Mare twists hind leg (video)

[KateMcCall]

I just bought this mare. According to the seller and third party she had never done this before, but she stepped off the trailer from a 12 hour drive (I had her shipped), and she was twisting her leg like this. It was worse the first day, and has gotten better. She seems to only do it on soft arena ground. She doesn’t twist when she is in her run or walking on gravel, flat surface, or pasture. It also seems to show up less in the trot. She seems like she isn’t bothered at all.

She’s a 3 y/o TB, broke on the track but never raced. She is super sweet, level headed and calm. We love her so much! The hopes are for her to be an Eventing/Dressage horse (no plans of going upper level). We plan on keeping her regardless if she is able to continue with a sport career. I have only had her 2 weeks and am giving her some down time (she’s a little nervous about her new life) So I have not ridden her yet.

Vet has been contacted and is coming out, but I would like to heard some opinions or experiences.

TIA.

Just stepped off trailer: https://youtu.be/D-oj5YyPEC0 She was in a 6 horse (I believe) straight load, after about 6 hours he stopped and made box stalls after dropping other horses off, and spent another 6 ish hours

Both of these videos are one week later: https://youtu.be/mzK-evgmNJo and https://youtu.be/PrbZAjsAl7s

Sale videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b1U5wrdB54&t=46s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2G9XDXxgQQ

[S1969]

Did you have a PPE before purchasing?

[KateMcCall]

@S1969

Did you have a PPE before purchasing?

I did not and I feel really terrible about it. I have PPE’d every horse I’ve bought but this one.

[FraggleRock]

After watching the video of her being ridden it looks like something was not quite right before you got her. I don’t think this happened on the trailer.
Maybe conformation/ lak of condition for the work she was doing? Fingers crossed it is nothing serious!
Please do let us know what your vet says!

[luvmyhackney]

Looks off in her Sales video. Twisting there as well, not as noticeable but there. Looks like pelvis/stifle issue for me. I would get a very good Chiro out and see if they found anything. Then I would call my really good farrier to make sure her feet are correct and no imbalance. Then I would get the vet out to block/ x-ray/ultrasound and find the issue if the above doesn’t fix it.

Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. She is a lovely mare.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

I tend to agree with above - I think there may have been something there before you bought her - stifle or higher, right hind. In the video of her being ridden, I think this may be why she shows some resistance coming off the left lead canter and then in picking up the right. I think whatever it is going on was probably exacerbated by standing in the trailer which is why is was so obvious in your first in hand video.

I hope you can get it sorted. I am very impressed by the balance in her conformation - so proportional!

[ChestnutArabianMare]

Agreed with stifle higher or up in the right hind and that the trailer aggravated it. Chiro’s a great idea. Is she turned out right now?

[IPEsq]

It’s definitely worse in that post-trailer video, but I’m sorry to say she doesn’t look all that sound behind in the sales videos. I think I’d go straight to the vet on this one. Otherwise, she’s a nice looking mare. I hope it’s nothing serious.

[eh-equestrian]

Agree with others - she looks off in the Sale videos as well to me. Is there any heat or swelling anywhere? My boy had some mild twisting in his back leg when he injured his lateral collateral ligament in his hock, so might be worth looking at the hocks too, during your diagnosis. He was not as bad as this, but definite twisting motion. We diagnosed via ultrasound.

Good luck - I hope it’s nothing serious!

[KateMcCall]

She isn’t turned out, but she is in a pretty bit paddock to herself. I just don’t know why she would be pretty straight on hard ground? I will have to get a video of that and show you guys. I forgot to add that, she had really long toes in the videos and has since been shod and does seem a lot better with shoeing. And I have a fantastic farrier.
My regular vet is busy but I am going to try to get another one out.

I feel really stupid for not getting a PPE. I guess you can’t trust just the opinion of an acquaintance, even if they’re a professional.
If it is something that keeps her from being a sport horse, I would love to just trail ride her, and maybe get a few babies from her. She is very pretty and I love her personality. From the little ground work I’ve done, she is really smart. And she’s the first OTTB that I’ve bought that has perfect and polite ground manners!

I did find this thread from a few years back, it sounds like she is describing the same thing https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/horse-care/42611-why-do-some-horses-twist-their-hind-leg-foot-at-the-walk

[Come_Shine]

She’s very cute. Even if she was off a bit before you bought her that doesn’t mean necessarily mean she will always be off. A good exam to figure out where she’s hurting after the trip and some chiro/massage/farrier may be really helpful. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater yet.

