What would these "symptoms" point towards in your experience?

Well, as an update:

She is v.slightly shorter on that hind, confirmed by vet. However, not lame, dead even in footfalls etc, and agreed, is more of a common "weaker on one side" step. She is sound in flexion tests, and vet doesn't think it is PSD as this would get worse with work, not better. She said normally it would sound like a hock problem, but again, wouldn't expect this to get better with work, and can see or feel nothing to suggest any hock issues. She thinks it is more likely a muscular or "mechanical" weakness, as opposed to a pain related lameness, so marebag is on bute for a week and regular work to see if that makes a difference and to see if that is the case. If she improves, she will be going for a full lameness work up.

The only other thing I could think when she had gone was that she regularly stands in the stable when in season and bangs the offending leg's hip on the stable wall.... she was also horrible in the school on wednesday night (when I decided to get vet out) and came into season on the thurs... and started banging her hip again then. I am going to mention this when I speak to the vet again in the week and see if there is any connection. :)
 
my horse is showing not dissimilar symptoms too. not lame but gone quite curled up to the right, not stepping through properly with the right hind. reluctant to accept the contact on the right rein. still seems happy to jump SJ and hunting. even in walk he is now walking holding his quarters to the right. have had physio and he has quite a sore back and tight gluteals plus pelvis slightly unlevel so saddler next then physio back to treat under sedation. hopefully this will sort him out. he has an old injury to his right hip so hopefully just this has got a bit tight and made him a bit crooked and physio will sort him.
 
Thanks Star, hope your boy improves! She will take the rein evenly on both sides, and 95% of the time doesn't feel any different. She is stiffer on the right rein, but only to a "normal" extent, and can go quarters in slightly in canter, but that's a tension/weakness problem, and has improved. She is evenly muscled on both sides. I hadn't really registered the hip banging thing, as she has always done it, so i've not thought much about it. The only other thing which may or may not have any bearing, is she has always religiously had her massage pad on 3-4 times a week, until the last fortnight when she hasn't had it on at all...again, couuld be a contributing factor to muscle tightness.
 
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Interesting about the hip banging - I had a mare that did this. She had a tendency to do it as a "confinement displacement" when she got anxious in her stable but was infinitely worse when in season, at which point she'd even do it on a fence post in the paddock! She actually marked up her hip doing it one year!

I changed her feed for other reasons and she stopped doing it completely!! Even when in season. And her jumping style improved. Bizarre.

Anyway, not much use to you but it does go to the odd ways cause and effect can work. In my mare's case, after she was sold the owners went back to feeding her as she had been and she went back to her old habits. Even more bizarre. (The people, not the horse!)

Glad you got a fairly positive view from your vet. Fingers crossed you either get to the bottom of it or it sorts on its own.
 
My horse had very similar symptoms (on the same side as yours) once she was back fully fit following a long period of box rest.
I used a great McTimoney practitioner and she found that Floppy was very tight through the right hamstring, and that the long muscle up the side of the spine was also very tight, both of which resulted in preventing her bending and stepping through with the off hind. A couple of sessions with her, and plenty of carrot stretches seems to have sorted it (fingers crossed!).

I hope yours is something similar and as easily sorted, will be keeping fingers crossed for you.
 
My girl goes 'tight' through one side when in season, or coming into season. You would look at her and think there was a soundness issue but there isnt, she just get all tied up in knots down her right side, she doesnt step up and under as she should and is particularily crooked to ride. It sounds fairly similar to your girl. She is loads better if I give her magnesium just before she comes into season but it's definately something we are learning to manage, not cure. I'm planning to give her Agnus Castus (sp) next year from end of Feb on.

I hope it turns out to be something simple, bloomin' sensitive mares! :P
 
Thanks guys. Frannie, L had something similar that the osteo picked up on, and she was a lot better once he'd been, but still very slightly tighter on that hind.
 
Wow you could literally be describing my horse in every way. Not lame, gets better with work, mechanical weakness.
Mine shows up most when I first start working him and he is disconnected and not moving forwards.
When I fist got him he was so weak and stiff, he looked lame. He couldn't put his left hind under him at all when span on a tight circle on concrete and he stood like his back legs were sticking out. To ride every now and again be would slip behind and his backend would drop for a stride then he would be OK. Perfect trotting up straight and on the lunge, fab to jump, would struggle a bit to push from behind going up steep hills and he would try and stomp with his front legs instead. Bouncy and fine coming down the hills!
It would be most noticeable after a couple of days off.
I got our amazing osteo out and literally after one session he was 100% better, he went from so stiff he was lame to sound. The osteo said he was so weak and gangly and the poor boy had been broken in and race trained at 2.5yrs, consequently he was just so stiff and weak.
Now 2 years on he is so much stronger and muscled. I've had him flexioned and he was fine. I do have to have the osteo every 3 months or he will start to feel unleve again. He's unlevel while he's unconnected, once he's warmed up and powering along it goes. Walk pirouettes really help and turn on the haunches.
My osteo said it feels very typical of an old injury from slipping over in the field or it could have resulted from being pushed to work when he was a bubba.
Now I can feel it when he's due for the osteo, he's had time off (last time he had time off and I put him on the lunge it took 5 mins of trotting before he started
tracking up) and when his saddle didn't fit and was pinching his shoulders.
It's never been an issue for the work I do. Jumping he finds a breeze and dressage he is fine, once he is warmed up and working it's not there.
Maybe there is something there maybe there isn't but as he is sound on lunge, flat and flexion, I can manage it with good warm ups and osteo I'm reluctant to
open up a can of worms by calling the vet.
However mine has had it since I got him, he was worse and now he's much better, if it suddenly came on maybe I would be more concerned?! Lucky may have done it in the field.
I'll be interested to hear what the vet finds anyway :).
 
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