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 Member
Posts: 49
Location: Aggieland | Just wanting to see what everyones opinions were before I call the vet. I have a mare that when riding it occasionally feels like her back end gives out almost like she stepped in a hole. It usually happens at the walk or trot but It has happened while loping one or two times. She also kind of feels sluggish in the back end if that makes sense. Ive done some research and I've come up with EPM or stifle issues, but I don't feel like it would be a stifle problem as she isn't showing any other signs ( she still stops good and turns good) what do y'all think, I'm stumped.
Edit to add that she had her hocks injected a couple of months ago.
Edited by FlyBoy737 2017-09-18 3:27 PM
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 The One
Posts: 7998
   
Location: South Georgia | I was for sure my mare had hock issues. Had lameness exam done with use of lameness locator and he found left hind was off. He suggested hocks and injected them. Zero improvement. I was FOR SURE it was one stifle then. I read every site I could find and was completely confident it was the stifle. I had vet #2 come out last week to do another lameness exam and probably blister that stifle.
Turns out her hip and her shoulder were out. The hip was an inch higher on the left. The opposite shoulder (as is usual), was also off. He adjusted her and instantly she was level again and worked sound. I never would have imagined. I was sick with myself for having been riding her for months with this problem. I never thought to stand her perfectly square and look at her hips from behind. I just assumed it was a leg issue. Boy was I wrong....thankfully. He did suggest to follow up his adjustment with massage, but other than that, she is ok now.
Edited by horsegirl 2017-09-18 3:20 PM
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | It normally goes away with riding getting them in shape. Could be a chiro issue as well like mentioned above. |
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 Some Kind of Trouble
Posts: 4430
| I have also felt that feeling on a horse with a dropped hip.. may start with a chiro if you haven't already. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1523
Location: Illinois | Every horse I've ever been on has done it at some point I think. My chiro says if its just a random thing, they're most likely just not lifting that foot high enough and the toe catches the ground, tripping them in the back so to speak. But for the one's that do it more than once in a blue moon he always suggests checking the pelvis and if that isn't the problem, its usually a stifle issue. Mine was doing it at the trot at least every lap around the arena and I had that stifle injected. He rarely does it now, so for me it was a stifle issue. Now after injecting that stifle I'm regretting not doing both as I can tell a difference in his mobility on each side. But I would start with your chiro and then if that isn't the issue, go to the vet. Where I'm at to be a chiro you have to be a licensed vet, so I can often get my answer from the same person but the one that does my chiropractic is not my regular vet so I usually get their opinion and then get my regular vet opinion. My vet for lameness is in the next state over so I try to make as few trips as I can over there. |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | FlyBoy737 - 2017-09-18 3:07 PM Just wanting to see what everyones opinions were before I call the vet. I have a mare that when riding it occasionally feels like her back end gives out almost like she stepped in a hole. It usually happens at the walk or trot but It has happened while loping one or two times. She also kind of feels sluggish in the back end if that makes sense. Ive done some research and I've come up with EPM or stifle issues, but I don't feel like it would be a stifle problem as she isn't showing any other signs ( she still stops good and turns good) what do y'all think, I'm stumped. Edit to add that she had her hocks injected a couple of months ago.
If she is bare foot I would be interested to see if she naturally rolls her rear toes down. Like drags them in the dirt a bit.
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Defense Attorney for The Horse
Location: Claremore, OK | FlyBoy737 - 2017-09-18 3:07 PM
Just wanting to see what everyones opinions were before I call the vet. I have a mare that when riding it occasionally feels like her back end gives out almost like she stepped in a hole. It usually happens at the walk or trot but It has happened while loping one or two times. She also kind of feels sluggish in the back end if that makes sense. Ive done some research and I've come up with EPM or stifle issues, but I don't feel like it would be a stifle problem as she isn't showing any other signs ( she still stops good and turns good) what do y'all think, I'm stumped.
Edit to add that she had her hocks injected a couple of months ago.
What you're describing is catching/locking stifles. You probably feel it more when you're just starting out or on a downward transition, like from a lope to a trot or trot to a stop. It will also show up more so when going down a slight incline.
There could be several things causing it. Sore hocks (causes over use of stifles). Sore stifle. Long toes, negative palmar angle in back feet. Lack of fitness. EPM. A lot of times young horses going thru growth spurts will do it.
