What's wrong with your horse?

AShetlandBitMeOnce

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I am talking medical issues here.. I have been surprised recently, reading threads, how many horses have what we would consider 'serious' conditions, does the perfect horse exist?

Jake was diagnosed with wobblers age two, compression at C3 and mild ataxia. However, since the vet work up has never showed a sign of any issue (he is now 8), and has led a full ridden life, lending his hand at anything, with not a day sick or sorry. You wouldn't even know now unless I told you.

Yes I took him on with the condition in January this year. I did not have him vetted, and could not be happier with him.


So just out of curiosity, whats wrong with your horse? Did you buy them with the condition?
 

tallyho!

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What's wrong with them?

We ride them that's what's wrong. Annnd no I am no PETA activist nor am I some crazy horse whisperer.

We ride them so therefore we notice stuff that wrong with them. We keep dogs as pets and we do the same with them. And Children.

Find out the best way to deal with horse bodies in relation to ours in terms of movement, biomechanics and wizardry then some waggle some magic which happens where you both sail off into the sunset upon imaginary hooves and wings of perfect oneness.

Durr.
 

JJS

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The old gelding has cushings, although it doesn't limit him in any way.

My rising 8 year old is set to head off to Rainbow for diagnostics, but is currently unrideable due to suspected head shaking, so it looks like he'll be retiring permanently after less than two years together 😢

Neither had the conditions when I bought them (or if they did, they weren't manifesting any symptoms).
 

Moomin1

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I've had my mare 6 years now. She was bought with known plaiting outwardly behind, slight dishing on one leg, and questionable sweet itch. Not much has altered in the time I've had her, other than she has a hay allergy which is fairly mild but getting evidently worse with age now.
 

tankgirl1

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What's wrong with my horse? She's an opinionated cob mare, that's what's up with her!

That's also why I love her so much, but please don't let on to her that I do anything but view her with disdain and tolerate her antics... :p
 

TwyfordM

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Got her aged 4 with a history of laminitis, she was diagnosed with cushings aged 10.
Generally though she's just very accident/illness prone and doesn't like to do things by halves ...
 

splash30

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My horse has allergies to everything including his own sweat! Under control (to a point)with a homeopathic vet as conventional vets had run out of options, I manage him and we still compete to a high level.
 

southerncomfort

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I've had my mare 6 years now. She was bought with known plaiting outwardly behind, slight dishing on one leg, and questionable sweet itch. Not much has altered in the time I've had her, other than she has a hay allergy which is fairly mild but getting evidently worse with age now.

I also bought a mare that plaits behind. The vet who carried out the vetting didn't think it would affect what we wanted to do with her and she was cheap so we took a punt. She is the soundest out of my 3, never had a days worry with her (frantically touching wood here!).

My bigger mare is beginning to show some hock issues but she is a 23 year old welsh cob and I understand they are prone to hock issues in later life.

Littlest mare was bought knowing she had 2 flat sarcoids and sweet itch. The SI is perfectly controllable and the sarcoids have never changed or bothered her in any way. She does however, now have cushings and stiff joints but at 27 that's to be expected. :)
 

Damnation

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Buffy has a 4 year old tear in the muscle on her hindquater which makes her short on that hind leg.

She also technically has a stage 1 heart murmur at rest but it goes away with work.

Last mare was bought with a huge scar on her shoulder (Think from top of shoulder to a few inches down her leg, it was massive) and she dished. She was eventually PTS with a slipped disk in her spine, probably done when she injured her shoulder before I bought her.
 

Stockers

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Bought at 5. Compromised respiratory system from crap hay-2012. Ok if hay soaked and has lots of turn out. Not suffered since. Had sarcoids but went away when banded - inner thigh. Main concern is cow-hocked. He had a period of not being quite right in november. Not unlevel just not...right. Vet prescribed box rest (he suffered one week then went postal). But came back after 4 weeks off ridden work sound as a pound and has been bouncing ever since. I'm very aware that there might be something underlying and if he goes 'off' again it'll be a full work-up.

I suspect if most horses were given a thorough work up/scans/x-rays a vet would find 'something' amiss. It's a case of management and expectatons. Can they do what we ask of them comfortably without pain?
 

