Lameness down hill *Update vets been*

lauren123

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Feb 3, 2007
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East Yorkshire
For the last few weeks sox has been 'off' going down hill. Fine in the school and in the field. Sound when we trotted him on the hard. Sound after i had warmed him up then trotted him up and down the hill
Did the same thing a few days after. Did a 10 minute or slightly more warm up then back up the hill and he didnt feel right going up but worse going down hill.

He has arthritis in his coffin joints (fores) and navicular (fores) If i remeber right his navicular is worse on his left and it appears to be the left he is worse on.
So yes,a bit crap!
Tried rest tried limiting work, tried no grass.
Seems odd that it is only down hill and appears to be now and again.
He is due physio at the end of the month (He does have a old back injury. But we are normally on the ball with that) physio believes in preventing so he normally goes 8 weeks. Saddle was checked... last week and apart from a small amount of flocking that was that.
Vet is booked in for next week.
 
It's been wet here which will effect the bones re arthritis. Discomfort and pain etc.
Personally and this is just me, I wouldn't be trotting downhill on a horse with arthritis and navicular.

I don't trot mine downhill and she doesn't have issues. She's a big girl and I just walk.
 
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It's been wet here which will effect the bones re arthritis. Discomfort and pain etc.
Personally and this is just me, I wouldn't be trotting downhill on a horse with arthritis and navicular.

I don't trot mine downhill and she doesn't have issues. She's a big girl and I just walk.
I didnt mean i trot up and down the hill in that respect. I trotted... 20 strides max to see if the lameness showed up.
 
Lauren you asked me about this weeks ago and I said then that if he's lame downhill he's lame full stop, it's just that you aren't noticing it elsewhere because he's managing to compensate at the moment. I said then that if he was mine he wouldn't be worked until he'd seen the vet because by carrying on I'd be likely to make matters worse, particularly with a horse that already has problems. If he's lame enough that I could see it in a headcam clip then he needs a vet.

All I can say is what I said before - get the vet out to examine him properly, and until then stop riding him. They may just recommend some anti-inflammatories, but that's not something to try yourself in case you do more damage.
 
Buddy was very lame in July when we thought he would have to retire. As a precaution I get off and walk him down steep hills as we know he has ringbone and arthritis and try to keep him on level ground and not much off road work, he has been perfectly sound now for six weeks but he is on half a danilon every second day and hopefully end of month we may try him without, and on equimin. We only walk and trot only on field margins if they have give. He is bouncing up the field on his own but the ground is now soft so it's helping him.
 
Vet is booked in for monday.
Yo suggested he might be bridle lame. But he has never been bridle lame in his life.
She did mention the boots that he currently has rubbing him. However i would expect it to be on each hack on flat and uneven ground aswell as hills not just down hill.
I spoke to the vet yesterday who suggested possibly trying him on bute and obvs said its hard to diagnose what the issue is without seeing him. She was trying to save me some.money in that regards but i guess i would feel better if she actually saw him
 
If you're having the vet out then there's no point trying bute before she comes as it will just mask or reduce symptoms. I'm quite shocked the vet would suggest buting a horse that's been lame for weeks without seeing it. In the meantime I would say no more riding, even where you think he's sound.

If his boots are rubbing that's clearly something that needs dealing with, but wait until after the vet has been.
 
Mattie is lame downhill at the moment, or at best very hesitant. His old injury is in his sacroiliac and it troubles him when going down, for some reason. He's hooping around a bit with Charlie which won't be helping.

I hope you get it sorted. Good luck with the vet
 
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I didnt mean i trot up and down the hill in that respect. I trotted... 20 strides max to see if the lameness showed up.
I get that part. But I wouldn't be trotting downhill full stop to look for lameness. With the issues you have described above, you will find some form of lameness.- which is either discomfort or compensating.

You are looking for a problem that isn't necessarily showing itself.
The on and off is because he may feel discomfort on some days and not on others- arthritis does that.
If off going up and going down it could be back related or back end, the back end pushes up the hill, but equally needs to bear weight to redistribute going

Mine can feel a little 'off' if having a bad season, she's not her usual fluid self, her head carriage is lower in canter, jumping is a bit sticky. She's a spiking twit. She's grumpy head raised or not self.
So trotting her downhill would definately show up issues.

However get the vet to check.
 
Ale looks sound on flat in the field w+t, bad on a circle he drags his hinds, also lame downhill and canter and surface . Sacro issues and arthritis. Hopefully the vet doesn't think it's anything major and Sox just needs time
 
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I get that part. With the issues you have described above, you will find some form of lameness.- which is either discomfort or compensating.

You are looking for a problem that isn't necessarily showing itself.

