Has my mare got Down Pasterns? Confirmation Help

This is so interesting... makk, if this is indeed what she has, I'm so sorry :( she is such a cute mare and definitely one that I would have brought home with me any day.

To be honest even after all the talk on this post I still have a hard time picking out exactly what is wrong with her hinds that everyone else is seeing.. I mean, I see it, but I doubt I'd notice it on another horse. Are there any other photo examples people could post? What a scary thing, and so sad!

Snow: Typically if anything, the hind pastern angles should be equal or a hint steeper than the front pasterns. To see them dropped that low suggests either a conformational defect (which might be coped-with), or that the suspensory ligaments are compromised.

In DSLD, "breakdown" of the suspensory ligaments in a bilateral pattern causes the ligaments to lose elasticity over time-- that is, there's less recoil (going back to original length/tension after flexion). Eventually, the fetlock can be horizontal-to or touching the ground.

I would be interested in seeing a video of this horse to see just how much give her hind pasterns have. OP, when your horse is walked or trotted away from you, do you see her fetlocks hit the ground?

Best of luck with your mare.

Chevaux, she is very comfortable to ride, smooth trot, rocking canter. And she picks up her feet too, never drags them. I was planning on training her in dressage and hacking and having her for kids or small adults to compete on her and use her (im a bit too tall to do anything with her really).

In the 2 years i've owned her she hasn't progressed and it hasn't gotten worse. In some photo's and when she stands up square it doesn't look as bad as it does in other photo's.. She's been on and off in work since i've had her.

She's NEVER gone lame! Not once! Which is also why im confused =/

Had a different vet out a few days ago doing her Hendra Vaccination and now I have 2 possible ages for her.. (her branding looks like an 8 (as in 2008) but then kinda looks like it's been branded over with a 2 (as in 2002), so im screwed on knowing how old she really is. One vet says she's around 5yo, and the other says she's aroun 8-10.... -.-

4horses, she has a raised scar on the front of her hind left fetlock that does give it that effect but both her back pasterns are slightly swallen (kinda like their just filled with a bit of fluid) but have been since I got her. And they've never flared up or gotten worse with or without work..

Is there a chance that it could stay how it is? Because it hasn't changed when she was in full work (in a sand arena) and doing some jumping?

If you look at the pictures and draw a straight line down from the front of her pasterns to her hoof, her weight is still bearing on her hoof at the heel, not completely behind it...

Thanks SnowCowGirl, I went out to a property with a friend to look at a (pretty much wild) herd of about 60 horses, and I saw her and couldn't take my eyes off her. I wasn't looking for another horse, and I sure didn't need one, but there was just something about her that drew me in and she has such a good temperment (i was planning on breeding her for kids pony's for her colour, tempermant and size. She would've been perfect!).

Ii've taken her to a halter class (it was her first ever show so I only entered her in the one class) she was with 2 other horses and came first.. so unless the judge didn't see it because she didn't have one leg under her (making it noticable), or it's not as bad as these photo's make it look when she's not got a leg pushed forward under herself..

Did your veterinarian note a thickening or hardening of the suspensory ligaments upon palpation? Is there a vet that could ultrasound her to look for the typical poor fiber pattern associated with DSLD?

DSLD does normally present with obscure lameness issues. If she has been sound and happy to work, is possible that your mare just has a conformational abnormality that you should be conscientious-of. It's very difficult to say. I would have a veterinarian look at her with the appropriate equipment to better diagnose her situation!

Well in my opinion.. She's thick in the neck, like REALLY thick in the neck! Her neck comes out of her withers similiar to how a morgan's neck would. She's steep shouldered, but it's long. And she appears very large in the chest- good thing! Croup wise she looks good. Her body is balanced out size wise, but she lacks the shoulder to really sell it. She is most definitely post-legged! Appears to stand under herself in the front. And yes she looks like she has some major issues in her one fetlock. Musclewise she could use some more, but that comes with time!

GORGOUES coloring!!! I love it!!! What is that called exactly?? I have never seen anything like it!

Oh, and try using clear polish on her hooves instead of black. That is if you are showing her as an appy... It's illegal to do that.. I learned the hard way :P

4Horses said plenty about the disease. Just thought I'd touch on her conformation!

I think it is extremely presumptuous to diagnose DSLD online, let alone from only a couple of pix. The horse is a bit low in the croup, camped under, hind feet more sloping than fronts, so something is going on, but who can possibly know with so little info if it's degenerative diseases or such. Could be a problem in the sacro-iliac area, could be a range of things. I'd consult a bodyworker(veterinary chiro or such) & a *good* hoofcare practitioner.

I think a good farrier or a proper trim would help a lot.
It looks as if the heels are run under quite a bit.

She is darling, what a pattern!

Some horses can have DSLD and be sound. Secondary arthritis/ringbone may become more of an issue than the ligament drop. A horse can have DSLD and be sound for years. My mare probably has had it for years before she started showing symptoms and even then the first vet who did ultrasounds missed it.

If it is DSLD- you want to pay close attention to her ankles and look for swelling/thickening of the ligaments. It is recommended to take ultrasounds and measure the width of the suspensory's for a true diagnosis. If there is swelling in both hinds I would be suspicious of DSLD even if one leg is worse than the other.

As the pasterns drop the legs will become more and more straight/ or camped under. So a horse that starts out with normal conformation will loose it as the disease progresses.

Here is a picture of advanced DSLD- notice how the hind legs don't have any bend in them at all. You can almost draw a straight line from the stifle, hock and ankle.
http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Tree_DSLD_or_not1.jpg

And the swelling that eventually comes with it:
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ltravis013.jpg

If you suspect she might have DSLD, I would modify her work load, as any tears (even micro-tears) in her suspensories will not heal normally- even if she is sound now. Dressage/jumping would probably not be a good idea.

It is possibly she will stay sound for years and it might not even cause any issues until her late teens/20's, or she could get worse quickly. Again no way of knowing. Every case I have seen has been different as far as age of onset, progression, and degree of lameness.