Snickers and the mysterious hind end saga

Honestly? I would see what the chiropractor has to say and talk about acupuncture with her/him. If there is any interruption anywhere, like I think, acupuncture should pick it up and help. It will not hurt and as a minimum, exclude some things. Don't you wishes they could talk sometimes?.....

Desert...exactly right at this point....just trying to hopefully rule some things out at least. Accupuncture is interesting. How does that pick up those type of things? I will ask around about finding someone. Oh yes, it would be MUCH easier if she could talk.

Acupuncture is all about energy flow and to reconnect where its interrupted. Google it for a better explanation....please........... too early for me , im a night owl

Veterinary Acupuncture | IVAS

I see a horse that is plodding around toe first on her front feet and not bending her hocks at all in the back end. She looks like an arthritic old horse that is trying to avoid bending her joints/moving them much and as a result, looks weak to me. Id be checking joints just to be sure. Have you tried putting her on an NSAID for a week and see if she improves at all? There are several things this could be.

I also believe that fitness is a big part of this. Is she in a small area all the time standing around or is she turned out over a larger variable terrain area with other horses making her move?

If this were my horse, id X ray joints if you haven't already to get a baseline, try a pain trial and turn this horse out in a large area where she will be made to move for a couple months and see if she improves. If she worked out of the bunny hopping, that says a strength issue to me, weakness that improved with work. I'm a big believer in turnout with a herd over varied terrain when there are odd soundness issues happening that can't be pinpointed despite the best care. Especially for a youngster.

After I tried those things, if there is no improvement, I would be looking at doing some in depth scanning if I really wanted to figure things out. http://www.equinechronicle.com/healt...in-horses.html

One of my horses used to sometimes move like that. A few years ago she was partially paralyzed from West Niles.
She had been vaccinated.
She fine when brought in & at night check she was down & could only get up & walk with help. She spent some time at the vet clinic & came back with some hind end weakness. Her weakness seems to originate from the back of her buttocks & the muscles there are more flat & soft than they used to be.
She is fine if ridden collected but if allowed to string out she will sometimes collapse a leg for a stride.

Maybe something like that happened to your horse? I don't know if there is any test to see if a horse ever had WNV or not.

I hope you find an easy answer.

Thanks Trinity....
She has always been turned out in a pasture where she can run with my other horse(s) since I've owned her, over a year now. Even the place she came from, which was horrible, except for the fact that she was turned out in a dry pasture with other mares. She has never been cooped up.

I am very hands on with my horses daily, always doing something with them. Even before she was started under saddle, I lead her around for walks or ponied her, did some light roundpen work. Now that she is under saddle, she is ridden almost everyday. LOTS of trails, sometimes for a couple hours on different terrain and hills etc. She is never in a stall. Her turnout area is 48 x 48 and then they have an attached grass pasture which is probably 48 x 96 and they are turned out daily....that is besides there walks and being ridden. My goal was to, exactly that, build strength and have her more balanced since she is green.

I did notice today, after turning her out and she ran off, later that she knicked her hind cannon bone. There was already a bump there on the bone from when she knicked it about a year ago, after I first got her. So she must hit it with maybe her other hind foot?

I really would like to take a video of her from behind while being walked up and down a hill etc and when she is turned out and running.....her fetlocks definitely seem to lock up or something. I will work on that just so you guys can see how odd it is.

I did do the hopping test today and she hopped on both sides with me holding her front leg up. I also blindfolded her and walked her and she just followed me along like nothing was up....no drunken walking or anything either.

The chiro I have coming out I am hoping can really give me a good professional opinion and direction. I just want to start ruling some things out at least.

I have not tried any meds etc., really focusing on building up strength etc. No x-rays done yet since nobody really is sure on where to start.

Thanks Natsha....my mare has done nothing but blossomed in the booty in this past year. When I got her she was 2 1/2 and quite butt high, but has leveled off now and has a nice round hind end. Absolutely no muscle atrophy. I wish I knew her full history since birth, but don't. When I had the vet look at her before taking her home, the girl I bought her from was asked about any injury etc and she denied anything. Both the vet and the girl both thought she was growing into her legs and learning how to use them.

Here is a picture of when I got her....


Here is a picture now....

Just one more note, while I am thinking of it....

If you are standing with your knees locked, and someone comes up behind you and karate chops you from behind your knees, and your knees give out....THAT is something like it looks with her legs when she is slowing down from a canter and you see the popping action and where she would knuckle over.

Wanted to update really:

Chiro came out today and strongly feels that this is a type of neurological problem....where there is a missing link from the brain to the hind end. She does not think, and would be shocked, if it was stringhalt. Said it didn't look like shivers. EPSM/PSSM is possible, but it is still a mystery. She did say that because Snickers adapts so well to her hind end, that this could be the way she was born and all she knows...simply her 'normal' way of going.

Snickers always seems willing and trying to figure things out with a smile. If she could only talk! For example...when I first tried to ride her down a hill, she hesitated and backed up, completely wanted to avoid the situation. Then, after a few times, it got better....she would hesitate, but zigzag or whatever it took to get down that hill. Then after a few times of that...she seemed to have figured it out and just went down. I know this is probably normal for any green, young horse....but she really seems like she is trying to think about the task at hand due to her legs. When she does go down the hill, it definitely looks different than the other horses...lol. She really pauses, calmly, and seems like she is trying to assess it all and be safe carrying me with her. Maybe I'm crazy...idk.

Anyhoo.....my next step is to have her tested for EPSM/PSSM because if she is positive, I can change her diet and see if it helps. I think there is also a possible medication for one of the neurological disorders to try. If all else fails then, there is nothing further I probably will do, except accept it and go on. If I didn't have those possibilities to help her, I would just accept it right now. She will just be a horse with limited capacity like no type of lunging, minimal arena work, going up/down steep or lengthy hills and cantering. I'm good with her just being a to die for, sane trail horse with no fireworks!!!!