Horse sore when shod - LH only

[Old_Mac_Donald]

My horse has been a bit of a “jerk” to the farrier for a while now, but only when working on his left hind only. I had him shod in the hind for the first time last cycle (today was his second time) and today he started protesting in earnest. He even kicked the farrier which is one step away from being a fired client!

Has anyone else had a horse that was an angel for one hind, and basically collapses on the other? What was your horse’s diagnosis?

Some things to help:

• This is an increasing issue, but today was the worst and he went from “misbehaving” to “pain related responses”, so the horse is not being blamed.

• it is only one foot and one horse, so not a farrier issue.

• the horse is coming back into work from injury (unrelated to his hindend at all) and I have noticed he is struggling with his hind laterally. He has had a couple of missteps recently where he felt like he tripped behind, or slid out. Maybe once every few rides, but enough that you go “this is a pattern”.

• around the time the issue first arose last year (jerking foot away, getting antsy) he started blowing up in the changes.

I am starting him on arthropen (pentosan?) this week to see if this helps. He will be getting Bute before the next farrier visit to see if that makes a difference.

I have never had anyone raise an issue to me about his soundness, and he gets looked at by a couple of coaches regularly. His bodyworker did find he was sore through the left hammie years ago, well pre-dating this behaviour. This was resolved. He had an issue with muscle soreness behind the saddle on the right side last year; this was resolved and he is not sore there presently. His initial “misbehaviour” with the farrier was chalked up to this injury. He is palpated before every ride.

He is not stoic, if he is sore… you know about it. He is sound in his work, and happy enough within himself. He was on an oral joint supplement which really made no difference, so he’s been off it a month. He starts his arthropen course Friday. He does not show any difference in his tracking up in the paddock, nor does he rest any hind foot particularly. He’s always a “four feet on the ground” guy.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Photo taken Monday. He’s grazing, and has just stepped forward which is why he is not standing square. No, he tells me he is not pregnant either. He gets no grain, just fibre.

[JB]

@Old_Mac_Donald

He has had a couple of missteps recently where he felt like he tripped behind, or slid out.

this suggests a stifle issue, which can be really painful when a leg is held up for the act of trimming, and then shoeing

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Thanks! Yes, I found an old thread on here comparing hock and stifle pain, and he definitely fits the criteria for stifles (or stifles caused by sore hocks). “Stepping in the hole” definitely describes the odd missteps he has taken.

A few years ago he started scrambling in the right (driver side) bay of a two horse straight load float. He floats fine in the left (curb side) bay, with the wall to his left, or diagonal with his head on the right and bum on the left. Wonder if that is connected?

[OTTB-Hunter]

Not sure if this really helps you are not, but my mare was terrible for her FR only. Took us a bit to figure out that she actually had an issue with the LF and when she was asked to stand on it for long periods of time she’d throw a fit. She was never bad, never tried to bite or kick the farrier, but very adamantly told us she wanted her FR back on the ground by pulling it back or hopping up until he had to let go. The only way we could get her shod was to sedate her heavily. Once we got the pain in the LF straightened out she’s been much better. We’re slowly weaning her off the sedation drugs without incident.

Bute the night before and morning of the farrier really helps her. I think she still expects pain sometimes and I want to make sure she doesn’t have any to make her regress.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Thanks! Farrier agreed with trialling bute before his next visit, and I will do some work to try and pinpoint his comfortable range of motion.

[anonevent]

I was about to suggest the same. To really get to the bottom of it, you might want to x-ray (if you don’t have recent images) and do some blocks to confirm if the painful foot is the one being worked on, or the one under extra pressure.

[Ziggy793]

Yes, agree with everyone about, the stepping in a hole points to stifle. Wanted to add that for my gelding, the stifle slip (in his case RH) was actually caused by EPM and it was his first EPM symptom (and how I caught it pretty early). One more thing to think about if you notice any other symptoms pop up!

[Old_Mac_Donald]

We don’t have EPM here, thank goodness. Our possums cause CGTWBPAMC (Can’t Go To Work Because Possums Ate My Car).

[Ziggy793]

A much more preferable consequence of possum mischief IMO!!

[cattywampus]

Why are your possums so much cuter?

[JB]

@Old_Mac_Donald

Our possums cause CGTWBPAMC

And, an entirely different animal altogether. That’s a Possum. In North America, it’s actually an Oppossum, though nearly everyone calls them possums (which really should be written 'possum)

[Old_Mac_Donald]

I know. This is a brushtailed possum. Young juvenile male who was successfully caught in my Beemer-trap (actually I scruffed him and hoicked him in) and relocated to a possum sanctuary / rehabilitation.

US opossums look like they just evolved in Fallout!

[NaturallyHappy]

He really is a cutie.

[JB]

@Old_Mac_Donald

hoicked him in

Hoicked

I agree your Possums are inherently cuter than our Oppossums! But I still think ours are cute in their own little gnarly way

[Peggy]

My horse acted sore on RH with the farrier. Went away with bute. Got new farrier for other reasons. No longer needed bute so there must have been something different about the way the two farriers held feet—not wrong or bad, just different.

Subsequently decided that the RH was NQR—not lame, but distinctly harder to move laterally. Horse also did the flat tire thing occasionally. Had vet out thinking it was stifle. No. Sacroiliac. Injected both SI with ACS. Some improvement. Did shockwave on SI. Much more improvement. Have continued IV injections with ACS. Feels amazing.

YMMV

[TWH_Girl]

My guy does tend to be sore in his stifles and it manifests when holding his feet for the farrier. He feels great right now under saddle and tracks up nicely.
I used equioxx the night before and morning of the farrier and dorm for some light sedation. This seems to help as he has front shoes on. For trims where he isn’t holding his hoof up for as long, he is fine without anything, but for shoes it’s helpful to have something on board to prevent any sudden snatches from the farrier.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Thanks! This is tracking with what my coach has said. He believes the issue is that the horse’s stifle is catching. We did some work with him this morning to see if taking the hoof down and back (rather than up and back) illicits the fall-down response, which it doesn’t.

Apparently the horse had very minor issues with catching stifles as a youngster. So, see if cartophen helps him overall and talk to my vet about an oral sedative and pain relief to try and make the process easier. If he has trouble next round I’ll then get the stifles x-rayed.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Update: Hock x-rays revealed significant arthritis and formation of a small bone spur on that hind leg. Hock joint is actively fusing at the front.

Stifle and fetlock were clear.

[TWH_Girl]

Ugh sorry to hear that! What did they recommend for any treatment? Bone spurs can be incidental findings. I’d bet the fusing is causing the most pain.