15 yr old OTTB mare in very light work (0-2 rides a week, 90% walking 10% trotting) due to human time constraints and weather. Out during the day when it’s not bad weather, by herself in a small slightly hilly paddock.
Sudden onset hind end lameness on LH. Looks to be her stifle. She is resting the leg when standing, lifting it and holding up then placing it back down but not putting weight on it fully, when walking she is not extending her leg all the way forward in the stride but is sort of jabbing the ground and short striding. She would rather have her leg slightly behind her, out to the left/ side, or directly in front of the RH instead of square under her body. She is currently in her stall with extra bedding and an Equioxx to help get her comfortable.
I’ll call the lameness specialist in the morning (no Sunday office hours and I don’t think this warrants an emergency visit), but was hoping to get some input as to if this sounds like UFP or a different injury/ disease. I don’t think it’s UFP due to her age, no history, being turned out and walked on hills regularly but I have little experience with it.
It doesn’t sound like UFP in my opinion. Horses with UFP are stuck in extension. Horses with UFP aren’t typically lame, just “stumble” a lot, although if the condition becomes chronic, it can cause lameness. In my experience, this sounds like a classic stifle injury from tweaking it on bad ground or running around. (I know you said she only goes out in nice weather in a small paddock) Typically horses will rest the leg of the bad stifle and walk as if they are tip-toeing on that foot. My horse had a situation like this, but what appeared to be a stifle injury, was masking a really bad abscess on the side of his frog that finally popped.
For stifle injuries, I typically start the horse on stall rest for 3 days with bute or any anti-inflammatory. After the 3 days, I re-evaluate the soundness and of there is no improvement, I would call the vet.
Have you hoof tested her to see if there is an abscess or soreness in the hoof?
I don’t have any hoof testers on hand (definitely need to buy some), but she had no reactivity to a hoof pick.
I’m hoping she just tweaked something, but always worry it could more complicated than that. 3 days sounds like a good plan.
Kaya, I know this is an old post but I was wondering if you would mind telling us what the diagnosis/ outcome was. My mare came in from turnout w/ similar symptoms today. I’m also thinking stifle injury.
She ended up being bilaterally lame - the LH was abscessing and taking on a lot of strain for compensating for the RF which she was lame on due to scary thin soles (2-3mm). The RF was only detected once I took her to the vet hospital and they put the lameness locator device on her and trotted her up on concrete (which we don’t have at home - our best spot for lameness checks is all grass).
We did specialized shoes for over a year which helped but we’re sort of a band aid and so, SO expensive (I’m talking a board / car payment every month for just her shoes). I ended up taking her barefoot with boots which was going decently, but we ran into some lameness which a different vet said “it’s because she has thin soles which is because she’s a TB. Put shoes on” so I did and the vet was wrong, it was the beginning of our other thread Coffin Bone Infection Round 2. She is now barefoot again and her hooves are much improved but I think I should have started there and skipped the specialized shoes and saved a couple grand.
Wow, that sounds like no fun for either of you. I’ve been following your coffin bone thread but didn’t put the two together for some reason. Glad you are finally seeing improvement!
I’m cautiously optimistic that my mare just tweaked something playing in the turnout. She seems 100% better after 3 days of bute and stall rest but I’ll be bringing her back slowly and watching like a hawk for anything that seems off.
