Just curious. My companion pony has a locking stifle but is otherwise sound. It’s the full lock where he hops a couple of steps before it will flex. It only happens occasionally, and exercise would help. Is driving an option for him? Or a bad idea?
Thanks!
Anything in particular that makes it lock? A horse I knew couldn’t back up, doing so would lock his stifle. But if you never went where you needed to back up, he could have been driven.
I would suggest that if you try driving, a kicking strap over his croup area, would be a good safety item for those hopping times.
He also has to have the mind for Driving. Driving is not for all animals, though it might seem like every horse can drive.
Interesting idea about the kicking strap! As far as whether he is a good candidate for driving, he is a prototypical bratty, confident, smart, head-strong pony. Does that sound like a good candidate:lol:?
I had a horse with a locking stife (actually the term is misleading since it is the patella which actually “locks” because the mumblemumbe ligament which slides across it to hold it in place so a horse can sleep standing up, gets caught). There is a surgery that can be easily performed to snip the ligament, if it gets so bad that the horse’s quality of life declines.
My horse would not skip several steps, but every once in a while he would look like he had stringhalt because that leg would sometimes snatch higher than the other.
The solution was to keep him in constant work: 6 - 7 days a week. With lots of trotting. Under this exercise plan he went on to show in the hunter division at the AA level for another year before he was retired (because he was 16 and I was going off to law school).
So, my reply is: yes he can, if you are prepared to keep him in solid work and not just drive him as a sometimey thing.
Thanks LH! He was actually quite a fancy show hunter, who had to be retired because of the stifle. So I think his former owners tried to keep him fit, etc. I know they blistered the ligament, but they did not do the surgery.
I am likely going to end up re-homing him, since he is not working out well as a companion pony with only one other horse. That is why I was pondering some possible options for him. He doesn’t like to be left alone (not because he is insecure, he is more indignant lol!) I will probably be posting him on the giveaways forum soon. Here is a picture of his cute self.
Oops, duplicate post!
Yes you see horses/ponies out there with the locking stifle
BUT do NOT get sucked into the “WoW this driving is fun and my pony can do it
Gee Id really like to do some CDE and shows” Syndrome
You have a pony with a physical flaw that does not show him to his best WHEN it occurs - this is NOT a good show candidate
he was already retired from one show ring - just avoid the second
Get someone to show you some ground work and work on that til you need more help going on to hitching the pony
As GH says - not ALL equines are good candidates to drive
sometimes its lack of confidence
sometimes it being too headstrong and not listening
but its worth a try and if you are lucky you will have a new fun job for your pony
Personally, I wouldn’t do it. It isn’t fair to the pony to ask it to pull something when one of its hindquarters is not “sound”. As as you are thinking of rehoming the pony because it doesn’t suit your needs, I would just dispense with the idea of teaching it to drive (if it will), and concentrate on locating a new home.
I did have a pony that developed a locking stifle, and immediately retired her as she was part of a pair, and her ailment was enough to unbalance the striding when the stifle caught. She was sold as a leadline pony because she was so very very gentle and sweet and loving and kind and perfect with tiny kids. In her new life she’d never be asked to do more than walk around the front yard from time to time, and allow the family’s tiny tots to brush and love on her.
Ha ha, I am not above (or below?) delusions of grandeur, but I don’t think this will be a problem!
Thanks all for your advice!
The little mini that I drive, that I have been driving for a couple years, that I trained from an unhandled wild child at 9 years old, just this spring, had a luxating patella.
The funny thing is, that with this condition, you are often told that steady work and muscle building & fitness of the hind end will help keep this from happening… so how the mini, who is in full work, regularly does hills, and is in great fitness, ended up having this I have no idea.
He would lose nearly all use of the leg, and if you backed him up, it would pop into place again and he’d be fine. Happened 3 times over the course of a week back in May-ish, and I continued driving him as normal. He’s been on a regular schedule this summer, and has been to shows, and has not had the problem again.
So weird.
Interesting Chewbacca. I think my little guy was a pretty successful show pony before this issue developed.
It was very strange. Really distressing to see it happen to him, and very alarming because he could not move his leg, but he worked right through the issue and it happened just during that week and never again. So strange.
He just went out and did a 1hr 20min drive yesterday, we went exploring some new trails. I’m not sure how many miles we did, maybe just 4. We walked most of the trails, but he was super.
Such a weird problem to have.
If you are on FB, here is a link to a video of him on those trails yesterday, just a quick one.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=495733993863216&l=4836013574902577443
Locking stifles is pretty common in minis and some smaller ponies. It’s genetic, and keeping them in regular not-too-hard work will help keep it from getting worse as the horse builds enough muscle to help support the stifle when it locks up. For ponies too small to ride or be ponied from a horse driving can be a good way to keep them exercised. A medium trot on good footing with only smaller hills is perfect, provided the pony is a sane driving horse.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
