This is a bit of a long story so bear with me!
Background:
7 yo thoroughbred never raced that I purchased as 3 year old. At 3 he had a front right foot “lameness”. You could barely classify as a lameness just would take a NQR step every now and then going to the right only around a turn. Vet came out, pulled one of his shoe nails, and he was sound immediately. At 4 he had significant front right foot lameness. (At this point we had moved from Syracuse to the hudson valley area so new barn new vet) Vet comes out and blocks foot and does rads. Diagnosed with pedal osteitis. Added front pads that elevated his frog and had about 2 weeks off and completely sound after that.
Current issue:
He’s been home and not doing much work for the last two years. I finally got fed up with the farrier we’ve had since he kept loosing shoes and never did this with any other farrier when he was boarded. I really love the new farrier. I think his feet have never looked better and he’s never moved better. He pulled the toe back which changed his breakover and now he’s really able to use himself much nicer. Well a week after this new farrier did him he became lame in the front right. Same issue as before only lame to the right while going around a turn. Farrier came out and pulled a nail. I gave him a week off and when I rode again he was fine. Until the next ride he was off but not as much. So a week ago the farrier pulled the shoe. He had a sore sole when the farrier came out the first time and still did so we both agreed there was too much padding (dental impression stuff? plus leather pad) causing too much pressure on his sole so removed some of the padding. He got another week off after this. Lunged on Thursday - sound. Rode this morning. Still NQR but seemed to improve as my ride went on. I did about 30 minutes of walking and maybe 5 minutes total of trotting. This all started about 4 weeks ago. He’s always been 100% sound if I lunge him. This past week that he had off I’ve been icing his front right every night for 20-30 minutes and started him on buteless supplement.
So when I lunge him I put him in the round pen I have on my property with side reins. The footing is grass/dirt. He’s always sound, calm, and comfortable in the round pen walk, trot, canter both directions for about 20-30 minutes. I really love how his fitness has improved with the round pen work and how well he’s tracking up and using his hind end.
When I ride I have to walk 15 minutes on the road to get to the barn up the street whose ring I use.
The Question:
So my actual question is this. Could this be something else besides just front right soreness? What causes a horse to be lame when riden but not when lunged? He is not back sore. I just massaged his back thursday and he had no tenderness. He’s moving so well to the left when I ride I have a hard time believing it could be anything but the front right.
My theory as of this morning:
The 15 minute walk on paved road is just enough to make his foot a little ouchy (he’s a big baby) which is why he’s off when I ride but fine when worked in the round pen. I should mention that previously he was in plastic shoes which I liked but don’t quite fit his feet right which is why he’s back in metal shoes. I think the plastic shoes absorbed a lot more of the road impact than the metal shoes do.
What say you? Does my road theory sound right? Or does it sound like there is something else going on?
