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weird....what could cause this? an old injury perhaps?

3K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  SonnyWimps 
#1 ·
Well today my friend cantered the horse she was leasing for the first time...she commented that though she had a really smooth canter, her one leg (her back left) seemed like it would slip under her at any moment.

So I got on the horse and cantered her around, and it did really feel like that....I tried both clock-wise and counter-clock...and it was still the same leg.

What could cause this? A weak leg? Old injury?

She has no muscle at all if that would make a difference
 
#2 ·
yes that sounds very much like an old injury. or even a fairly recent one. It may be that the horse tore or injured its hamstring sometime. That often causes problems.
Also, my mum is a qualified horse therapist, and if you live in the area i'm sure she'd be happy to come by and have a look and help if she can.
 
#3 ·
alex0815 said:
yes that sounds very much like an old injury. or even a fairly recent one. It may be that the horse tore or injured its hamstring sometime. That often causes problems.
Also, my mum is a qualified horse therapist, and if you live in the area i'm sure she'd be happy to come by and have a look and help if she can.
it's not my horse...not the girl's horse that is riding her....the owner never does anything with the horse so we all got the owners permission to ride the horse so she doesn't just sit in the pasture forever.
She isn't lame...nor shows any tenderness in that one leg...I felt both legs and nothing feels different...

I'd love for your mum to come and work with Annie...but like I said, she isn't my horse and the owner won't even pay to have her feet done...so I doubt she'll pay for a therapist to come out....sadly the owner doesn't give a darn about the horse

*coughs*If anyone is interested, Annie is for sale*coughs*Maybe someone will give her the good home she deserves*coughs*
 
#4 ·
Like someone else said, from an old/current injury is probably the case... The other possibility could be that since she hasn't had much done with her, she isn't carrying herself correctly. It's hard to assess without seeing the horse go, do you have a trainer or someone knowledgable that could watch her go for you? If she is traveling crooked (as every horse does, no horse is naturally straight, especially one that has had time off) then she may feel slightly "off", but not lame. If it is coming from the hind legs, try lots of loosening exercises to get her pushing from both hind legs (such as leg yeilds, serpentines at the trot, lots of bend changes and ask her to really step under herself with that leg). If it is an injury to the hamstring (as someone else said), you will notice her getting worse. If she is maybe a little sore or stiff from just sitting around, she will get better.

Hope that helps! :)
 
#7 ·
irisheyes12 said:
I'll assume she's not lame so i'd have to agree that it's more than likely an old injury. Horses that are prone to or have had locked stifles tend to do this too.
no she isn't lame at all

I know with an old injury it might be impossible to tell...but for a locked stifle...is there anyway (besides x-rays and without getting a vet out) that we could tell that was causing it?
 
#10 ·
it really saddens me that there are so many horse owners out there who wont get medical/farrier attention for their horses. i really had no idea there were that many people out there like that until i started coming on this forum.

if she isnt appearing lame then maybe its just her gait?? maybe she just feels all wonky but once she has some work and builds some muscle she might be ok. is there any chance that you could get a video of her so we can see?
 
#12 ·
Just my opinion here but the girl who rides her could pay for the hoof care in appreciation of being allowed to ride the horse. That is what I did when I was using someone else's horse. Of course ask the owner first, but I can't imagine they would object.

This horses problem could be as simple as a good trim(dunno what the hooves look like so that's just a guess) or simple exercises to help build up muscle.. IE Riding smart.
 
#15 ·
without seeing the horse move, it's hard to say.

it quite possibly could be an old injury, but more likely (is the mare older(?) I forget), it is a stifle issue...does she have a little "hitch" in her getalong at the walk? trot?

I've known a couple that moved like you describe...one did have a stifle issue...i forget about the other's diagnosis...
 
#18 ·
Thank you for the videos. First off what a lovely trot. Would love to see my horses have such a nice over reaching trot like that.

I didn't see anything obvious on the trot video. The canter video was quite short so it's difficult to see anything on it. I didn't see anything jump out at me either.

Given the size of the horse and the large strides he/she takes that feeling of giving way might just be associated with the horse's unusual forwardness.

From what you describe and the videos you posted, I wouldn't be concerned.
 
#19 ·
could have any number of reasons

You are in a tough spot, since you care about the horse more than the owner obviously does.
I would not jump through conclusions, it's hard enough for a vet to tell what's wrong with a horse, even more so for us non-vets.

Possible reasons for this type of issue could be: neurological issues (nerve damage), spinal problems, old injuries (as previously mentioned), muscle weakness, muscle spasms, conformation problems, etc. etc.

Most importantly, make sure the YOU (or your friend) are safe riding this horse, you don't want to ride a horse that might collapse under you unexpectedly.
 
#20 ·
Its hard to tell... I tend to agree with M2G. I don't see any "red flags". It looks more like really large strides...maybe its more of a feeling than an actual issue.
 
#21 ·
but it's only that one leg....but both back legs

We don't canter her on turns because of it, nor do we have her canter for very long for our safety as well as hers.
I was talking to a friend of mine that was a vet and she said that from the sounds of it, it was either just a muscle problem or an old injury, but she didn't think it was nothing to worry about since she's able to canter around the roundpen with no problem...but we'll see hehe
 
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