[mmeqcenter]

I saw her video a few weeks ago, thought she was quite lovely, congrats on your purchase. But I agree with the others, I thought then that she looked off, and it’s certainly worse now after that trailer ride.

My OTTB mare has a slight twist at the walk due to being weak in her hocks, a conformation flaw. With correct dressage work and improved strength through her topline, it mostly goes away.
In the video of your new mare, the bigger concern for me is how far inside she reaches with her right hind on each step. She crosses in front of the left hind. In fact, it could be causing, or exacerbating, the twist of the left hind, as it then has to reach around the right for its step. Much like I do myself, walking on the outside of my feet and twisting to compensate for knees that fall in.
Looks like a hip area issue to me. Worse on soft ground could indicate a connective tissue injury, as the tendons and ligaments have to work harder traveling through soft ground (think how easy it is to walk on concrete compared to the dry part of the beach).
Definitely have a lameness exam done. I would not have any chiro done until after a vet examines her.

[Sparrowette]

@KateMcCall

(…) I feel really stupid for not getting a PPE. (…)

Well, if it’s any consolation, you are not the only person on the boards here, who bought without PPE and wound up with vet bills from the jump. I didn’t even have a regular vet. Found my vet when the track vet I called recommended him and we started from there within 2 days of her coming to me.

We have tee shirts.

[Gestalt]

@Come Shine

She’s very cute. Even if she was off a bit before you bought her that doesn’t mean necessarily mean she will always be off. A good exam to figure out where she’s hurting after the trip and some chiro/massage/farrier may be really helpful. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater yet.

Agree 100%. Wonky behind with that right hind stepping into the middle of her body and then the left twisting to step up. Could be anything. I saw a race quarterhorse mare that had banged her hips while training at the loading gate and she moved like that for awhile. I don’t know what the trainer did to address it.

And I’ve only had one horse vet checked and that’s because I knew something was wrong with her and I wanted to know how bad that something was. So don’t beat yourself up. You’ve still got a quality horse that could be a star.

[judybigredpony]

Yes it was evident in sales video…

[beau159]

I see the twist in the sales video too, but it’s not as noticeable and they don’t give you a “from behind the horse” view.

You bought the horse “as is” so nothing to be done about that except move forward. Really pretty horse. I’d start with a lameness eval with the vet and go from there. She is young so hopefully it is something that will improve with proper exercise and strengthening.

[Scribbler]

The twist in the sales video is there at the very start when mare takes two steps of walk, and isn’t that visible in the trot. There isn’t enough walk at the end to catch it again. It’s brief enough in the sales video that if you are looking primarily at the trot for head bob, you’d miss it. And it’s only knowing that there was a subsequent problem that I even looked for it and saw it.

[Tiffani_B]

The twist usually indicates stifle weakness, in my experience. I’d lower her inside heels a bit (consult with your farrier) and do work that concentrates on strengthening her stifles, hips, and lower back. Both of my horses do this periodically at the beginning of show season on soft ground and it’s usually only at the walk. Trotting and cantering they don’t do it. So we do a ton of stifle strengthening work and by mid season it’s all but gone. They aren’t in pain or injured. As young as your horse is, and coming out of work that was all on the flat, I’d focus on that for now. If it gets worse or seems to cause problems, get a vet involved, but if she were mine I wouldn’t be too concerned.

[KateMcCall]

@Gestalt

And I’ve only had one horse vet checked and that’s because I knew something was wrong with her and I wanted to know how bad that something was. So don’t beat yourself up. You’ve still got a quality horse that could be a star.

Thank you, for saying that. I have been beating myself up a bit. But, we love the heck out of her and will keep her no matter the issue. There will always be another horse that I can event on. I’m pretty young and have plenty of eventing years ahead of me.

[Tiffani_B]

I only vet check horses over a certain dollar amount. Even then, I take them with a grain of salt. I know at the time the horse was vetted, it was ok. A week later when it’s delivered, or a month after I’ve owned it, anything can happen… and even horses with perfectly clean xrays and legs can be lame, while horses with bone chips and splints and bows and crooked legs are sound until they’re 25.