Stilted/4-Beat Canter to One Direction?

[MustangTwist]

My horse is a 24 year old ex-eventer/show jumper. Up until very recently he’s been in full training. I moved him to a new barn in March to step down his work a bit, but it rained almost the entire month and the barn doesn’t have an indoor. As a result, he basically just got lunged/handwalked for four weeks. When I brought him back he definitely felt stiffer than normal, so my vet suggested putting him on Equioxx. He also gets monthly Legend injections and wears a BoT sheet. The Equioxx seemed to help a little bit, but there’s been no major change.

My primary concern is that he’s developed this very stilted (almost 4-beat) canter. It’s mostly when traveling to the left, but this morning I noticed it to a lesser degree on the right as well. It feels like he’s about to break into the trot the entire time. Some days are worse/better than others. He feels totally fine at the trot - stepping evenly, willing to move forward, goes on the bit, etc. I’m not exactly sure what the issue is, or even if it’s weakness/stiffness vs. pain, but he does have diagnosed arthritis in his hocks and hasn’t had them injected in a while (I believe they’ve fused at this point). I’m wondering if it could also be his back/sacroiliac area.

For context, my horse is not competing or doing super intense work. He gets ridden ~5 times/week for about 45 minutes doing lower lever dressage, and on his days off he gets a handwalk or a trail ride. My plan is to retire him in the late summer/fall once I find a suitable facility (unfortunately this takes lots of due diligence & weekend trips to visit farms in remote areas). I absolutely want him to be comfortable, and I think he likes being in work, but given the situation I probably would probably choose to retire him a little early vs. spending thousands on long-term treatments.

My current game plan (based on consultation w/ the barn manager) is this: Call the chiro out to do an adjustment and see if that makes him feel better. If not, call the vet to get a diagnosis. In the meantime, unless the chiro/vet/trainer tell me otherwise, keep him in light work (mostly at walk & trot) so that he doesn’t get more stiff.

Does anyone have experience with a similar issue? Any recommendations? Should I go straight to the vet vs. calling the chiro out first?
Thank you for your help!

UPDATE: The chiropractor (retired DVM) came out a few days ago to do some adjustments and said he was pretty stiff in his neck, back, and pelvis (especially on his left side). She also watched him jog on hard ground and trot/canter on the lunge line. She said he was a “tiny bit” short on the left front, and was “stepping a little funny” behind while cantering to the left. She did some adjustments and acupuncture, and suggested that so long as he doesn’t feel any worse, the best thing to do would be to keep him moving. She said he looked really good for his age, so I guess that’s reassuring.

It’s been a few days and I do feel a moderate improvement, although I can’t pinpoint whether it’s because he’s been in more constant work or the adjustments helped, or some combination of the two. Anyway, I’m keeping detailed notes on how he feels on each of my rides and just taking each day as it comes.

Ah…horses. So much stress/anxiety/money/work, but I can’t live without them!

[tinah]

Way I see it, you’ve got two options. Full time turn out, and treat it like weak stifles. Hill work, straight lines, stepping over poles and backing over them in hand. Long, slower rather than faster. Given his age, run a bute trial to see if he’s dealing with pain from arthritis or generalized weakness.
or he might just be done. Show miles are hard miles on a horse. If he’s happy walk/trot, let him do that.

[MustangTwist]

@tinah

Way I see it, you’ve got two options. Full time turn out, and treat it like weak stifles. Hill work, straight lines, stepping over poles and backing over them in hand. Long, slower rather than faster. Given his age, run a bute trial to see if he’s dealing with pain from arthritis or generalized weakness.
or he might just be done. Show miles are hard miles on a horse. If he’s happy walk/trot, let him do that.

Thanks for the input! I just spoke with his chiropractor, who is a retired DVM. She said given the situation it’s likely related to stiffness/weakness from having a month off work (since he felt pretty good before), and to go “low and slow” but keep him in work so long as he seems comfortable enough. She’s going to come out to do an adjustment and some acupuncture in the next week to see if that loosens him up. If not, the vet will be my next call.

Unfortunately the pasture situation at the barn I’m at is very hilly, so if he’s in pain I’m not sure that’s the best option for him. He does get half day turnout at his current barn, and he gets out his stall every day for either a hack, hand walk, or trail ride. Also, since he’s on daily Equioxx I’d be hesitant to put him on Bute until I talk to his vet and see if it’d make sense to switch him. My understanding is that horses shouldn’t be on both at the same time.

[SuzieQNutter]

Get off his back and go in two point in canter.

[MustangTwist]

@SuzieQNutter

Get off his back and go in two point in canter.

Thanks…but I’m not sure this is a long-term solution, or the source of the problem.

[retiredhorse]

Does he work out of the 4-beat canter? Do you get any good steps? Is there a possibility, he’s “just” being lazy and because you’re worried about him, you’re not making him go forward? If not, I might just stick to walk & trot, unless or until vet/chiro can help. Could be lungeing is hard on him at this age too. I agree with checking hocks, stifles, back/SI – I rode a horse with uneven hips that had trouble stepping under when his back was out.

