Struggling with right canter lead, how to proceed?

[Lunabear1988]

Okay I’d love the collective thoughts from COTH.

I have a 4-year-old that I’ve had since March. He had a really fabulous pre-purchase exam with clean x-rays including front feet, fetlocks, stifles and hocks. But there has been a few hiccups along the way starting with a stifle injury of some kind (vets all thought it wasn’t serious enough to ultrasound, I don’t know) And then in the middle of summer his feet kind of crapped out and he got foot sore.

We did PRP in the right stifle and then shod him up front. At first we tried to shoe him all the way around but his right hand was proving difficult to keep a shoe on. I just recently about 2 weeks ago we were able to get shoes all the way around.

He had two massages/PEMF in September. And a chiropractic session around then too.

Things are going pretty fabulously and he was in partial training for a while. Technically still is but I’m slowing that down. But for the last two weeks I am having trouble getting the right lead canter. I can eventually get it It just usually takes two or three tries. Once we get into the canter it is a very nice quality canner and he doesn’t struggle anyway.

This could very well be my issue but I got the feeling from the trainer that it’s not just isolated to me. I’m going to talk to her more about it.

I’m scheduling more bodywork.I’m going to get his teeth done (again since spring.)
I have noticed that in the trot, he feels like his stifle is slipping a bit occasionally. The trainer hasn’t said anything about it so I think it’s pretty subtle but I can feel it.

My big question I guess is: should we maybe back off the canter? It’s puzzling because he felt really great. And I won’t say that he feels awful or anything. Just weak moments at times I guess.

He did also have a vet exam beginning of October. Vet though he was a bit shuffling behind on the lunge and wanted hind shoes on. I sent her pictures and she was happier with the job especially with the shoes on behind but it does seem to correlate with his struggle too. Which is interesting. I thought hind shoes would help.

[IPEsq]

At that age, hard to say. They can go through some uncoordinated growth phases as well. But for a stifle history, lots and lots of trotting and trot poles and such as well as forward walk work is never a bad idea. It could be that as you backed off training volume he lost some strength.

[Lunabear1988]

It’s only been one week though, last week was more training rides. It really is coinciding with the farrier /hind shoes though which might just be a coincidence I don’t know.

He LOVES to canter and goes pretty well in it so just odd. Might just be a baby phase but I’ll try a different approach to his work and keep an eye. It’ll be interesting to see what the bodyworker finds this time.

[IPEsq]

Oh hmm. Can you take pictures of the new shoe setup? Sounds like he should be getting more grip. Maybe toes left too long.

[Lunabear1988]

Excuse the dirtiness. But this is the right hind that has had the out of control flare. Plus a scar on that fetlock and it was the right stifle that was injured. It’s tricky.

Still not great but such an improvement visually anyways from how it was going barefoot.

[candyappy]

@Lunabear1988

My big question I guess is: should we maybe back off the canter? It’s puzzling because he felt really great. And I won’t say that he feels awful or anything. Just weak moments at times I guess.

Is he a pretty big boy? I have had several big youngsters( 16.3+ ) in the past that seemed to struggle with picking a certain lead and they were 4 as well. It can be a time when they are uncoordinated/ unbalanced/ lacking strength.

We just kept at it as as they gained strength/ coordination they got it. Most horses are “right or left handed” where one side is just easier. I wouldn’t stop working on it.

[Lunabear1988]

No he’s about 15.1 maybe 15.2. but trainer does think he’s growing right now. So maybe it’s just a baby thing. I’m still going to get the body work done though, can’t hurt

[RedHorses]

I can’t tell from what you wrote - what prompted the PRP treatment? Did the vet ultrasound or x-ray?

My horse tore a meniscus in his left stifle early in 2019. I had ultrasounds done to diagnose and track healing. It was slow. The first recheck after 60 days showed very little progress, but enough to leave nature be for another 60 days (as opposed to surgery). The second recheck showed fully healed.

However! I use the Equestic clip and app and one of the most useful features is a symmetry analysis of the trot using rhythm, landing force, and push-off force. When I first started to add canter back into his work (little, easy canters) the symmetry analysis showed a drop in push off on that diagonal, an increase in landing force on the other diagonal, and a longer air time on the injured diagonal/ shorter air time on the uninjured diagonal. This uneven symmetry diminished over the next several days of walk/trot rides. As an experiment to test my theory that I was asking for canter too soon I repeated the WT easy canters ride, got the same kind of symmetry imbalance, which diminished over the following several WT rides.

I subsequently continued the legging up at walk and trot only for another couple of weeks before reintroducing canter (and keeping a close eye on what the Equestic analysis was telling me). The symmetry data allowed me to see when I was going too far. I did get small shifts that dropped back when I did less canter - and the Equestic clip tells me how many minutes I spent in each gait.

My horse trotted sound for weeks prior to the third ultrasound but he was not ready for the increased pressure created by canter until weeks after that final ultrasound. You may simply be asking too much too soon for healing from an unknown stifle injury.

[Lunabear1988]

I have another thread from awhile ago Injured SI/stifle protocol I’m not sure if this link will work or not.

But basically he injured it in May I had lots of vets out including CSU and nobody thought it was severe enough for an ultrasound although I did say I would be happy to spring for one. He had a month of basically no work or very very light groundwork, then under saddle just walk trot. Then after the PRP the vet to us to add canter back in.

I had a lesson today and we only got the wrong lead once and then after that got the correct lead. The thought is that while that is his tougher side and he is in a bit of a wiggly baby stage, like getting the wrong lead is more of a me issue than him. Trainer that has been right in him has not been having an issue at all getting the correct lead. She did say he is a very wiggly baby right now so she thinks it’s just baby plus amateur that is overthinking it.

That clip sounds very useful though!!! I might have to look into that.

[cheektwocheek]

I have a 5yr old with this exact issue. Her hind right hoof is also thicker to the outside, shallow wall inside. We haven’t grown enough foot, can’t get a nail in yet. Too much longer & I’ll throw Sigafoos on her hinds. She’s really just off balance on that side. I feel your pain!

[RedHorses]

The initial diagnosis on my horse was mild strain of the ligaments along the inside of the stifle, should improve in 7-10 days. When he was still lame without improvement we did the ultrasound early in February. This would have been 3-4 weeks after he’d come up lame. My initial attempts at canter were mid August. From injury to cantering comfortably it was over seven months.

Hopefully your guy has just got the growth wobblies. As long as you’re listening to what he’s telling you you’ll be okay.

[Lunabear1988]

Yep soooo similar. He finally grew enough foot to get a shoe on. Waiting to see if we are going the right route with that or not. But that plus the stifle being weaker on that side definitely makes it his harder side.

But it’s been pointed out to me that when I’m riding I’m having some crookedness (always an ongoing problem, just when I think I fix something something else pops up with my own body.) So that is certainly not helping when asking him to canter on his stiffer side. And the trainer is not having any issue getting him into the canter on any lead…

I have yet to throw him on the lunge to see how he looks on there.

[Lunabear1988]

My guy wasn’t super lame but definitely not sound early summer. He definitely looks way better now. I pushed with multiple vets for an ultrasound and they all kind of treated me like I was being way over paranoid. So I don’t know.

He did just have a lameness exam a few weeks ago and my vet was very pleased with how he looked stifle wise. She wasn’t thrilled with his feet at the time but I sent her some pictures of his recent trim and she was more pleased.

After my lesson today I think I’m just overthinking things in probably being a little paranoid. He has a really great quality canter in both directions, and is happy in the transitions so I think he’s just getting a little confused with his amateur rider lol.
Although taking a step back never hurts either.