to be honest). Generally a decent back person will tell you if they can't find anything wrong and then, if you still don't feel your horse is right - then maybe get the vet!
 
I agree with Weezy - many horses drag their toes when being lazy. mine does it when not working properly and he has no problems with his back!!

but i agree that the faces he pulls and nips would make me think bad fitting saddle and a sore back, and i would get a back person out - they are a "specialist" whilst a vet is like a GP!!

would always get back person out as vet will probably say give a few days off and see how he is then. (in my experience)
 
Without any other symptoms, I would look first at hocks for dragging toe as well as it can be one of the signs of changes in the hock joint.

Having said that, if you horse has had a badly fitting saddle, you might as well get the back person out anyway because that will almost certainly have given him some discomfort in his back. Once that is sorted, if the toe dragging continues, then perhaps look closely at the hock joint.

Can you do basic flexion tests?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hock stiffness?! Seriously, badly fitting saddle, faces when being saddled - all points to the fact that the horse has muscular tension in his back. As I said before, look at yourself as a rider, then back person and the saddle before getting the vet out, unless you enjoy exploiting your insurance
wink.gif


Still, I am trying to come to terms with the fact that vets are overused in this country, when a lot of things can be sorted out with common sense.

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Agree with everything Weezy has said. If he's nipping when tacking up then it suggests his back is sore, or his saddle doesn't fit and is making him sore. I would get saddler and physio out. Would also talk to your farrier.

My new boy is lazy and, like W said about her horse, if left to his own devices will drag himself around. Case in point today...thoroughly lazy, even jumping and kept leaving a back leg behind and having fences down. Nothing wrong with him, he was just plain lazy today and I wasn't riding brilliantly. So...would also suggest getting some lessons to make sure you are riding correctly.

Having said all that...my old loan horse had artritis (sp) in her hocks and was v stiff. She used to drag her toes (farrier changed her to Natural Balance shoes and that really helped) but again, really only when she wasn't being worked correctly.
 
Any decent vet will be able to look at the horse as a whole, not just back/feet etc! If there is a saddle issue then get the saddler out first before physio/chiro otherwise you won't solve the problem.
Many problems are related which is why a vet is a good port of call- they can look at everything and the horse as a whole- not just a 'specialists' (back etc) area!! And if you have hock problems they can cause an inbalance in the way the horse moves and result in a back problem - you could get the back fixed but without fixing the leg you are papering over the cracks not mending them!
And it is still illegal for any paraprofessional (ie not vet) to examine an animal without a vets permission!
 
I'm another fan of McTimoney chiro's, have just had mine out to my new horse who had a badly fitting saddle thus he was pulling awful faces when girthing up and trying to bite me, he was also very tight over his back. Have a feel over your horse's back and see if the muscle is tight either side of his spine, that could give you an indication.

A McTimoney chiro will also pick up on any other areas of pain or compensation for area's of pain.

Good luck.
 
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