What do you do if you think riding may harm your horse?

[Arizahn]

Not as numpty a question as it sounds; Hippo has a lump on her right side just under where her saddle sits. It was there when I bought her - the vet assured me then that it was an insect bite that had gotten rubbed. As her old owner had already pointed it out and said that it was due to being rubbed by a non slip numnah, I believed my vet's diagnosis.

That was at the start of November last year. It is still there. I got my vet to check it again last week when Hippo was getting her jabs and she said the same thing as before. As Hippo was unwell after her jabs - very stiff and sore - I decided not to ride her until she was back to normal. By Friday I thought she was back to normal. Decided to ride the following day. But then when rugging her up for the night (she has been feeling the cold), I noticed her lump looked swollen.

Saturday, part of it came off and it was oozing/bleeding. We cleaned it up carefully with a soft cloth, and put antiseptic cream on it...well, OH did. Hippo will let him do anything. Usually I can brush round lump but it was obviously sore to touch.

So by yesterday (Sunday) it had dried again and was starting to seal over. It's going back to how it looked in November

Now, we are understandably worried. We are going to ask for a second opinion and if need be the lump will be removed. Hippo will be treated for whatever this is, no matter what.

But my quandary is should I ride her in the meantime? She has never shown any issues with the saddle before. The lump does not swell up or ooze/bleed after being ridden. I also asked the saddler if he thought there was any chance it could rub and he felt that the saddle wasn't pressing/rubbing it. Also using a thick saddle cloth, btw.

I am just worried in case this lump is actually hurting her and she isn't showing it. I really want to ride, but I don't want to cause Hippo pain. And on top of this, her hind legs are making terrible clicking noises whenever she moves. It isn't all the time, but we lunged her twice over the weekend in the sand school and she did not want to go faster than a very slow trot. This is not like her - normally she will fly round at a fast trot, and also enjoy canter. Anyway, she went up into a slow trot and when she came back down into walk we could both hear her joints clicking. Not pleasant at all.

So basically, I'm worried sick, looking for a different vet, and just really needed to rant about it all! Jaffa cakes if you bothered reading all this. Anyone in Northern Ireland want to suggest a vet or physio, please feel free. Opinions and advice very much welcome. From the feedback in the Veterinary thread, the lump looks like a melanoma or possibly a sarcoid.

Life sucks

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Is it hard and fixed or does it move under the skin? I thought my horse had a fly bite which was actually a sarcoid, easily resolved with Liverpool cream. Dont panic, if it is something like that, it can be fixed and it might be a something as simple as a cyst brought on by a fly bite. I would get a second opinion and not worsen it by rubbing with tack.

As for the clicking, defo talk to the vet as this could be making her uncmfortable and would concern me more than the lump, tbh.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I would certainly think you need an equine specialist vet, sounds like your original vet is not going to investigate for you.
Is is possible to poultice to draw out the stuff, personally I would swab twice a day with salt water [sterile because you pour boiling water into the salt], then swab with cotton wool. I would try to leave a sterile Animalintex [boiling water again] in place with duck tape if possible.
Sounds as though she needs a few days off anyway, I am sure she would object to saddling if in pain.
PS is she grey?

 

[Arizahn]

It's a smooth black mound like a polished scab when it is sealed over fully. To me it looks like it is on the top of the skin...but she has black skin of course, but it looks like a rally nasty scab. That's how I describe it. Vet had a good feel - Hippo was jumping about like mad when she did this - and said it wasn't attached to anything inside. So apparently it's near the surface...

Thanks, by the way.

 

[Littlelegs]

Just had a quick scan of your thread in vets. First guess is that it's a melanoma, that has grown & due to it's position has been rubbed by saddle, rugs etc, hence the oozing. I'd definitely be getting another vet to look & see if it can be removed. In the meantime, I wouldn't ride. Either give her some time off or do some groundwork whilst waiting for second opinion. Will also be easier for vet to diagnose if there's no possibility it's aggravated by recent riding.

 

[Arizahn]

Miss L Toe - I will definitely get a different vet to check her and ask them about poulticing, etc.

 

[Arizahn]

Just had a quick scan of your thread in vets. First guess is that it's a melanoma, that has grown & due to it's position has been rubbed by saddle, rugs etc, hence the oozing. I'd definitely be getting another vet to look & see if it can be removed. In the meantime, I wouldn't ride. Either give her some time off or do some groundwork whilst waiting for second opinion. Will also be easier for vet to diagnose if there's no possibility it's aggravated by recent riding.

Lots of groundwork then. I will take her for a picnic in one of the riding fields...she can graze in hand and I can eat a sandwich. She'll like that. OH is going to try lunging her again too.

She's only just coming back into work and is starting to shape up into a lovely horse, so I'm reluctant to toss her out the field to do absolutely nothing

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'd get a 2nd opinion about the lump. As Ct said, it is quite possible that the lump is a cyst from a fly-bite. In fact without seeing it, that sounds more likely to me than than a sarcoid. I wouldn't ride her until the vet has seen her. If you want to spend some time with her, how about going for an in-hand walk?
i wouldn't worry about the clicking either. That sounds like a clicking patella, which is usually of no consequence. My guess is that she is feeling out of sorts after the jabs, so doesn't want to work very much. Again, taking her out and about might cheer her up.

I wouldn't put anything on the lump until you know what it is - antiseptic creams can actually harbour bacteria. If it is oozes again, stick to washing with boiled, cooled salt water. vet always told me 1 tsp to 1 pt water.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Maybe try long reining. Lunging is hard work on joints if she's clicking.

 

[Marydoll]

Miss L Toe - I will definitely get a different vet to check her and ask them about poulticing, etc.

Please dont do anything with it, other than cleansing with saline until an equine specialist vet has seen it, they may want to biopsy it as it does sound like a melanoma.

 

[asommerville]

Sounds like the sarcoid my wee arab had, his was black as well

 

[Arizahn]

Okay, we will not be trying anything on the lump until seen by vet and we will work her in hand but not lunge. Didn't know that about antiseptic cream, thank you! I'm off out to see her now so will update later.