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

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KatB

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As above. Horse is:

* Short stepping on offside hind, so not coming through in trot and more "staccato" in canter

* Won't take a big sweeping step over when turned on a tight circle on the flat to the left (wont cross over offside hind), fine on right hand circle

*No problems stepping back/rein back

*No problems cantering on correct lead

*No problem jumping

*Gets freer moving in trot after time, to the point it's not distinguishable, though after time off daily work (2 or 3 days off), or a hard days jumping looks positively unlevel behind.

*Looks level through the pelvis when viewed from behind.

Thoughts?
 
Mine as instructor noticed last week has a longer stride in his nearside hind, putting all the work into this leg - this is the leg he has done his PSD on. Mine was never properly lame on his, only after flexion, and never had any issues jumping that I noticed. He also used to (trying to break the habit!) always have his near hind more stretched out behind him when standing etc, so not putting weight evenly on his legs - does she do anything like this?

So only comparing it to that, and the fact that my horse also has some SI issues (seeing chiro again in jan, and an osteo which I haven't ever had done before) I would think its something around that area? I would get a chiro/physio out and get them to see you riding etc, and work in hand, as horses will invariably work different when ridden and not.
 
Getting a vet? :p

More seriously, I'd probably book a new year appointment with a good performance horse vet specialising in lameness and between now and then give her a holiday - if it's muscular then that will fix itself given time, and you can cancel the appointment. If its something more, you want it looked at sharpish - but no point racking up holiday level bills!
 
vic07, not noticeably worse uphill, although tbh the only hills we have we go up after a fair bit of hacking already, so any "stiffness" is unnoticeable. She has had her back done in the last 8 weeks, as v.well respected trainer noticed she was tight over her back. This made things a LOT better and she was softer, but still with this "gait weakness" that wasn't a lameness. However, this is now a distinct unlevelness.

TF, I did think this, but she stands levelly, and gets better as time goes on...
 
My horse has exactly these symptoms and has been diagnosed with high, non-articular ringbone in his pastern joint. Having some time off for the swelling to go down and should hopefully come back into full work in the near future :)
 
s_f88, thats interesting. Does that wear off with time? Did you see any swelling? I am sure it's higher up, but know the symptoms can vary and be actually foot lameness...

SC, replied already ;)

MB, nope, not yet. Her flexion through her hocks is fine though, and she jumps equally off both hinds...which is why I was pointing towards higher up...
 
Yes there was kind of a 'ring' round the pastern, it has gone down and is harder now. The vet nerve blocked the pastern and he trotted up sound, xrays showed the ligament has come away from the joint slightly, so treating it like a splint that's forming - with rest, bute&DMSO. Vet coming back tomorrow so fingers crossed!!

Good luck with your diagnosis!
 
Is your horse quite young? Is he big and still developing at all?
I take it no obvious sore points along the back?
Have to done flexion tests etc/ check stifles? I'd investigate stifles/SI joint..
 
KatB said:
* Short stepping on offside hind, so not coming through in trot and more "staccato" in canter
* Won't take a big sweeping step over when turned on a tight circle on the flat to the left (wont cross over offside hind), fine on right hand circle
*No problems stepping back/rein back
*No problems cantering on correct lead
*No problem jumping
*Gets freer moving in trot after time, to the point it's not distinguishable, though after time off daily work (2 or 3 days off), or a hard days jumping looks positively unlevel behind.
*Looks level through the pelvis when viewed from behind.


Exactly how my horse presented with spavin.
Jumped fine
Most noticable was not coming through, not crossing on circle, improved with work, got worse with time off, improved if back was done.
Negative flexion test, no heat/swelling.
Xrays will tell you either way (just make sure they rule out suspensory problems as they can present in a similar manner)

good luck
Click to expand...
 
What a pain do hope its easily resolved:(

Could it be sacro pain- have you got a physio with an H wave machine to pop on over her back/quarters? a couple of sessions of that could cure it..
 
Sienna did a sliding downhill stop in the field and wrenched her hamstring, she moved as you are describing. A bit of rest and she was right as rain, hopefully that's all that Lucky has done.
 
Thanks guys. Squiz, she's 6, 15.3hh and TBx, she's the little bay in my sig. Has filled out and grown up this last year, not done anything re. flexions etc yet.

aran, thanks will be investigated I am sure.

sb, I think thats what it is, but know thats quite often secondary... so will see what vet says. Hopefully will be that straight forward...

siennamum, pleased she is fine now... fingers crossed....
 
I hope she's alright Kat, fingers and toes crossed!

My friends horse just be diagnosed with hock spavins and that was really struggling to canter on the left rein = off side hock spavin! So if she's fine with that, i would be going higher up maybe! Bob strained his sacro illiac muscel when he was younger, this caused him to "tighten" his stride pattern on one side. Physio soon sorted it out!

I'm sure you're vet will find it and sort it.

Hope you sort her out and have a good christmas! x
 
Spavin or PSD? What is she like going down hill? I think Spavin finds it hard to go down, does she stand with her back legs out behind her?

Hope youget to the bottom of it and its nothing serious.
 
One of my horses was slightly short stepping on the left hind, it was so subtle the vet struggled to be sure at first, after x raying and scanning the foot, the fetlock, the hock and the stifle joint and finding absolutely nothing, he referred the horse to a physio (different to our usual back person) and he found after a complete check over that he had some stiffness in his sacroiliac joint and his glutes were tender, probably from compensating for it, he had treatment and then a follow up treatment and a follow up check up and has been perfect ever since.

Hope you get to the bottom of what causes your horses problem.
 
Leg showed similar symptoms.. Is she sound on a circle on the lunge in front? Leg was lightly off in front (so tiny you woud barely notice and only on a hard surface)..
 
fwiw, my mare with spavins is fine up and down hill and doesn't react to a flexion test :rolleyes: She also jumps and strikes off on either leg in canter fine! I would be inclined to think hocks or given her age and size maybe stifle/si joint if it's not muscular.
 
Tension in the gluteus area with the back pain being secondary would be my random stab in the dark having never seen the horse or it move, based solely on your OP and only voiced since the vet is on his/her way!
 
KatB said:
Yep, no problems in action "up and down" in the hind leg, just forward stretch/reach...
Click to expand...

Sounds similar to a mare that was on our yard a few years ago. She had an arthoscopy on the stifle iirc to remove what I can only describe as lumps and bumps to make it smoother. Vet at the time said it was fairly common in warmblood type horses who grew quite big fairly fast. This mare was about 7 or 8 ID/TB cross. She looked particularly worse in colder weather and could certainly be described as stiff rather than lame.
 
Thanks everyone. Vet this afternoon (though weather not that helpful!) so will see what she says... I'm hoping it'll be a physio solveable issue, (don't we all!) but she's certainly feeling very well and incredibly bright, and gave me a lovely rodeo display in her stable this morning... we will see.
 
My horse is currently experiencing the same symptoms as yours, not stepping through as much with one hind leg. We've had vet and back person out, vet said he had muscle wastage on back so to lunge, it did improve but as soon as stopped it got worse again. Back person said his pelvis had come out of alignment very slightly so sorted it, horse is better but still not right. Also is worse up hill, however fine downhill. We are about to call back person out again.

I hope you get it all sorted soon and it's not something too serious. Do let us know what your vet says
 
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