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Uneven sacrum?

4K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  Idyllic_equine 
#1 ·
Brought in an 8yo Arabian mare Saturday. I was originally just looking for a project horse but I ran into her and she was so sweet I just snatched her up. She's not broke and has been sitting at pasture for a while. Her hooves are in poor shape(farrier comes friday). I know I'm going to be scolded for not having a PPE, I understand it was a bad idea, I just felt bad for her and no matter what I will be keeping her even if it's just as a companion. She is sound in w/t/c, no pain when I palpate the area but I can see that there's definitely unevenness there, muscle atrophy maybe. Vet comes out next month to float her teeth, give inoculations and do a fecal egg count, so she could take a look then. Give me your opinions on what could cause this, maybe it's just that her hooves are so unbalanced or maybe she actually has sustained a serious injury somehow in the past. I'll include photos of both hind hooves(sorry for the poor lighting)
 

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#2 ·
Her hooves aren't hideous. Glad you're getting them done, of course.

It will be interesting to hear what your vet says. If he or she is also a chiropractor, great! If not, I'd get one out.

I like doing two things before and after getting busy work done. I like to get the horse on the flattest ground available, and standing as square as the horse can.

Then I measure from bony prominences and/or anatomical markers to the ground on each side. Point of the shoulder. Hips to the ground. Croup. You pick. Everyone has their favorites.

I also like to have a horse stand as described and get up behind them and a little above and take a photo from back to front. I've been amazed to see how well this shows straightness, or not, and how every thing is related.

I hope you give us an update. Good luck with her!
 
#4 ·
That type of unevenness (Asymmetry) is often associated with sacroiliac damage.
The Pelvis isn't supported correctly and over time it starts to tilt to one side

If you view the horse from the side it probably appears to have some or all of the following:
A 'hunters/jumpers' bump,
The topline has a 'scooped out' appearance
There's a small hollow just in front of the 'bump'

If the horse has been like it for a long time then the muscles and ligaments will have adapted to hold things in place so there might not be any signs of pain.
The horse might still have an uneven gait and drag its hind toes
 
#6 ·
If the pelvis has tilted then the chances of that ever being corrected are pretty low to zero. People will say that chiropractors can realign it but considering how strong the muscles are that hold those bones in place and that they’re surrounded by other ‘body parts’ there’s a high risk of causing more trouble.
It sounds as if the horse has adjusted to the changes caused by the old SI injury if it isn’t in pain or unsound so apart from maybe getting a good equine physio and massage therapist on board to advise on exercises that might help, I’d leave well alone.
Your vet can do a rectal ultrasound to take a look at the SI.
Obviously fixing hoof issues will benefit the horse as everything works together.
 
#7 ·
Makes sense, but if she's never been ridden what would cause this? A bad fall or maybe injury as a foal? I got newer pictures this morning. Waiting for the vet to get back with me.
 

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#8 ·
Your overhead picture tells quite the story...
Your horse is out of align...from nose to tail there is a out-of-align look to her.
Her body just speaks of out of whack. :|

She stands off balance and guarded in positioning of her body...
How it happened, who knows.
How to fix it is the question and I don't know that either...suspect more will profess chiro work.
These are pictures your vet needs to see to offer you some guidance and for him to also have better understanding of what the issue may be...
Good luck.
:runninghorse2:
jmo..
 
#9 ·
Chiropractic but maybe just general body work also. I agree with waiting to see what your vet has to say. She's only eight -- I don't think this is necessarily a hopeless cause by any means.
 
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#13 ·
I can see her atlas is out right on down to her tail. I would get a horse therapist out, I am sold on them. I used to only have chiro and massage done on my performance horses. This spring I had a horse therapist out, wow! She does acupuncture, laser therapy, deep muscle massage then finishes off with a chiro adjustment. Made a huge difference in how the horses moved, best money I ever spent.
 
#15 ·
These things can be genetic and the fact that the horse doesn’t appear to be lame or in pain would make me reluctant to interfere with too much
The muscles and ligaments have developed to hold things in place as they are.
Exercises that would help develop that area of wasted muscle on the one side might help but make her conformation look better but if she’s perfectly fine the way she is why mess around?

How she behaves under saddle will help you make a better decision on her future and what, if anything, should be done
She’s 8 years old and not broke. Now that could just be because no one has ever been bothered or it could be because she breaks down under saddle.
 
#17 ·
It will be interesting to see how she moves now her hooves have been leveled if she didnt appear to be lame before.
It’s still common practice to use a raised shoe on one side on horses with a pelvic tilt to level them out. She seems to have either self trimmed the other way around or been badly trimmed that way.
 
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