Chronic fetlock swelling, slight heat, absolutely no lameness??

[RedRoan16]

I have the vet coming out to look at my boy/ do an ultrasound, but am interested in getting others opinions/ experiences. Want to explore all avenues since I am worried that there may not be a singular cause/ answer to his problem!

I have an 18 yr old who is consistently ridden, shown a handful of times during the summer (when I got him at age 11 he was green broke and did not begin jumping until age 13)
He has always had stocking up in his R hind, but always goes down with exercise or extensive turnout time, gets chiro adjustments every year and hocks injected every 6 months for stickiness. Has absolutely no history or lameness or serious injuries and has been barefoot his entire life.

Within the past 3-4 months his R hind fetlock has been bigger than usual, the past month has been the biggest. He presents with hard swelling, slight heat specifically on the middle anterior portion of the fetlock, bigger than usual windgalls, and posterior swelling that looks like a low bowed tendon. He has had absolutely no lameness/ stiffness and his leg goes down at least 1/2 size during exercise or after turnout time.
poultice wraps, bandaging, and cold hosing don’t provide any noticeable difference in size, but DMSO sweating seemed to bring down swelling.

After the chiro came in for an annual adjustment he seemed concerned about his leg and thought it could be a possible extensor tendon injury. Since the appt I have noticed him knuckling his R hind in the Xties and in his stall. Since, I have also been treating him with MTG for scratches on his front and hind leg (I noticed this after he was loosing hair and leg was becoming pink w/scabs) after treating, leg still remained the same in size.

Again, absolutely no lameness, stiffness, or unusual pain/ agitation from him.

what could be the possible cause/ has anyone had a similar problem? how long should I expect for recovery/ what would be a possible prognosis?

I have attached pics for reference

[Marla_100]

From the pics it looks like overly long toes on the hooves, which will cause or exascerbate tendon problems especially
extensors. My guess is you have some inflammation going on caused by the hoof imbalance. Any better pics showing
hoof angles? And sole shots would be helpful also. Looks like heels left growing forward and long toes = imbalanced foot= injury/trauma.

[RedRoan16]

Here are pics of L and R hind, hope this helps a bit. can get sole pics later today. Farrier was out about 4 weeks ago for trimming and is due soon for another. In the summer months his feet have a tendency to get chipped, uneven, and wear down easily. I’ve had same farrier since I’ve owned him. Any suggestions on trimming and shoeing if so?

[Marla_100]

You need to find a farrier who understands how to properly balance and trim. Without seeing sole I’m guessing you
have 1) heels running too far forward and 2) toes left too long so your entire hoof is migrating forward thus stretching
the toe. Again, most farriers do not take direction from owners very well. Any other farriers around you?

[beowulf]

Stop riding him, get the vet out for an ultrasound ASAP, and fire your “farrier”. I would be seriously worried about a ligament injury here. I had a collateral ligament rupture look like that once, but it is impossible to tell with the naked eye and is why ultrasounds were invented.

I would also stop putting any sort of poultice or liniment on that leg.

[RedRoan16]

Thanks for the input! I’ll be reaching out to get another farrier to take a look/ do his hooves and also see what the vet recommends for him.

[Marla_100]

Correcting this problem will be a process, not an immediate fix. Just as it took a while to have this develop, it will
take several corrective trims to correct it. And depending on horse’s leg/body conformation it could be an ongoing
challenge. Without seeing inside the hoof, you can’t tell if there’s other damage that’s been happening.

You might want to educate yourself in the meantime. Google can teach you a lot. Look up Underrun Heels-Long toes.