Super frustrated as I am just not feeling like I am winning with this horse. I do not own horse but I am on the ownership path for it. Super sweet and nice to handle animal that has a great brain. The barn where I am boarding now doesn’t do much turnout in the winter. I thought it would be more since they do have dry lots available but unless it is a really nice day with little moisture on the ground and no frozen ground the horses do not go out. Not ideal for a younger animal like I am trying to work with and bring back into a routine. Horse is now showing an occasional tiny tiny bit of hitch for lack of a better word in their trot. Same back leg every time. Works out of it with minimal warm up.
Vet will be coming out to do spring shots soon so I can ask for a lameness exam then. But maybe I am not really seeing anything? No heat in the leg, no head bobbing, no favoring of leg. Just a pesky tiny bit of a hitch with the appearance of not quite over tracking by maybe a few inches? I haven’t done a bute test yet to see if it goes away but since it isn’t always there I am not sure if that would tell me much? Am I being unreasonable to be borderline ready to panic over something that I can’t even feel under saddle and only see intermittently? I see it when lunging after coming out of the stall after being in literally 24/7 except for when I come to exercise.
Current purchase budget means doing a through PPE with xrays isn’t realistic. Which is why the ability to have horse in my possession for this extended trial time to get them off the owners bill has been great. Horse was not in work previous to this trial and just living in a field mostly untouched for 6+ months so there wasn’t much knowledge of soundness and work history to go off of prior to pick up. I understand that there likely isn’t a perfect horse out there in my budget in this market but I also cannot have another animal that is just a pet. I want to learn to ride better and be able to show some.
In my limited experience with my own horses over the years, a slight hind leg “hitch” that he works out of has been a beginning presentation of onset of hock arthritis. And it has happened at relatively young ages, and frequently my horses with this can even trot out well at a lameness exam.
Since you sound as you really want to buy this horse, maybe consider springing for at least a hock x-ray as a baseline for your records, not necessarily to rule out purchase. My horses with hock arthritis started with a hitch like you describe, but have fox hunted and evented and dressaged into their early 20’s, one with a right hock x-ray at 20 hat looks like swiss cheese, with more holes than cheese. At 26 now and retired, she still looks beautiful trotting in the pasture.
Just don’t be surprised if hock injections, etc. are needed in the future. It is not the end of the world.
Disclaimer: Your own horse may vary, and may not even have any hock problems. I am just stating my own experiences.
I guess I’d say that if you really want to buy this horse, you need to find a different place to board, a place that has more turnout year round.
I don’t think you’ve said how old this horse is, but lack of turnout could cause a lot of issues over the longer term.
Good luck!
Thank you for your insight. My old pasture pet has had their share of issues but it has all been due to poor early hoof care and bad conformation. This is supposed to be my “upgrade” purchase such as it is on a limited budget in a crazy market time. I am having the chiropractor out soon as I can as well to see if they find anything as well. That is at least more affordable than xrays. My last xrays were stupidly expensive on the pasture pet.
Affordable boarding options are getting harder and harder to find. And the reduced turnout is becoming more common locally too. Smaller facilities with little land or they won’t add extra cross fencing to have more even if they are smaller pastures. Horse is on the younger side. Between 5 and 7? Young enough such an issue is really not ideal to be starting their working life with. Was nicely green broke in the year previous to me picking up but hadn’t done anything in 6-9 months. Had to totally reset the fitness clock and routine. So either they can’t handle a still pretty light work load and are breaking down, standing in a stall is making a preexisting issue uncomfortable or there has been a tiny injury that hasn’t been caught yet?
My vet was so interested in my mare’s hock, having treated her for over 10 years, that she asked me if she could take a no-charge x-ray. Just a single lateral image was enough. And I am convinced that my guys with arthritis have done well long term because they had lot and lots or turnout time. In fact 24/7 turnout for about 2/3 of their lives.
If you can’t afford a vet visit for a lameness issue, then you can’t afford to own a horse. Any horse. Period.
Never said I couldn’t afford it I am choosing the way I want to afford it. Until there is something enough to see consistently I am not going to try and schedule a vet visit for the issue to not decide to show that day. Vet is coming out for shots soon so might as well wait and see if something gives or changes by then. I read all these threads about the thousands upon thousands people spend chasing a little something that may or may not be an issue. Sometimes the issue is found more times than not it is a futile effort. If an acute issue were to pop up immediate care would be sought without question. I have worked with and owned horses long enough to know where that line is.
In my experience a sound horse does not get a hitch from lack of turnout. They may get fat and lazy or they might get explosive. But they won’t develop a hitch.
Agree.
I x ray my sound riding horse and my old lamé retiree. It’s a drop in the bucket.
If the few dollars it will take to do flexion plus a few x rays is a hardship then it’s not to time to buy a horse.
When was the last time the horse had podiatry rads shot?
Yup. Maybe overall stiffness but one leg that consistently looks off? Time for the vet.
I’m also going to say if you’re trying to find creative ways to diagnose a hitch due to finances (whether by choice or by force), it’s not the time to buy a horse. Especially not this horse.
Skip the chiro, get the vet. Seriously. Chiropractic care is useful in some cases, but is not a diagnostic tool.
Lack of turnout doesn’t make a truly sound horse hitchy or lame. It’ll make them equilaterally stiff or downright explosive. A horse with a vague hind end issue that’s been in no work is going to require maintenance of some sort - maybe just shoeing and 24/7 turnout, maybe regular injections/limited use/etc. If you really want to buy this horse, it’s in the best interest of the animal and your wallet to find boarding where he can get consistent turnout.
Video him. Every time you see that hitch, take a quick video.
There’s simply no way to know what’s going on without a reasonable lameness exam
What is he doing before you see this hitch? Was he napping, and lying on that side each time? Lying on the other side each time?
If it’s a hind leg, that doesn’t cause head bobbing, unless it was major, which isn’t the case.
You don’t necessarily need a full, extensive PPE, but you DO need a solid lameness evaluation which may end up including an ultrasound.
But start by taking videos every time you see this hitch, and note everything about the situation prior to bringing him out of the stall.
I’ll raise one other possibility. If the horse truly has an on-again, off-again slight hitch, that can be an indication of lyme disease.
Might be worth discussing with the vet as well.
It may be string halt, horses will warm out of string halt hitches.
I’m going to echo others, skip the chiro and get a lameness exam/ x-rays/diagnostics. It will save you money any maybe heartache in the long run.
Based on what you’ve written, it would be best to spend the money on a vet instead of chiropractor, unless they have x-ray vision. Spend some money on a lameness exam and a couple of x-rays so you know for sure. It’ll save a lot of stress.
I’d agree with what most people have suggested – arthritis. It’s always worse in cold, damp weather and the less turnout the worse it gets.
I’d also have a lameness evaluation/flexions and go from there. Likely hock or stifle… perhaps both. X-rays are great to have, but I do understand they aren’t cheap.
If it’s mild, Adequan is great starting point IMO.
