Does this horse look lame to you?

[Waikato Valuta]

Do you think this horse looks lame?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bWk6tdAPRDM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YHksV90-hkY


Also what do you think of her conformation?

[Sammii]

I definitely do think that she looks very uneven and uncomfortable in those videos. Not as free-moving as you'd like to see. I think it may be both of her front feet, from the first video I though it was just the off-fore but in the second video, looks sore on both front feet. I'm no expert but it looks like the horse is trying to nod the head but is held still by the rider's hands.... :confused:

[martini55]

She doesn't look right in those vids. I don't think the uneven ground is helping. Also sorry if this is wrong as it is difficult to tell, but it looks like the rider is holding her a bit with their hands?

[shandy84]

I would agree with the above she looked slightly uneven and seemed to be very slightly nodding as if uncomfortable

[coyote]

yep looks like she is very un-happy in her walk and trot,having her head pinned in doesnt help either!!!!

[Sammii]

having her head pinned in doesnt help either!!!!

So glad I wasn't imagining that.

[Waikato Valuta]

The ground was uneven. She tripped several times in some small dips.

But do you think she looks Lame, lame or just uneven and jammed up?

[Roofio]

definitely uncomfortable.

[shandy84]

without seeing her trot up to you with no tack on towards the camera then away from it as well as lunging on a circle all on even ground it is impossible to give that level of detail.

Personally I would call the vet in if you're unsure :)

[Bebe]

I think she looked unsound, which to me means she's weightbearing on all 4 legs and doesn't have an obvious limp or anything, but at the same time doesn't appear to be comfortable.

She looked to be going short in front and was very hesitant in general.

In the walk pic I wanted to physically shove the rider over to the right, if she'd hung off the left any further she'd have dropped off the edge of the horse.

No way to tell exactly what might be going on but I'd want it investigating.

[RockChick2007]

definatley not a happy horsey, looks very uncomfortable

[Waikato Valuta]

Well I will tell you a little more about the horse.

She is a 15.1hh TB 9yo. She is being given to me. She has competed in SJ (up to 1.1m) and done PC with a 14yo boy. She was then sold to a woman who sat her out in the paddock. The video shows her first ride in over three months.

I rode her so I know her frame isn't being forced by the rider. Although it was probably forced as some previous point in her training. She just works like that all the time.

She was kicked in the paddock a few weeks ago and couldn't even weight bear on her left back leg. However she has obviously gotten over that.

There is no heat or swelling in any of her legs.

[shandy84]

Is she shod/unshod? Is she overweight from her time off? Could it be Laminitis?

[eventerbabe]

I agree with shandy, she was short infront and to me looked like my mare when she had low grade laminitis. Weight bearing but short, carefully placing feet and not tracking up. I'd get the vet out to check her asap.

[coss]

she looks short infront as said before me, the uneven ground doesn't help though. her left hind leg doesn't come through as much as the right hind imo which will make her more uncomfortable in general. she looks uncomfortable in the front end and hooves are the first thing to look at.

[carrimclaren]

Ditto the looking at her hooves first. She might not look "lame" but that could well be if she's lame in both fronts then it won't look as severe as if she was only lame in one of them. She looks very much like my mare when she was first getting her hoof problems. Reluctant to place weight over those fronts and uneven. To the naked eye you couldn't see anything wrong with my mare but my farrier could and also my vet. I would probably suggest speaking to your farrier about this mare as it def. can't be much fun for her having to move like that. If she hasn't been ridden for three months that will also explain added stiffness through the shoulders especially.

[Big Ears]

in the first clip she looked as though she was going short in front and looked pottery, looked as if near fore was troubling her. having her head over bent like that didn't help but she wasn't striding out at all, moving freely

looked a bit better in the second clip

[Siogfinsceal]

hard to say as the ground is uneven but the outside hind leg looks stiff to me and shes a bit short in front too. conformation wise she looks better under the saddle that in the picture. In the pic she has very high withers and looks much weaker and lower behind than in front

[Waikato Valuta]

carrimclaren what hoof problems did your horse have? Was it fixable?

[carrimclaren]

Basically she has poor foot comformation, the farrier described it as collasping feet. Flat feet which distributed their growth and weight flatter and more splayed than normal.(more experienced hoof people would be able to explain better, i'm a bit thick so "in plain english" was needed for me :o) If i had carried on with remedial shoes then yes the growth coming through a lot stronger and better shaped but unfortunately the weaker bottom half meant keeping shoes on was not happening. I am going down the barefoot method instead now.
Have a few pics if you need them for reference or anything.

[Waikato Valuta]

Sounds interesting. All my horses are barefoot anyway. I will certainly get her looked at.

But when I rode she was so responsive and lovely. She came when she was called and didn't mind being tacked up at all. She stood still while we mounted and was lovely and smooth.

I think she is certainly worth a shot.

[carrimclaren]

She's already tugged on the heart strings then i see :D Whatever you do decide good luck with her as she's lovely looking. It could well be something that just needs a short term fix or it could be a long term problem. You'll never know until someone does look at her really. Here's hoping it's easily solved :)You;ll have to keep updating us.

[Waikato Valuta]

I found a longer clip. This should give you a better idea. Keep in mind the ground is uneven.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv7FLRTcPSs

[ongo247]

Considerably lame on near hind - in all 3 clips.

Fi x

[shandy84]

Hi WV I feel that the horse is very uneven, you can see how uncomfortable she is, the walk is tight and bunched up as is the trot, she's having to keep kicking to maintain the trot and it doesn't look comfortable and canter looked too painful for her to want to.

