Another lameness question, out of curiosity -- Swinging haunches in on circle?

[RainWeasley]

I’m starting to get pretty interested in learning more about lameness and how horses move to prevent working certain parts that are bothering them. My current question: If a horse is lunging on a circle and is swinging their haunches to the inside of the circle while turning their head to the outside, what does that possibly hint at them trying to avoid? Not like nice bend through the body, but almost like a leg yield on the circle with the hind end to the inside and head and neck straight ahead. And then haunches swinging to the outside going the opposite way.

I should be able to picture what the horse might be trying to take the load off of, but my brain is not wanting to connect dots today. Anyone have ideas/ insider lameness expert knowledge?

[Scribbler]

I wouldn’t say lame per se unless there are other signs.

I would say horse is very bent in one direction and needs straightness training. I would start with in hand lateral work at the walk starting with bending to the side they don’t want to go. Generally the side they bend towards is the tight constricted side. Also walk lateral under saddle.

I would avoid longeing much if it’s this pronounced.

Is this a green horse?

[beowulf]

There is too little here for a definitive answer, video would help.

In general, horses are crooked and may be slightly crooked in one direction.

A horse that travels crooked at the trot, may have a different issue than a horse that travels crooked at walk, or canter.

Many reasons to travel crooked - SI issues, saddle fit, backsoreness, hock soreness, suspensory injury, stifle issues, neurological issues, cervical arthritis…

When diagnosing where a horse is lame, the gaits employed are often very telling – a horse that canters crooked but trots reasonably fine, usually has SI or stifle pain; a horse that trots crooked may be trailing the hocks to avoid loading them. A horse that walks crooked to the degree you mention above, probably has something serious going on.

Like Scribbler said if it is this pronounced, avoid lunging and it may be time to involve a vet.

[Scribbler]

If this is at a walk I’d be really worried!

My mental image from the description is of a green horse flailing around at a running trot, on the forehand, too stiff to really navigate a 20 metre circle in balance yet. Or really unbalanced canter.

IIRC OP is restarting an older green mare and maybe some other green horses? It actually isn’t easy for a green horse to balance on a 20 metre circle longe or under saddle. I would also watch this horse st liberty to see how she moves. Often people don’t see crookedness when horse is moving in a straight line but it’s still there.

If this is new behaviour in a well schooled horse that would be a very different story.

[RainWeasley]

It was a horse I was watching being lunged, not mine and don’t have video. Horse has SOMETHING off somewhere in the hind end, hasn’t been checked by vet yet. But I noticed it was moving like this. Not a green horse, fairly well schooled, usually travels more correctly, and this was at a trot. Walk is fine, they didn’t canter. It’s avoiding loading something, one of the hinds I think, I just wondered if anyone knew off the top of their head what moving with the haunches to the inside would be unloading. There might not be an actual answer, it was more for educational purposes because it seems to me like that would be indicative of something. Maybe I will hear about it when they figure out what is going on, might be good information to know for the future.

[findthedistance]

Hypothetically, if a horse were traveling haunches-in when tracking left in trot and haunches-out when tracking right in trot, I would suspect something wrong with the left hind, which would be taking less weight/providing less push when traveling in that manner.

BUT – there are so many more factors here that it really could be anything from neck to hoof, based off just your description.

[RedHorses]

Inside hind (swinging haunches in).

I had a horse with a hock issue that caused pain when flexed beyond a certain point. His position of choice was that quarter shifted away from the centre which both allowed him to carry more weight on the other hind and to swing the affected leg out rather than fold it up under himself.

I had a stifle injury this year that also showed a similar crooked carriage.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[Chall]

Was it an ex racehorse?

[RainWeasley]

@findthedistance

Hypothetically, if a horse were traveling haunches-in when tracking left in trot and haunches-out when tracking right in trot, I would suspect something wrong with the left hind, which would be taking less weight/providing less push when traveling in that manner.

BUT – there are so many more factors here that it really could be anything from neck to hoof, based off just your description.

That’s kinda what I was trying to think about, which hind is taking more weight that way. There are always a million other factors, but still a good thing to think about.

[merrygoround]

The first move is to get an expert eye out to look at said horse, after that hurdle is cleared, the rider’s job is to slowly and careful, using ages old exercises to help straighten the horse. Depending on his age success will vary. The older a horse is the more difficult it is to totally straighten.