I see that too and then it gets worse and he starts kicking out when he swaps behind and it feels like a crow hop. Someone from the UK said they had a term for it that the US does not and it’s called pig rooting. When they kick up their back end because they’re swapping leads behind and they throw their head down for leverage. It feels like naughty behavior but it’s not. I’d be willing to put money on his hind end weakness and his toe crack on the right hind feeding off each other. It’s so subtle it never feels lame. That’s why we were talking about shoes to help fix that crack and to provide stability to the hind end so he can gain and keep strength in his stifles. If I don’t see a pretty good difference I won’t wait too long before investigating further.
My vet said that is very common with SI joint problems.
I’ve seen that also with SI problems. But I’d address the foot issue on the RH first.
Another vote for a more thorough lameness exam. I had a horse who started doing this once - only on one lead, as with this horse. The difference was that he was a very seasoned competitor who I knew inside and out, and he NEVER landed on one lead in front and the other in back. I stopped my warmup, withdrew from the competition, and took him to my vet. He had a soft tissue injury in the foot.
Have you tested him for EPM? I had a horse that would sometimes land split- he was low - moderate positive for EPM and marquis helped him tremendously.
No but my vet said it would be good to treat just in case so he’s been started on meds for it. South Texas it’s very common. If it is epm how long does he have to be on meds to see a difference?
Could be a couple weeks for EPM meds to make a difference. I would be a little surprised as this is a fairly specific issue for it to be your only EPM symptom…
Yeah I’m not sure. I don’t have any experience with epm and I’m not familiar with the symptomology.
I went through SI issues with my gelding, but he was in his early 20s at the time, working third level. I worked with a vet who specialized in chiro and acupuncture.
My coach had me riding walk/halt, walk/trot transitions where I had to ensure that he was balanced and moving equally through and straight on both hind legs before I asked for a transition. It sounds easy, but after decades of riding and, not having encountered this problem before, it was an eye-opening experience.
I had been very lucky that my TB’s had always been forward moving, and I taught straight and through from a young age until it was second nature. We think my gelding, the pasture rabble rouser until he died at 38, pulled a little something behind without being noticeably sore until it hurt enough to be noticeable.
We did our slow and patient transition exercises for three, may I say, boring months, but between the chiro/acupuncture and the exercises, he became totally sound and comfortable again. We stepped down slowly over the years to first level by the time he was 29, then he became my trail horse until 32, and then my pasture puff.
You can fix this, you just need a lot of patience and the right support team helping you. Good luck.
Try to find someone with a very good eye to help you with the hind end straightening and strengthening exercises. At the beginning the difference between correct and incorrect can be very subtle.
I know this is an old thread, but it showed up in my feed, and I cannot help but comment because my boy sometimes pig roots after jumps. I totally had to look up the term, but reading about it, it confirms what I have thought since very early on with my guy, that a big part of pig rooting is balance. As he got fitter, he’d do it less over jumps. And I am so glad to have a term for it! And to know that is often an issue of balance and fitness!
He had proximal suspensory desmitis and SI problems. He’s just now coming back to cantering under saddle. I’m very curious if this will change how he jumps.
