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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
   
Location: Phoenix | This week my horse has been slipping his stifle A LOT. Leg looks like it gives out and "crumbles", but then he's fine. It used to happen occasionally....the "stepping in the hole" feeling maybe once every 2 weeks over the last couple of years but this last week had me frustrated because it's been EVERY DAY. I'm not working him hard and he's not a competition horse. Just easy walk/trot/lope to exercise. Usually happens at trot/lope. He appears sound to the everyday person. But he does make a fuss getting him to lunge to the left (I notice the most slipping on left hind). Otherwise he's happy to be alive and healthy.
I'm saving for a vet visit for his teeth, and I'll be at least getting X-rays of the stifles. I'll inject as soon as I can if the vet thinks that is what is wrong. Maybe I'll have her send a blood sample to the EPM people in Florida but I really don't think that's it. He's just an older horse that I want to keep going as long as possible (17). Does it sound like I'm on the right track? I'll probably quit exercising and just walk for now...... |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| I wouldn't be lunging him if he has stifle problems.
Circles will actually exacerbate stifle issues.
Best thing to do is long trotting straight lines for a month then trotting over poles, trotting up hills.
This is what my vet has told me as I had one with a loose stifle last year after having 6 months off no fault of her own. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I'll be laying off of that. I'm mostly just using it to do groundwork and get him moving off me. He can get pushy on the ground sometimes. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Yes dont lunge him... straight lines and trotting will help tighten it up if thats it.. and hills.. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 283
Location: On top of a Hill, WA | Not the input you'd want to hear....but my horse was doing something similar, and an ultrasound found a torn meniscus : ( we did PRP on it, with stall rest. X-rays did show bone spurs so we went ahead with the ultrasound. While on stall rest for that injury, a suspensory branch injury popped up. He's now retired, but that's mainly due to the suspensory. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | Glad you posted this. My new horse X-rays clean but he occasionally does the step in a hole thing so I know something is off. I never thought he could have a loose stifle but I bet that's it because he had a couple years off before I got him. I'll trot straight lines and see if that helps. Does loping help at all or just long trotting? |
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 Expert
Posts: 2335
Location: IL | The feel of falling in a hole and stumbling can also be hock soreness. My gelding has fusing hocks and he does this all the time. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I know he has arthritic hocks, but I've injected multiple times over the years and I just feel like it something more. He had his SI injected a year ago and it made things a lot better. Probably about 7 years ago back when I was running barrels he took a fall and landed on his side. But he resumed work and wasn't any different than he already had been. Worked great as my rope horse. He had 3 years off when I moved. I'm just thinking that any tear or tendon/ligament issue SHOULD have resolved itself during those 3 years turned out to pasture. I'll start budgeting for a potential ultrasound (and probably another round of hock injections). |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | how long has it been since hocks were done? didnt know he had been injected before.. it could be that issue then.... hock sore.....as above stated.. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | If he does have a catching stifle, injecting it may or may not help.
Best thing you can do is keep him in regular exercise. Avoid small tight circles. Hill work can help (going up a hill, or backing up a hill). Low cavelletti can help. But it is also important that when you are riding him to keep him collected. Don't let him get strung out.
If he does also have arthritic hocks, of course, you'll need to take care of those too if you expect the stifle to feel any better.
So if his hocks are hurting, yes stop exercising him. But if he does have catching stifles, then NO you do NOT want to stop exercising him or that will get worse. Kindofa catch 22 until you figure out exactly what you are dealing with.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 596
Location: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere | I am currently going through the same issue, falling in a hole and short steppong. I have been told in the past to do lots of long trotting that he had loose stifles but he is 9 and could also be hocks. I didn't want him to be uncomfortable so I tried Previcox on him and last night he really extended himself for the first time in a while and was bouncing around playing while on a lunge line. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | put him in a deep sand round pen and have him trot and lope in both directions while videoing the hind end. often you can see the catching if that is your problem. |
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Veteran
Posts: 283
Location: On top of a Hill, WA | I wanted to add...my colt also has some weakness in the stifles. I just took him into a lameness specialist and we took xrays to confirm nothing crazy was going on. They gave me some additional strengthing exersizes, including tail pulls and cavaletti work. I had been doing a lot of hills/trail riding, and it wasnt helping. There is also a really good book called Equine Fitness and it has some good exersizes to help and really talks about the science behind everything. She also talks.about riding in frame. If you horse has always done it, then it probably isnt a major issue like a torn meniscus. The horse who tore it had never had issues prior to a signicant fall he took. Good luck! I am checking back in with my vet after a month of exersizes with the colt so hopefully the physical therapy pays off! |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | nmeastplains - 2016-04-27 11:23 AM I am currently going through the same issue, falling in a hole and short steppong. I have been told in the past to do lots of long trotting that he had loose stifles but he is 9 and could also be hocks. I didn't want him to be uncomfortable so I tried Previcox on him and last night he really extended himself for the first time in a while and was bouncing around playing while on a lunge line.
I wouldnt lunge him in circles if he has sore hocks .. even if hes on meds.. :) |
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Expert
Posts: 2335
Location: IL | hammer_time - 2016-04-27 9:10 AM I know he has arthritic hocks, but I've injected multiple times over the years and I just feel like it something more. He had his SI injected a year ago and it made things a lot better. Probably about 7 years ago back when I was running barrels he took a fall and landed on his side. But he resumed work and wasn't any different than he already had been. Worked great as my rope horse. He had 3 years off when I moved. I'm just thinking that any tear or tendon/ligament issue SHOULD have resolved itself during those 3 years turned out to pasture. I'll start budgeting for a potential ultrasound (and probably another round of hock injections).
If his hocks are bad and fusing then injections might not be working anymore. That's what is going on with my gelding. Hocks are bad and I maybe get 2 months out of them. This might be your problem too. |
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