Lame Horse 3 months....

[sbwinde]

I have a horse, who has been limping for about 3 months. It started when we were loping down a trail and something happened, she began limping (I think it was the back leg, but couldn’t be certain). Then she had white line disease in her front hoof, which we nursed. That cleared up and she cut the hoof open on a rock (same hoof). A few weeks later, she appeared to have thrush in three hooves. That was last week. I have treated all of these things, and it just seems non-stop. She is active, but she is still limping. I am wondering if it could be something bigger. Any thoughts?

They live in a field with lots of rocks, (I am in Texas), but the have access to their stalls at all times. I check on them twice a day- it is not that I am not caring for them. My other two are fine, but she is a rescue who was malnurished for her first 4 years of life. I wonder if she just has “bad feet” like people sometimes jsut have “bad teeth”.

My ferrier has been doing all of the checking up and diagnosing up to this point. He doesn’t see a problem, but I am not sure and am having a vet come out this week (hopefully).

She is still very active, and plays and bucks and runs, just with a limp.

[Appsolute]

Your horse could have quite possibly injured a tendon or ligament - soft tissue injury- with a bad step as you were cantering down the trail… which, left untreated (as this one has been) could result in a permanent lameness.

Or perhaps a bone chip (again, left untreated as this has been - can result in major, lasting damage). There are many possibilities, but a lameness that starts while the horse is being exercised, and persists for 3 months - I would not think hoof or something simple - but more likely something that needed treatment, 3 months ago.

If it was a stone bruise, or other hoof issue, it should have cleared up by now.

You need a VET to look at the horse (not a farrier).

[Jumper221]

Farriers are trained in hoof care, not in diagnosing lameness generally. So yes, if your horse is still lame 3 months after an injury, you should have a vet look at it, and if it were my horse, one would have been out much sooner.