Do you see lameness? (video)

While I'm stuck playing phone tag with the vet for a checkup and lamness exam I thought I would post some video and see if anyone can see anything.

I don't even know what to think anymore. He trots out sound (from what I can tell) in the arena, does good while on lunge. Half the time he is good on hard ground, half he isn't. Sometimes when he is doing a sharp turn he gimps out of it. I thought it might be from his sidebone issue so I had the farrier roll the toes so he breaks over faster, and gave him an off period in which I would require 2 sound weeks before I would start very light riding. Well after his shoeing he got better and better and after two sound weeks I started taking him in calm walks around the arena, then a week later when he was still sound a little bit of trotting, then he started to seem 'off' I thought he was stiff and tripping, but it ends up his knee was randomly giving out per my sister watching. So once again I have been not riding, but then when I tried to show a vet when she was checking out another horse she didn't see anything major other than very very slight gimpyness (didn't have time to get her hands on him though, just watched me trot him) So in order to try and show her I've been video taping him lunging and did a short 20 minute session in the saddle. (Which he didn't have his knee give out though) But here is the video from that ride anyone see anything? The only thing I see is stiffness in his hind end. He was stocked up in his back legs and had been on stall rest for a while.


At 0:02 and 0:10 his knee doesn't lock fully, if anyone else can see that. Any thoughts? I have some people say they see nothing and that he looks fine, just moving like an older horse...but I'm trusting my gut which says he's off and waiting for the vet.

I'm no expert but what pops out to me is he appears to land his feet toe first, especially the left front. If that's true it should be an easy fix.
Very nice looking horse.

Thats what has been so hard is any issues he is having is so slight that its hard to point out. Though I'm also wondering if I'm over analyzing every time he moves. What kind of fix would that be? Is it different shoeing?

Thank you.

Funny you should be posting this HDL.....Rodeo has had a similar issue, and I actually just got a video of him today. Im pretty sure its Rodeo's right front(white leg) but Im not 100% positive....sounds like he's doing almost the same thing as Jake is though.

At times he steps short, and acts like he is tender, and sore, and other times, he is perfectly fine.....hope you can figure out whats going on with Jake! Keep us posted!!

To me it seemed that he offloeaded the front right a bit faster than the left and had more trouble going left (where outside leg is more weighted) then going right. So, if he is off, it seems front right to me, but so minute.

Different angles. Maybe a hoof expert will come on & really help you.

Agree with you Natasha, except I'm interested to hear your 'easy fix'? Depends if it's due to sensitive heels or something else I reckon, for a start. OP, you say he does the same lunged without a saddle? How does he go in straight lines? A lot of problems, such as 'navicular' can be intermittent lameness & worse on circles. The toe first impacts will be effecting the navicular area as well. Be interested to see his feet.

Well, in my horse's case she was landing toe first on her slightly clubbed foot. The easy fix for me was I told my farrier & he fixed it.
Sorry, that's all I got. I don't know what he did but it wasn't anything my layman eyes could see.

csimkunas6 Aww no good. Next time you see him say that Jake and HDL say that he is not allowed to be gimpy at his age. He has 20+ years before he is aloud to be sore. =\ I will keep updates going! Hopefully Rodeo feels better too.

Tinylily Hmm. Its very hard to tell in this video, I am going to try and get some more video tomorrow of him trotting without a rider on hard ground, it might be easier to see.

Loosie He has the same issues lunging. He will be trotting fine, when I ask for a whoa, he stops and turns towards me, often gimping for the turning stride. Straight lines on soft ground he seems to be doing good. About 3-4 weeks ago he was tender on hard ground too and visibly limped then. But I had attributed that to his possible sidebone on his right front. But now he seems to be off on his left, but I'm not great at determining which leg when its hard to notice. So I think he's off but I can't say where. As for pictures I posted some in my sidebone thread that you had responded to Lump on Lower Pastern, shoeing problem? At the time he was long, now he is trimmed with his toes rolled to help him break over better to help with the sidebone, which it helped immensely and he went sound within a week after getting shod. But now i'm wondering if I thought it helped...I'll see if I can get pictures tomorrow.

The video wouldn't load for me :( ...however.

My horse's knee wouldn't fully lock and I kept telling the vets this fact and he had some synovial fluid around his knee joints (come to find outthat later my horse has arthritis in his knee)

. He also sometimes gimps out of a corner on the knee if not warmed up enough and trips on it if not ridden forward.

Also if both knees shake (sometimes just one) it could be from hoofs that are too tall in the heels . When the heels are too tall. The stay apparatus that allows the horse to lock his knees while standing therefore making him capable of sleeping while standing will not function properly.

That is also something to check out. Maybe post some pictures of his hoofs?