Sometimes the stifle joint needs to be treated, sometimes an internal blister needs to be done on the patellar ligament...sometimes you have to do both. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | FlyBoy737 - 2017-09-18 3:07 PM Just wanting to see what everyones opinions were before I call the vet. I have a mare that when riding it occasionally feels like her back end gives out almost like she stepped in a hole. It usually happens at the walk or trot but It has happened while loping one or two times. She also kind of feels sluggish in the back end if that makes sense. Ive done some research and I've come up with EPM or stifle issues, but I don't feel like it would be a stifle problem as she isn't showing any other signs ( she still stops good and turns good) what do y'all think, I'm stumped. Edit to add that she had her hocks injected a couple of months ago.
Catching stifle.
It doesn't have to fully lock for them to "step in a hole".
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| It was EPM on one of mine. Also noticed that he would slip in the back going down a slightly inclined place in the concrete isle and was losing topline... |
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
Location: mi | Could be anything. Get the vet out. If it is not something you can easily replicate when they are there. I would first try to get a video of them doing it so they can actually it happen.
We have a horse that does that with bad hocks. If its near the end of the shoeing cycle we get the shoer out if a good trim doesn't fix it then its time to get his hocks done again. But really it could be any number of the things listed above.
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | Classic PSSM symptom |
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 Cotton Balls are the Devil
Posts: 1271
Location: My own little world! | roxieannie - 2017-09-20 7:12 AM
Classic PSSM symptom
This was one of the most noticeable thing my PSSM 1 mare did. There were other signs too but she never tied up like you hear about, for her it was a lot of "little things" that I noticed. |
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Veteran
Posts: 226
| Make sure your vet checks rear suspensories........ took 2 years, a lot of money, and a million vets to find mine :) Good luck! |
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Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | Cashbaby - 2017-09-19 9:42 AM roxieannie - 2017-09-20 7:12 AM Classic PSSM symptom This was one of the most noticeable thing my PSSM 1 mare did. There were other signs too but she never tied up like you hear about, for her it was a lot of "little things" that I noticed.
My horse is PSSM 2 and has px/RER. He does the stepping in the hole at least once during warm up. I do a lot of long trotting to stregenthen and that is usually when the "hole" occurs.
I used to inject hocks and stifles before his diagnoses. Seemed to help but it got shorter and shorter between injunctions. ( he has been to some of the top Preformance vets in the area, they all thought I was nuts, could see it on their faces )
as a last resort I tried him on golden paste. Tumeric, fresh ground black pepper corn. And coconut oil. Within three days I noticed a significant difference for the better. Haven't injected in over a year. Still does the hole stepping though
Edited by roxieannie 2017-09-19 11:34 AM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 812
Location: north mississippi | EPM my horse did the same thing |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Same as my horse. We shortened his toes on the back feet a bit and that really helped. Mine flexes sound for stifle. I do inject jocks because he has arthritis there (he's 18). Also very sluggish in the back end but he's very lazy. Chiro'd regularly. I just chalk it up to something he's always going to do since he's older and isn't going to ever be 100% sound at this stage. Just being realistic. You have to strengthen up the stifle muscle so it doesn't catch anymore. |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| Almost every horse I have ever ridden does this on occasion. The horse that I had that was catching a stifle didn't feel the same as the "stepping in a hole". |
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The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | Meep.Meep - 2017-09-20 9:24 AM Almost every horse I have ever ridden does this on occasion. The horse that I had that was catching a stifle didn't feel the same as the "stepping in a hole".
How did it feel different? Can you describe?
My mare feels off only on one side at the lope. The cadence is not the same loping to the right and she is clearly not as comfortable.
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| horsegirl - 2017-09-20 8:53 AM
Meep.Meep - 2017-09-20 9:24 AM Almost every horse I have ever ridden does this on occasion. The horse that I had that was catching a stifle didn't feel the same as the "stepping in a hole".
How did it feel different? Can you describe?
My mare feels off only on one side at the lope. The cadence is not the same loping to the right and she is clearly not as comfortable.
Its hard to describe but the stepping in a hole feels softer, the sticking stifle felt like a hard jolt if that makes any sense. |
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Member
Posts: 49
Location: Aggieland | Thank Y'all for all the tips and suggestions! I will be scheduling a trip to the vet and chiro in the following week. I know someone mentioned strengthening the stifle, what are some exercises or drills that can be done to strengthen?
edit: I also wanted to mention that when I go to pick the back feet she doesn't want to extend the left leg, she always tries to yank it back and place it on the ground, could this be the cause of a stifle problem? She picks up the other leg just fine.
Edited by FlyBoy737 2017-09-20 11:57 AM
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