Do you have any high potassium plants in your paddocks that your horse is eating in the summer but aren’t present in the winter?
Flatweed can create problems for horses that develop a taste for it and the legumes like clover and alfalfa can be too potassium rich for some horse.
Soybean and molasses in feeds can put the potassium threshold over the limit in sensitive horses

Potassium Imbalance: Hyperkalemia in Horses - Kentucky Equine Research

When potassium concentration in the bloodstream gets too high, a condition known as hyperkalemia, it can be life-threatening.

ker.com

 

Do you have any high potassium plants in your paddocks that your horse is eating in the summer but aren’t present in the winter?
Flatweed can create problems for horses that develop a taste for it and the legumes like clover and alfalfa can be too potassium rich for some horse.
Soybean and molasses in feeds can put the potassium threshold over the limit in sensitive horses

Not that I’m aware of but I’ll take a look, I did take her completely off pasture for a month and had her in a dirt pen with just hay and that didn’t give any improvement.

 

I think this would lead me down the path of a venogram.

 

I have a 10 year old QH pleasure mare. For 2 years now she has been stiff on the front end between June and September.
I’ve had 3 different chiropractors work on her, blood work is clean, x rays are clean, nutritionist evaluated her feed and he’s in an adequate program between pasture and minerals.
I took her completely off grass and only fed her the same hay she gets all winter for over a month and it had no effect.
Her feet are inconsistently hot and goes between both feet randomly, some days no heat.
She moves stiff and sometimes good but when she first gets up she moves like a horse with bad rotation.
what blows everyone’s mind is that she’s good all winter.

"Stiff in the front end" is pretty obscure.

Is it her feet?
Is it her knees?
Shoulders?
Neck?

You said you have had xrays done, but have you also had a lameness exam (with nerve blocks, etc)?
It would be much easier to help out if you could better pinpoint where the pain seems to be most located.
I'm assuming feet, from your description, but it's never good to assume!

 

"Stiff in the front end" is pretty obscure.

Is it her feet?
Is it her knees?
Shoulders?
Neck?

You said you have had xrays done, but have you also had a lameness exam (with nerve blocks, etc)?
It would be much easier to help out if you could better pinpoint where the pain seems to be most located.
I'm assuming feet, from your description, but it's never good to assume!

Yes I’ve had more than one vet exam, nerve blocks. She looks like a horse with laminitis.
Magen they did the nerve block it did not take her to 100%.

 

Check you pasture for weeds. See a weed pull it out. Are there any oak trees around? Check out what type of trees are around that seeds could blow into the pasture and leaves. what xrays did you have done? Is she barefoot? shoes ? shoes and pads? Overweight ?hypp pssm1 ?

 

No trees in the pasture, no oak trees, just poplar in the area. She is overweight from not being ridden since June but prior was in very good condition. She’s currently barefoot, I’ve tried shoes with no difference. Her sire was 5 panel negative, came from a breeding facility and I contacted them to ask about any in her bloodlines and they said no.
I sprayed my pasture with graze on 2 years ago so got rid of most of the weeds though thistles are starting to come back’

 

I wonder if she is having circulatory system issues? It goes with the warmest time of the year, possible that her circulatory system isn't dilating as it need in the warmer months. that is what I was thinking when I suggested a venogram.

 

Her feet are inconsistently hot and goes between both feet randomly, some days no heat.

Does she ever have an abscess blow?

She moves stiff and sometimes good but when she first gets up she moves like a horse with bad rotation.
what blows everyone’s mind is that she’s good all winter.
She looks like a horse with laminitis.
When they did the nerve block it did not take her to 100%.

That is odd, because usually colder temps make circulation and symptoms worse.

She’s currently barefoot, I’ve tried shoes with no difference.

Can you post pictures of her feet?

What kind of shoes did you try? (pads, special design, etc)

 

Does she ever have an abscess blow?



That is odd, because usually colder temps make circulation and symptoms worse.




Can you post pictures of her feet?

What kind of shoes did you try? (pads, special design, etc)

I didn’t realize you can post pictures/videos on here. I’ll post a video of her and get some foot pics. No abscesses, my farrier has always said how good and solid her feet are

 

How bad are the flies there? Is she stomping really bad?

At ten my first thought would be Navicular but I'm sure you've had that ruled out.

 

Flies aren’t bad and I spray her if they are.
no laminitis or navicular a had both x rays and ultrasounds on her legs and feet.

 

the last one did nerve blocks in both front feet and said she was moving better but not 100% and suggested an MRI for possible tear within the hoof. This does not explain why she walks out of it and why she’s better in the winter.

no laminitis or navicular a had both x rays and ultrasounds on her legs and feet.

Sure she could have navicular.
Just because the xrays are clean, doesn't mean the soft tissue around the structure isn't "sick".
Yes, and MRI would give you more information about what the soft tissue is doing, does she have a tear, etc etc.
The heel pain can still be there even though the xrays "look good".

I have two horses with navicular. One pretty much had clean rads his whole life until the last couple years. But sore on his front feet. He would never completely 100% block either. Kept him managed for many, many years with many things, including special shoes.

 

So why would she be sound all winter? I ride way more in the winter than the summer. Roping, sorting cows, gymkhana. We do it all over the winter with no soundness issues.

 

I would probably have her tested for pssm. Possibly her dam wasn't tested, the breeding was to a different stallion, etc. It just sounds suspicious that she is better when working like a pssm horse.
That is, unless she reacts strongly to hoof testers, in which case I would guess gaining weight when off work could give her flares of laminitis.

 

So why would she be sound all winter? I ride way more in the winter than the summer. Roping, sorting cows, gymkhana. We do it all over the winter with no soundness issues.

Don't know. That's a question for your vet.
Now, what region were you located in again? Winter is very different in different parts of the country!
Maybe the fact that you ride more in the winter (more movement and exercise for her) that might also have something to do with it.

 

We’re in central alberta. Cold and lots of snow.
I was wondering that too, maybe there’s something small getting worse and by June she’s lame and takes a few months of no riding to get better.