Lameness Stumping Everyone… 🤔

If you don’t already have his medical records from the previous owners, it might be worth a polite request to them, just so any furute examinations have as thorough a history as possible.

9 Likes

What is his turnout like?

You might want to throw some hoof boots behind and see if that makes any difference, he could be missing the support and that’s why the lameness is so noticeable.

There’s definitely something going on and I’d encourage you to get a second opinion. I’d pull some rads again behind and see if anything has changed and explore the SI. I agree with everyone above that RH gets the most of my attention. I’d be curious to see what his hind end looks like from behind.

Looks like a super sweet fellow! I hope you get it all sorted. Keep us posted!

2 Likes

Turnout 5am-7pm and then inside. Paddocks are dry, soft sand but not muddy but little grass.

I can grab photos of his hind end as well tomorrow. Hoping the vet forwards the rads and report shortly. I don’t know what I’m looking at but many here may.

Was debating Guelph vet school though I’ve heard some less than stellar things as of late.

It’s okay if he doesn’t jump again but dressage would be ideal. At the rate of full care indoor it’s worth spending some to find out if he’s retiring early. :heart: luckily my sister has a farm with pasture board.

4 Likes

There’s a super good lameness vet in Ottawa or what about Dr. Finnucan? He’s very good with lameness too. The one in Ottawa you can trailer into their clinic I’m pretty sure. It’s not a school but they are very experienced.

Looks RH to me but also could be compensating. Almost wonder if it’s in the hip area. Could definitely be a result of a fall. Sounds like the old owners just drugged and slapped a bandaid on.
A little curious who your farrier is too because there is one in our area making a lot of horses lame.

2 Likes

Heeyyy girl!

Appreciate you chiming in :heart:
We use Dan Mallet who I’m sure you know, however he didn’t want to shoe him so Darcy got me the shoes. So Dan trims for me and Darcy shoes.

I actually completely forgot about Sean! Great call. I tried to get Jeff from St Lawrence and got Ken. The vetting before be came to us was out of Ottawa.

I won’t say any names of who I bought him from, not how I operate but my mind has been going to that dark place. 🫣

I’m seriously hoping I can diagnose and correct the issue so my sister doesn’t get a 30k trail horse :rofl: :rofl:

1 Like

Try and get Jeff out again if you can. I’ve heard so many great things about him. He’s helped a few of my friends who were feeling stuck! Hope you can figure it out. Time off can really do wonders too. Wouldn’t hurt to start learning the mastersons method too. It’s helped my guys a lot.

2 Likes

Although it’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve been, I’ve always appreciated that I get answers (even if they are - we don’t know/there is no treatment) right away. I cut a LOT of time and heartache by taking one about 10 years ago for dang near invisible lameness. One visit to the neurologist versus going down every rabbit hole of what it could have been.

6 Likes

This is a very good point!

It might actually be worth the effort to be honest. I’d like to make a call before the end of the year…either he stays ant the expensive place or my OTTB filly stays.

I feel like Oprah lately.
‘You get $1000 and you get $1000’ :rofl:

I’m going to give one shot to the other vet in the practice hopefully early next week and then I’ll call Ottawa. I put a call into a Belleville vet who knows my vet and she felt she wouldn’t be able to do more. Appreciate the honesty and not just taking my money!

1 Like

From what I’m seeing it looks like RF, low, I’d probably suspect soft tissue. Reminds me a bit of how low DDFT injuries act. Intermittent, almost looks sound going the other way, considerably worse when on a circle with the bad leg on the inside. They also tend to want to canter instead of trot because it allows them to shift their weight off that inside foot a bit.

He’s also awfully tight behind. Could be an actual issue, but I would not be shocked if he’s sore and tight from favoring that front leg. If I were you I’d try to treat the front hoof first and then re-evaluate the hind end after.

(Dealt with a low DDFT injury, sucked but healed fine and horse returned to full work. He look really similar to your guy.)

2 Likes

Now that’s interesting! I’m going to binge reading about this, not something I know of.

That is the odd thing with this one, some days we don’t have any issues, then others like yesterday he was on and off lame. Almost worked over it yet came back just as quick. Such a frustrating one.

Oddly as well, he goes very off after Dorning and Bowen therapies for a day.

1 Like

Instead of spending more money on rads, etc. I’d go for a bone scan to tell you exactly where the problem areas are.

2 Likes

Is this something you can learn to do???

1 Like

What clinic in Ottawa? We’re near Ottawa and would go to Dr. Finnucan before using most of the locals before treating something even if we have to haul to Lansdowne to get to him.

1 Like

I’d have to check the name again. It’s a guy who does it.

3 Likes

I looked at the videos and it seemed like the horse is dragging his left hind and not wanting to step up under with his right hind. All of the comments and suggestions are good. I see he has a custom saddle. However, I’m wondering if the gullet in the saddle is too narrow or it is rocking a bit on his back or if his shoulders are bumping it when he tries to trot or canter. A saddle could interfere with his shoulder muscle development and cause SI pain. Also, how are his hoof angles? I forgot if you said if he has had back and neck X-rays? He looks lovely and is a good tryer for the difficulty he seems to have moving. I’m so sorry you are going through this. Good luck.

3 Likes

That is way beyond a saddle fitting problem. It might not be helping the issue, but it is not a root cause. I also see right hind. Most saddle issues don’t cause asymmetrical issues.

9 Likes

If I’m remembering correctly, you’re east of Toronto. Try Dr. Larry Butler, if he’s still around, he has almost x-ray vision and is fantastic with detecting lameness.

Otherwise I’d agree with the big clinic suggestions - OVC or Quebec hospital (St. Hyde? I am blanking on the name) to see if they can help.

Good luck, he looks lovely.

The more I stare at this horse the more I agree it could be soft tissue somewhere - either cause or compensation. I also see hip/SI/higher up. But I am not a vet.

I would stop riding this horse until you have answers of some sort. If it’s a DDFT or any other leg soft tissue, you could catastrophically break him down very suddenly. My suspensory horse had the weird on and off lameness thing too.

5 Likes

I believe you’re thinking of St. Hyacinthe Veterinary College, commonly known as St. Hy.

1 Like

I’m sorry if I missed this but did you do the imaging for the neck and shoulder? given the fall history, I would do that—maybe at a vet hospital with CT. It looks like neck lameness (with some really tight back muscles probably from compensation) but am not a vet: just have had a horse with some funky stuff in the neck and spine that looked like this (like your first video). Neck injections and rehab fixed it. I also see the right hind issue. Definitely keep going!

3 Likes