my mare has had a “puffy” hind leg for a few weeks but hasn’t taken a lame step.
Im starting to get concerned as it’s not getting better and Of course my vet is out of town this week!
I’m giving her the week off and will ice it until he can come see her next week.
it looks like it’s her annular ligament, but again she’s sound? It does bother her to push on it though.
Any armchair vets have any ideas what this could be? I’m crossing everything I have that it’s nothing major!
Do you have any pictures to share, from the side?
Lots of soft tissue injuries don’t cause lameness. I would treat it like a strain until you can get an ultrasound on it just in case.
It’s hard to tell from the photo but it could be construction of the annular ligament. Basically the annular ligament starts tightening and binds the other structures. The lameness on both horses I’ve had with it was extremely mild. We rested both horses- the first one for six weeks, the second one for two months. The first horse never had another issue with it- he was ridden competively for the next nine years without it recurring.
The second horse recovered well for 3-4 months after layup. He was worked extremely lightly one day and it flared again. We had two options- rest him again, which had worked temporarily- or do the surgery. We did the surgery and it went well. He’s back to full work now.
You’re doing the absolute right thing, btw. If it was my horse I would be icing, surpass, wrapping, and maybe equioxx.
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