Horse standing 'parked out'

[winegum]

I have had my horse for less than a year. In that time, he has had no lameness issues (thank god). Prior to being with me, he was standing out in a pasture for two years, gaining a considerable amount of weight. He has slimmed down to a good weight since then and has been fitted with front shoes. His feet have been maintained in the time I have had him. Since I got him, his back legs have been a little crackly (he’s about 15 or so). I went through a PPE, but the vet did not see anything alarming, though he had reportedly sustained a soft tissue injury in the past.

Recently, I have started seeing that he is standing parked out. Sometimes when he is in the cross ties, some when he is in his stall and also when waiting to mount. I have not seen him stand this way in the pasture, but I can’t say I’ve paid that much attention the times I have gone to collect him. As far as riding, he is great. He has his balance issues and stiffness to one side as all horses do, but doesn’t move as if he hurts and is able to track up behind himself.

I have poked and prodded at his back a bit and he does have some sensitivity on one side, but nothing awful. I have rolled a tennis ball around on his muscles for a long time and he loves it and does not act like it hurts him in any particular area. He picks up all four feet without causing a fuss. When he does stand parked out, I can move him over very easily and he doesn’t act as if it’s uncomfortable. He will then right himself to a normal position. He doesn’t halt parked out while riding or try and stop during our rides to stand like that.

He is an obnoxious tail swisher and swishes his tail constantly in the cross ties. He also does act very sensitive while brushing (biting the cross tie ropes, generally looking pissed off and pinning his ears). I can’t say that he is typically more sensitive in a particular area, but does seem more bothered when I brush his left side. I have outfitted him with a back on track sheet that I put on him before we ride and sometimes after and also do some stretches - all of which he is content with.

I’m just wondering if anyone knows what may be bothering him and causing him to stand like this or if anyone else has had a similar experience. He’s such a good boy under saddle and moves so well and without hesitation, but I don’t want to just brush aside the way he sometimes stands or his sensitivity to being brushed sometimes.Could the snap crackle and pop in his back legs be related? Should I try some inject-able joint supplement? He’s currently on an oral form of glucosamine, but I don’t really know if that is really doing anything and I am not 100 percent sure he gets it everyday.

[SaratogaTB]

My OTTB did exactly this. At first I wondered if he might have a UTI or sheath issue and vet ruled all that out with bloodwork and urine tests. My boy ended up having a serious ulcer issue. I think you should speak with your vet and possibly have him scoped.

[IPEsq]

Back pain, GI pain (including ulcers), hind limb issues such as suspensories, lumbo-sacral pain.

Hind limb issue less likely to cause the body touchiness. Other things more likely to correlate to that.

[SaratogaTB]

OP, are you noticing any weight loss or dullness of coat?

[Lyssabd]

I would look into ulcer treatments, the crabby attitude on the crossties and standing parked out could certainly be signs of ulcers. Same with sensitivity touching the one side of him.

Also, I would mention this to your farrier and check out your horse’s angles. I had a farrier who was trimming my draft x’s feet all kinds of funny (he is barefoot behind) and he was standing totally camped out, which is not how he has EVER been conformationally. He was also struggling under saddle and lagging behind. I had another farrier take a look, agreed with me it was his feet not his body, and with some corrective trimming we quickly had him sorted out. Might not be your case but worth mentioning!

[winegum]

@SaratogaTB

OP, are you noticing any weight loss or dullness of coat?

I haven’t. He did lose a lot of weight in the last year, but he was really overweight and that was our intention. Now he is at a healthy weight and, with the summer coming in, his coat is nice and shiny. I have considered he may have ulcers and will get my vets opinion on that. Thank you, everyone!

[tbchick84]

Any chance he just has a big bean down there that needs to be removed?

[Xanthoria]

A friends horse who parked out oddly was diagnosed with sand in his gut. Many long months of prednisone healed the irritation when it was finally figured out.

[walkers]

When i moved to my new place the horses dry lot is 100 feet from my LR windows I learned so much about their herd behaviors. Like you I was very concerned that my geldings were standing parked out. Of course had the vet look them over and the farrier, they were fine. Turns out they just do that sometimes, most of the day if there are in the dry lot not eating. I’ve noticed that when its starts getting warm and/or humid the behavior increases. ten yrs. now and the boys are fine…My mare never stands like that maybe its a gelding thing?

[bigolebay]

I agree with the other posters that a GI issue or ulcers could be high on the list of reasons for the stance. My beloved Appy (RIP), an undernourished 12 yr old rescue from a trail riding sting did that a lot when I first got him. I was told he stood like that because he was dx’d with navicular which made no sense to me as to why he would park out bearing weight on his heels if they were sore. I had stumbled on an article about back pain and ulcers and made the connection. This was pre-gastroguard and ulcers were not a big topic of conversation, but that is what I suspected. Overtime–about a year-- with lots of forage, grazing and good nutrition he stopped doing it. He lived to be 30.

[pheasantknoll]

Good for you for looking into it! I think it is a sign of discomfort, as other posts have indicated above. My old gelding started doing it 3 days before a bad colic. I learned then never to ignore a new behavior. He did survive, but it wasn’t pretty.