And before I retired him, my horse would start out very stiff at the trot, though walk and canter were fine, but would always work out of it after 1-2 laps of the ring. At that point I was just hacking him around in a halter and no saddle, so I wasn’t concerned about him working, as much as keeping him moving, somewhat fit, and not bored. If he didn’t work out of it, I would’ve been more concerned. And then he retired for good when it seemed to take longer for him to get moving properly.

ETA: check feet also! if they’re sore or unbalanced, or maybe need to be shod differently due to arthritic changes, it cause them to not want to move properly.

[SuzieQNutter]

@MustangTwist

Thanks…but I’m not sure this is a long-term solution, or the source of the problem.

Yes it is if because of lack of strength. It allows him to move off and go in a 3 beat canter. You slowly go into a 3 point seat without him changing. If he changes go up again. It works with his changing strength.

If he does not move forward into a 3 beat canter there is something else wrong.

[MustangTwist]

@retiredhorse

Does he work out of the 4-beat canter? Do you get any good steps? Is there a possibility, he’s “just” being lazy and because you’re worried about him, you’re not making him go forward? If not, I might just stick to walk & trot, unless or until vet/chiro can help. Could be lungeing is hard on him at this age too. I agree with checking hocks, stifles, back/SI – I rode a horse with uneven hips that had trouble stepping under when his back was out.

And before I retired him, my horse would start out very stiff at the trot, though walk and canter were fine, but would always work out of it after 1-2 laps of the ring. At that point I was just hacking him around in a halter and no saddle, so I wasn’t concerned about him working, as much as keeping him moving, somewhat fit, and not bored. If he didn’t work out of it, I would’ve been more concerned. And then he retired for good when it seemed to take longer for him to get moving properly.

ETA: check feet also! if they’re sore or unbalanced, or maybe need to be shod differently due to arthritic changes, it cause them to not want to move properly.

Thanks, this is all really helpful! Yeah, I tried not to lunge him too much during the month it rained consistently, but the round pen was the only arena that was open and I was really concerned about getting him moving. We also did some trail rides during that time, but the footing was only good enough to walk. The timing of the move was very unfortunate (but alas, necessary).

He doesn’t really work out of it, but it’s only really noticeable to one direction (90% of the time). It’s also inconsistent. For example, for a few days last week he was full of energy, supple, and was moving great at all 3 gaits. Today his left lead felt pretty awful, and his right lead started to feel ever-so-slightly stilted as well. I’m just crossing my fingers that he’ll feel better tomorrow.

I also don’t think it’s laziness, because he’s cantering pretty well to the right. There’s a significant difference in the quality of his canter traveling on the right lead vs. the left lead.

It does tend to feel worse if he hasn’t gotten out the day before, so I’m hesitant to lay him up. He did get a new farrier recently, so it could definitely be his feet. He’s due for new shoes soon, so I’ll mention it to the farrier and see if there’s anything that can be done. I also ordered some BoT hock boots, so I might stick those on for a few days and see if it makes a difference.

If it’s something that can be fixed with chiropractic work or non-invasive veterinary intervention (which is my hope) that would be great. If not, I might just have to retire him a little earlier than anticipated

[MustangTwist]

@SuzieQNutter

Yes it is if because of lack of strength. It allows him to move off and go in a 3 beat canter. You slowly go into a 3 point seat without him changing. If he changes go up again. It works with his changing strength.

If he does not move forward into a 3 beat canter there is something else wrong.

I’ve tried getting off his back at the canter, especially when first starting out my ride, and it does not seem to help. At any rate, if it’s much more noticeable on one lead versus another, to me that suggests that he’s stiff or in pain somewhere vs. being generally weak.

[SuzieQNutter]

Yes and from your last post it could be from being tender footed as well.

[retiredhorse]

If it were my horse… If I thought he was foot sore, but I needed to keep him moving so he didn’t stiffen up from arthritis, I would walk him a lot on soft footing. 2x a day if possible, especially if he’s also not getting turn out or moving around on his own. And then see how he goes after farrier works on him.

While pursuing vet/chiro treatment or trying out bute… if I thought it was arthritis or weakness from being out of work, and he still has good days where he canters normally and seems happy to work, I would let him pick the pace. If he came out feeling off/stiff, I might only do w/t those days, and canter on the days he feels good.

If he has more bad days than good days, that’s something to note also, as well as when they occur (does it happen more after a day off vs after working – eg, if he canters on Tuesday, is he more sore Wednesday; or if he gets Monday off, does he come out stiff on Tuesday, but ok on Wednesday, etc). I had a vet suggest having a calendar where you note the horse’s bad days, and seeing if there’s a pattern or if they’re getting closer together; it didn’t have to be super detailed, just something more tangible than one’s memory.

I agree with your assessment that it’s not laziness, but I threw that out there just in case. I know I have a tendency to back off and baby them sometimes, if I feel bad for them.

Good luck, hope it’s easy to resolve, and that you don’t have to retire quite yet!

