Help me not panic please!

[Loudlaugh12]

Hi all,

In the last 10-ish days, my horse has started off rides slightly off. Mild head bobbing at the trot. He has worked out of it within about a minute. By the time trainer came out to look at it one ride, it was gone. He has finished rides sound. It was so quick that wouldn’t have even been possible to block and test for anything. Felt like a front leg. Had vet out last week for full lameness exam—horse had zero reaction to flexions in front, flexed mildly positive behind (but we knew he was due for hock injections). Vet wasn’t sure where the min or two of weirdness was coming from. We injected hocks last week and horse was back in work yesterday after 4 days of rest. And he is still off on left front. No heat, no swelling and legs are really tight. I took some video to send to vet. Horse is in regular work but w/t/c and nothing especially strenuous and he’s never had any lameness issues. My mind is spiraling into this is a suspensory issue and we’re going to need months off and undo all the progress we’ve made on a behaviorally difficult horse this past year. My trainer is trying to calm me down by telling me it could be as simple as a rock under the pad in his shoe and not to panic yet. She also thinks the vet (who is a good lameness vet) would have seen something in the front flexions last week if it were soft tissue. I’d take any words of wisdom so I can sleep tonight. Issues with my animals make me panic. Thanks

[Scribbler]

A rock wouldn’t fix itself in a ride. That said, why does he have pads? What’s the underlying weakness? Have you spoken to the farrier?

[Loudlaugh12]

I’m not sure why he has pads…we’re going to ask the farrier. Would a suspensory issue fix itself that quick in a ride…?

[Amy3996]

Very generally, soft tissue injuries tend to get worse with more work.

I went through a very similar spiral earlier this spring with a front limb lameness that initially looked like an abscess, then maybe soft tissue. I requested ultrasound and X-ray just for my peace of mind - both were clean. It ended up being fetlock synovitis. He wrenched the hell out of his leg pulling a shoe and that was the result. 3ish weeks of rest and he was good to go again.

I’d give him a couple of weeks of stall rest or small pen, quiet turnout and no forced exercise if you can. See if that resolves the issue - if it doesn’t, it may be time to investigate further.

[IPEsq]

I would probably image the leg even if you can’t localize with blocks and flexions are negative. Although it could be something down in the foot that may be hard to see. Does the body palpate normally? Good range of motion?

[Shagyas_Rock]

Could he be cooking up an abcess?

[Loudlaugh12]

Potentially brewing an abscess…we couldn’t hoof test with the pads on. It would be a mild slow type one though.

[Posting_Trot]

Often, a lameness that a horse works out of can be caused by mild arthritis.

If possible, you could keep the horse in a stall before a vet visit, and have the vet witness the first few minutes of lameness as well as how the horse works out of it, and let the vet give you any opinion.

If it’s an on-again, off-again lameness, i.e., the horse doesn’t look lame every time you ride, then it could be associated with lyme disease. This is something your vet could test for.

[SBrentnall]

I would ultrasound that leg so you know for sure.

[keh]

Is the horse different on soft footing versus macadam?

[McGurk]

THIS. Reproduce the lameness for the vet.

[endlessclimb]

Even if you can recreate, doesn’t mean you’re going to find it. My late mare would be nearly 3 legged lame some days, except it was on a hind. She’d work out of it in ~5 minutes.

I reproduced it for multiple vets. I ultrasounded. I flexed. I xrayed. I ultrasounded. I did a bone scan.

The last thing was MRI, and that was not financially in the cards for all the other things that mare had going on.

We never found the problem. She would come out like that about 3 days a week.

[amateur_move]

Last year one of mine had a mystery lameness in his right front. Turns out he had a heel crack and thrush. We treated with “Today” lactating cow medication and he was almost instantly better. Hoping your issue is something as easily fixed!