DD265

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Show me a perfect human and I'll show you a perfect horse :p

Mine is now 24, at 15 he showed arthritic changes to his coffin joints and hocks. At 18 he was diagnosed with wobblers syndrome and showed arthritic changes to his spine. At 24 he's better than ever and back in ridden work. I don't dispute the arthritis (although I'd love to re-xray and find out what's changed) but in hindsight the ataxia was caused by trauma and has since been resolved.
 

applecart14

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My horse has bone spavin in both hocks which has been treated. He has 2nd degree heart block which is not an issue in the slightest unless he requires life saving injection of a certain medication which will bring on a fatal arrhythmia. He is prone to colic, has arthritis in both coffin joints (according to xrays) but has only had two steroid injections in 12 years so I think the xrays are showing something that have no bearing on his soundness.

He currently has an injury but before then was competing SJ and dressage up to a fairly good level albeit unaffiliated and was getting on great. He is expected to go back into the work level he was at previously although I may knock the jumping on the head.

All horses have issues and sometimes the new issues are as a result of overcompensation into other areas.

My previous horse had wobblers, compression at C3,C4 and C6 and was PTS aged 10 with Grade 3 touching on 4. His was caused by a traumatic injury on his neck when being brought in one day by the YO. He flipped over backwards landing on his neck.
 

Dazed'n'confused

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Well, there's the pony who has a hugely arthritic knee from a kick 5 years ago that wasn't investigated (not under my ownership I hasten to add)! She's done a sterling job nannying my youngster who is now all grown up and gone!! The pony will stay here until she too sore and then she'll be pts (whether it's in a month, a year or 10 years)!

Then there's the retired riding school pony who has recently joined us - he's early 30's, has a low grade heart murmur, a wonky hoof where a huge abscess has clearly blown a good few months ago, cushings, no grinding teeth, only limited vision and a suspected tumour behind one eye that's making it bulge out...... That said, he's as jolly as can be, canters about his field like a man half his age and tows me in for his mush every night! He too will stay until the end...

What's mainly wrong with the pair of them is that neither is a 17hh working hunter type that I can enjoy...... That particular beast is proving impossible to find!
However, the empty stable has no ailments and costs nothing to keep!! ;p
 

zaminda

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My old boy has arthritis but has been fine other than that and one period of lami when out on loan. My smaller mare has damaged both front legs a couple of times and has sliced both back legs from top to bottom causing no longer term damage. She also has a scar on her shoulder caused by something which happened when she went to stud they don't know what apparently. Again no lasting damage. My other mare has an old ripped muscle in her hind quarters which has caused a lot of trouble. After many years of rehab and some suspensory damage along the way she seems stable and is back competing.
I often see horses who are slightly wrong or full on lame out competing with their owners oblivious as is nearly every one else.
As to why I would say it's because we have worked with them in close proximity so you actually notice just as much as working them.
 

gothdolly

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My sons pony has cushings and equine odontoclastic tooth resorption, but is in full work. There's nothing physically wrong with my cob but at the moment he is an idiot!
 

Annagain

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Mine is riddled with melanomas. Huge ones in his sheath, smaller ones around his anus. He's 20 and grey so kind of to be expected but my share horse (also 20 and grey) doesn't even have one. We're fighting a good battle at the moment but they'll win the war one day :(
 

Red-1

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Jay Man was great for 4.5 years of ownership, then he has a slight suspensory injury, and while rested from that became a wobbler of the type where a strong wind looked as if it would blow him over.

As a result he was given steroids and brought back into work immediately as the wobbling was the top priority, which has brought the wobbling back under control, but means the suspensory will probably not heal. Meanwhile he seems to have picked up a slight shiver in his near hind.

However, we had a lovely hack out this morning, and he is very much loved!
 

Ahrena

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One eyed pony is arthritic in his hocks and I suspect also fetlocks and has well... One eye. I knew about hocks and eye when I bought him

Mare had some sarcoids which went away with a cream 2 years ago and hasn't developed anymore, and a grade 3 heart murmur. Shouldn't affect her for hopefully many years but will eventually cause her heart to change shape.
 

MDB

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My older Lusitano cross is arthritic in her back end. Haven't gone down the route of scans and xrays for a more precise diagnosis as there is no point right now. We bought her like that as we wanted an older sane, safe horse for my beginner husband and they are hard to come across in this part of the world. Also we found her in a bad state and we couldn't leave her!. Vet says she is fine for light hacking, and since husband never goes faster than walk, that is all she will be doing. She is out 24/7 and a happy lady so that is fine for the minute.

Our Andalusian doesn't seem to have any health issues. She has a funny hard lump on her shoulder which she had when we got her. Vet doesnt know what it is. It hasn't changed size in 17 months so we are leaving it alone.

I think I am quite lucky really since both were acquired for peanuts without any vetting and without being ridden.
 
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