If off going up and going down it could be back related or back end, the back end pushes up the hill, but equally needs to bear weight to redistribute going
However get the vet to check.
I get completely what you mean.
However when i filmed him. He was quite lame.going down hill. As muxh as o dont like the pdf steps etc. I cant have him as lame as that
 
For D’s front coffin joint and fetlock arthritis, the vet advised us to keep him in light work if possible, as he was better off if he could maintain some muscle tone, but to avoid anything that seemed to make him worse.

Sounds like such obvious advice now, but at the time I was overwhelmed and not thinking straight. To begin with I was too narrow in my thinking – in my mind, if he took any lame steps anywhere he was lame, so I wouldn’t ride him until he was better. However, that’s not really how arthritis works, and I had to change my mindset to focus on what he felt happy and sound doing, and avoiding what no longer suited him.

Obviously, you should follow your own vet’s suggestions for your own horse on what is best for him. I guess the point of my sharing these experiences, in case it is of any help, is more about making that change of gear in your own mind towards management, maintenance, and enjoying what you can still do together.
 
Can I just remind people who may have forgotten since it isn't mentioned in Lauren's post, Sox has PPID and has shown a tendency to laminitis as a result. Autumn is a peak time for problems with PPID, and particularly it's associated laminitis, and this was the reason why my original advice was rest and vet - you cannot risk working a horse that may well be laminitic and it could well be that his meds need adjusting for the seasonal rise.

I agree that sometimes you do have to accept a horse may not be fully sound but can be kept comfortable and is better off in work, that's the situation with mine, but I don't believe that it's safe to assume that's the situation here.
 
Update!
Vet Has been said it was arthritis. That he is 2/10 going up the hill on the right hind and 1/10 coming down the hill on his left fore,in walk. Compensating as he is weak behind. Vet also said he most likely has it in his Hocks aswell.
Treatment we are doing a week worth of bute. I am looking at herbal supplements to start off with there is the option of bute everyday. But at 13. I would rsther not have him on long term bute if i can help it. Or there is another option whixh is cartrophen (sp) but it is more expensive.
 
So you weren't imagining it and you were right to get the vet, I hope that's given you some confidence.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with a low dose of bute long term as long as he tolerates it. At least with bute you know the effectiveness and potential side effects are well documented too - that's more than can be said for many herbal supplements. Say to a vet that a horse is on 1 sachet of bute a day and they can still make a fair assessment of a problem, say it's on boswellia or turmeric or devils claw and they've got much less idea.

I'm assuming your vet isn't considering hock injections since Sox has cushings and a history of laminitis? Be very very careful if he does because there is a real risk of laminitis.

You might want to have a look at magnets too. Have a look for Equine Magnetix on Facebook, I've been very pleased with the bands and stable boots I got from them.
 
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So you weren't imagining it and you were right to get the vet, I hope that's given you some confidence.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with a low dose of bute long term as long as he tolerates it. At least with bute you know the effectiveness and potential side effects are well documented too - that's more than can be said for many herbal supplements. Say to a vet that a horse is on 1 sachet of bute a day and they can still make a fair assessment of a problem, say it's on boswellia or turmeric or devils claw and they've got much less idea.

I'm assuming your vet isn't considering hock injections since Sox has cushings and a history of laminitis? Be very very careful if he does because there is a real risk of laminitis.

You might want to have a look at magnets too. Have a look for Equine Magnetix on Facebook, I've been very pleased with the bands and stable boots I got from them.
Very true with that regarding the supplements.
Hope vet isnt considering it . The option is there but she told me she was nervous about giving him then and wouldnt want to risk him coming down with lami
 
I'm glad she's taking the risk seriously, some don't and it's the horse and, to a lesser degree the owner, who pays.
 
Personally if he comes sound on the bute trial I’d keep him on it, subject to your vets approval obviously, supplements ive tried them all in the past and had some success with them however, for me and Belle once hers got bad enough to need bute to keep her pain free that’s what she gets.
 
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Update!
Vet Has been said it was arthritis. That he is 2/10 going up the hill on the right hind and 1/10 coming down the hill on his left fore,in walk. Compensating as he is weak behind. Vet also said he most likely has it in his Hocks aswell.
Treatment we are doing a week worth of bute. I am looking at herbal supplements to start off with there is the option of bute everyday. But at 13. I would rsther not have him on long term bute if i can help it. Or there is another option whixh is cartrophen (sp) but it is more expensive.
sounds like Buddy, we have found the Nutraquin and half a danilon a day is working for him. We couldn't do steroid injections as we tested for Cushings and he was borderline i.e. inconclusive, and steroid can bring on laminitis. Since his diagnosis in July, he is now fully sound including galloping and bucking up the field. hope he improves too
 
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