I just got a 7 YO OTTB Gelding. I didn’t get him directly Off the track, though, I got him off a horse dealer. He was sound the first few days but he’s gotten lame with work (Not super intense, just walk, trot, cantering lightly). I was looking at his legs and it looks like he definitely had a bow at some point. I think it’s old because there is no heat, but it is also on the left leg which is the direction that he is lame on (Counter clockwise, perfectly sound going clockwise) so could it be the bow, or is something else causing his lameness?
It could be related to the old injury, it could be something new. Your vet needs to come out sooner rather than later and evaluate him. I would keep him in his stall until then if he’s quiet, otherwise put him in as small a turnout space as he will stay quiet in.
Suspensory and collateral ligament injuries are more likely to cause uni-directional lameness, though a bow is not out of the question either.
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My horse has pedal ostitis in his front right and if he has too much sole pressure he is lame going right and not to the left. So could be foot related too
Well that’s what I’m hoping! I think might be foot related because he was at horse dealer, so there were a lot of horses an abscess is very possible! Thank you!
Do you think it could still be the bow, even though there is no heat, swelling, and no apparent pain when I touch it? I don’t know his history so it’s hard to know how new the bow is.
It’s a possibility…you can probably narrow down location by going with standard lameness exam with blocks.
UPDATE: He was trotting around the small round pin the s’morning and he was super lame, so I put him in his stall. I let him out once he’d calmed (He’d been herd bound to a mare that left this morning) and he wasn’t mis-stepping at all. His lameness is very intermittent and only one direction and when he is lame he is very much short stepping on that left front. Any ideas? I’m hoping hoof related and nothing to do with the bow.
(The vet is coming out in a few days)
Intermittent lameness like that is still more likely to be suspensory or collateral or annular ligament, though could still be a tendon. In other words, you still need the vet, nobody will know from here 
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Pus pocket in the foot blowing the tendon up further up the leg? Good luck with the vet.
Do you know his registered name? Chances are the bow occurred while he was on the track, so you could get a general idea of how old the bow is likely to be based on when he last raced. Racing records are available for free, if you know his name. Did you buy this horse outright, or is it on trial? Is the bow up high, down low, or in the middle? Were you not aware of it before buying the horse? Even if it’s an “old” bow, it could be making the horse lame if he was not given the proper care and time off post-injury.
It could be something else, but given the shady history… my money would be on the bow.
He is on trial, I just really lie him and it’s been several horses so I am just hoping it’s not the tendon. The thing is there’s no heat and no apparent pain when I touch the bow, and it’s not swollen. Wouldn’t there be heat? We’re still trying to figure it out he’s going in for x-rays soon. I’m afraid might be a bone chip. I have looked up his record and gotten good idea and looks like it was a few years ago, cause he had two race and than he DNFed so I don’t know finger crossed.
If you don’t own him, and he’s just on trial and is already lame, just take a deep breath and send him back. Don’t buy a lame horse and try to figure it out. I wouldn’t even pay the vet to come look at him. Send him back and save yourself money and lost riding time and heartache.
If you really like him, tell the seller to give you a call when he’s sound again (but honestly I would just let this one go).
Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on somebody else’s horse with x rays to find out why he’s lame, fact those cant see soft tissue anyway. You need Ultra Sound for that and nerve blocks to locate exactly where to x Ray or US…unless you want to shoot and US the whole leg which will likely triple the cost of the exam. Horse was probably getting a Bute at the dealer, wears off in a few days.
Generally, you should not buy a lame horse. Put the money you’d spend finding out what’s wrong towards a horse thats not lame.
What has the horse been doing since he had the DNF a few years ago? Generally, if they have been doing anything productive and staying sound, they don’t end up with a dealer. In answer to your question about not feeling heat, no, there’s not always heat with suspensory injuries or if it’s on the DDFT way down low. You can’t feel anything sometimes.
Unless he was free and you have money to burn doing loads of vet work and potentially months of rehab, I would send him back as well. Don’t buy trouble! You could end up with a pasture pet.