[atr]

Was this horse also turned out during his month off work? If so, I’d be a bit leery about assuming that his soreness is from being out of work–particularly as you say that his pasture is hilly, so there’s a fair amount of self-exercise going on there.

My concern in your shoes would be that he’s slipped and torqued something soft tissue–especially as Equiox isn’t making much of a difference. As such, I would have the vet out to do a proper diagnosis before I let a chiropractor loose on him. And I would be walking only at the most until I got that diagnosis.

Good luck. I have two much loved old horses out in my pasture who keep me on my toes…

[MustangTwist]

@retiredhorse

If it were my horse… If I thought he was foot sore, but I needed to keep him moving so he didn’t stiffen up from arthritis, I would walk him a lot on soft footing. 2x a day if possible, especially if he’s also not getting turn out or moving around on his own. And then see how he goes after farrier works on him.

While pursuing vet/chiro treatment or trying out bute… if I thought it was arthritis or weakness from being out of work, and he still has good days where he canters normally and seems happy to work, I would let him pick the pace. If he came out feeling off/stiff, I might only do w/t those days, and canter on the days he feels good.

If he has more bad days than good days, that’s something to note also, as well as when they occur (does it happen more after a day off vs after working – eg, if he canters on Tuesday, is he more sore Wednesday; or if he gets Monday off, does he come out stiff on Tuesday, but ok on Wednesday, etc). I had a vet suggest having a calendar where you note the horse’s bad days, and seeing if there’s a pattern or if they’re getting closer together; it didn’t have to be super detailed, just something more tangible than one’s memory.

I agree with your assessment that it’s not laziness, but I threw that out there just in case. I know I have a tendency to back off and baby them sometimes, if I feel bad for them.

Good luck, hope it’s easy to resolve, and that you don’t have to retire quite yet!

This is great advice, thank you.

I’ve been trying to keep track of how he feels each day, but it would be helpful to map it out in calendar form. For example, this morning he felt really good, so I’m trying to think of the different variables. He’s gotten a light/medium hack the last 3 days in a row, he wore his BoT mesh sheet all night, and I walked him for 20 minutes in a large field (with very moderate hills) before starting work. The day he felt the worst he’d only gotten a hand walk and turnout the day before, and I’d only walked him for 10 minutes in the arena before starting work.

I do tend to let him set the pace based on how he’s feeling - after all, he’s in the twilight of his career and I just want him to stay comfortable, entertained, reasonably fit, and happy. If he feels particularly stiff, we do a trail ride. If he’s feeling fresh, we’ll do some lower level dressage. I’ve been in the show world for so long, honestly it’s kind of nice to not have a set schedule and to just enjoy my horse’s company.

At any rate, the chiropractor is coming out tonight to do some adjustments and acupuncture and he’ll get new shoes in the next week or two, so I’m hoping for the best!

[MustangTwist]

@atr

Was this horse also turned out during his month off work? If so, I’d be a bit leery about assuming that his soreness is from being out of work–particularly as you say that his pasture is hilly, so there’s a fair amount of self-exercise going on there.

My concern in your shoes would be that he’s slipped and torqued something soft tissue–especially as Equiox isn’t making much of a difference. As such, I would have the vet out to do a proper diagnosis before I let a chiropractor loose on him. And I would be walking only at the most until I got that diagnosis.

Good luck. I have two much loved old horses out in my pasture who keep me on my toes…

Thanks for the well wishes! I love hearing from other people who have held onto their older horses. During the process of trying to find a great retirement situation for my guy, I’ve asked a lot of people for recommendations and been shocked at the number of responses I get along these lines: “Oh I don’t know, we just donated old Sparky to Bob, and he seems alright out there but I don’t see him that often.” Anyway, I suspect not all these horses end up in the best situations.

Anyway, during the month he was out of work he didn’t get turned out (they were too muddy and the path to get down to them was slick). The turnouts themselves aren’t hilly, but the only pasture living option at my current barn has lots of hills, so my comment was that I don’t think that’d be best for him right now.

The chiropractor who is coming out tonight is a retired DVM and had a pretty well-respected practice in the area before retiring, so I’m not too worried about her making matters worse, though I can understand your rationale completely. At least to me it seems like a stiffness/soreness/weakness issue since he seems to feel better when he’s been worked the prior day versus if he rested the prior day. Hard to say for certain, though. If the chiro & new shoes don’t help, the vet will be my next call. Thankfully he felt pretty good today, so I’m panicking a bit less than I was last week!

[tinah]

Holds would be the very best thing for this horse. Like humans, more exercise is almost always the right answer. It’s why a year of Dr green fixes so many more problems than a year of stall rest.

[kiwichick]

you can map it, download the app called equilab and use it to track your rides, then add a comment after each to say how he was feeling. Its a great app.

[MustangTwist]

@kiwichick

you can map it, download the app called equilab and use it to track your rides, then add a comment after each to say how he was feeling. Its a great app.

Thank you! Just downloaded it.