She's a gorgeous horse, but you have to consider possible problems in:
Legs/Feet
Back/Shoulders
Saddle Fit etc

If you want her could you get her vetted, at least then you'd know for certain?

[anuvb]

... honestly, assessments based on a video are difficult to make. I think you will only be able to tell when you trot her up, in hand on a loose rein, in a straight line and most importantly on a flat surface.

She doesn't look great, but then most horses that hadn't been ridden for a long time wouldn't look great. Plus you're only riding her on the one rein - I'd need to see both sides. I've seen stiff unschooled horses look like this and be completely transformed over a couple of months of correct regular work. But that doesn't mean in this case it would work. If you're in any doubt, get a vet to check her over. Better to know now than 6 months down the line.

[ongo247]

Well I will tell you a little more about the horse.

She is a 15.1hh TB 9yo. She is being given to me. She has competed in SJ (up to 1.1m) and done PC with a 14yo boy. She was then sold to a woman who sat her out in the paddock. The video shows her first ride in over three months.

I rode her so I know her frame isn't being forced by the rider. Although it was probably forced as some previous point in her training. She just works like that all the time.

She was kicked in the paddock a few weeks ago and couldn't even weight bear on her left back leg. However she has obviously gotten over that.

There is no heat or swelling in any of her legs.

Just went back & read the rest of the thread properly and found this. I don't think she has got over her kick as I can see a definite lameness on that leg in all 3 clips, some bits show it more obviously than others tho'. If your talking a few weeks and she's still lame, consider calling the vet if you can't find any heat or swelling yourself. When checking, don't just run your hands down the leg, do a finger tip inspection of every square mil comparing it to the other leg, feeling for swelling, watching for any signs of tenderness, hard bony lumps, check the point of the stifle too, anything at all. if she was kicked higher up, like on the flank, there could be some muscle damage, but that seems like a long time to be lame for that and you should feel heat and possibly she would react to touch there if that's the problem area. Consider if she was in a fight she might have put her back out, but I think it's more likely in the leg going by the clips.

Please don't accept a lame horse as a present, I know if I had been offered a free horse when I was younger I would have loved anything that came along, including biting, kicking lumps with mange and 3 legs, but in reality do you really want a horse which you can't ride and may need considerable vets expenses to fix? find out what's wrong first. If this lady is genuine, she won't mind you getting her vetted, after all you will need a vets certificate to insure her. If she minds, then she probably knows it's got a problem and may be trying to off load that problem on to you.

fi x

[carrimclaren]

I found a longer clip. This should give you a better idea. Keep in mind the ground is uneven.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv7FLRTcPSs

Just makes me think what an unhappy pony. She just looks like she's trying hard for the rider but is definitely suffering somewhere whether it's through her back/feet/teeth whatever she seems in pain.

[Waikato Valuta]

Thanks for your advise.

I did have a vet look at her. She said she thought it was probably the kick and to rest her for a few more weeks. So yes I am getting her. She's small and hardy.

I would also like to mention it's not me riding.

[rtk]

Definately not right on the near fore. Dont think you can discount it because of uneven ground. I would expect that to affect other at times. Not sure about the hind legs, can you take one of her on level tarmac, we would get a much better idea.

My oldie occasionally moves like that when the ground is very hard but I wouldn't ride him on it.

[anuvb]

Sorry - hadn't seent hat she'd been kicked. If so, then would get the vet to look at her again in a few weeks. You may find she's still not sound and therefore not worth the investment of your time and money in the long run. Again, I'd reiterate the fact that the opportunity to see her on the flat and in-hand will tell you one way or another.

[carrimclaren]

Again, I'd reiterate the fact that the opportunity to see her on the flat and in-hand will tell you one way or another.

I actually find it harder to see problems when it's like that. Think it does depend on the horses problem really. My mare was sound on the flat in hand being trotted up even the vets admitted she looked fine. Put her on a bend or ride her and her problems showed up.

[Pink's lady]

yes, she appears to be lame on the left hind leg, with referred lameness to the right front. She doesn't appear to be overtly lame in the front though. The uneven footing will will no make her lame - she's is constantly lame on the same leg. The 4-time canter is another sign.

ETA - just reread that she was kicked on the left hind a while ago - she's obviously not got over it yet as she's still lame.

[8-legged-pony]

yes, she appears to be lame on the left hind leg, with referred lameness to the right front. She doesn't appear to be overtly lame in the front though. The uneven footing will will no make her lame - she's is constantly lame on the same leg. The 4-time canter is another sign.

ETA - just reread that she was kicked on the left hind a while ago - she's obviously not got over it yet as she's still lame.

I agree, she does not look right on the left hind, which I think is causing the problems at the front. In walk it shows up more as a problem in the front feet, yet when she trots the problem in the left hind starts to show more.

[Fanshawe]

I would say definately lame but I suspect that it is in the shoulder/back. Don't ask me why just call it intuition/experience. First of check saddle then I would reccomend an osteo to look at it and maybe some Reiki. May take some time but she looks a sweetie and worth the effort if you can afford the numerous treatments/vet bill!

[EightBells]

This horse has quite a straight shoulder... therefore you probably find that is why she may appear to be short as this may tend to give a horse a choppy stride. My trainer had an A-grade who he rode to the top with in our country for many years, the horse had a fairly staight shoulder too. The only down fall is the horse has navicular disease but he is retired now. Other than that as the saying goes dont look a gift horse in the mouth!