What's wrong with my horse? (Bit long, sorry)

[SCG]

All week my horse has been very reluctant to pick up his off fore when I go to pick his feet out. All the other feet he is fine with and picks them up readily. When I go to pick up his off fore he refuses to pick it up, I lean against him, tweak his chestnut, tap his fetlock, ask him to pick up, foot stuck to floor. I have to really get heavy with him to get him to lift it up and when he does finally relent, he's very relucant and all the time I'm picking it out he wants to put it down. I noticed tonight that at the same time I had his off fore in my hand, his opposite (near) hind foot wasn't flat on the floor like his other 2 feet but sort of pivoting on the toe so he was only balancing on his remaining off hind and near fore. I made him pick up his off fore several times to be sure and each time he was very reluctant and the same thing happened with him not putting any weight on his near hind and just pivoting on the toe.

Just to complicate matters, I'm currently treating his feet for thrush and and cracks between his heel bulbs so it could be this but I don't think so, sort of feel its a red herring as dont think the infection/cracks are bad enough to warrant him not wanting to put weight on his foot. But he has been scuffing his hind toes so wonder if its his hocks/stifles/pelvis? Mentioned scuffing to vet when he came out to do flu jab and he had me trot him up and down, tight circles etc, did flexion tests and said thought he was fine as far as he could tell but obviously not conclusive without nerve blocks/flexion tests tec.

As it happens, physio is booked to come out next week, should I start with her? Or get vet back out? Or wait til frogs/cracks cleared up in case its that?

Sorry for long post

 

[ladyt25]

Ooh, my pony did what sounds like exactly the same thing a few years back. he is brilliant to pick his feet up too - knows the order i pick his feet up so basically picks them up for you. However, one time he just would not pick his near fore up and it took a lot of pushing and leaning on him to get him to do it. It was most odd.

i can't recall why we got a physio out - maybe we had a vet who didn't find anything, I can't remember now. Anyway, physio came and said he'd got some muscular damaged in his shoulder. She treated him and sure enough pony was back to his nomal self again and back picking his feet up.

I actually think I witnessed him injure his shoulder as prior to the not picking his feet up episide he had a bit of a looney hoon about the field leaping all over and slipped and lost his back end and fell. He was suitably embarrassed and none the worse 9or so we thought) at the time but evidently he just wrenched something.

Oh, he too was sound trotting up etc but he does seem to have a pretty high pain threshold in general to be honest so he must have eventually been in a fair bit of discomfort to not picky his foot up as usually his stable manners are pretty impeccable.

I would certainly ask you physio to check him over.

 

[SCG]

Ah well thats interesting because I've noticed he falls in through his shoulder on the lunge (right rein) and also seems quite reluctant to canter on that rein too hence physio coming out anyway so something definitely not right.

 

[Honey08]

It could also be a sign of laminitus, so get it checked out just in case.. We initially thought our Sec A was lame in one shoulder as she had no other signs of laminitus at first... She became a lot more hessitant too. Hope its not.x