|
|
 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
   
Location: Pacific Northwest | Is there a difference in symptoms for sore stifles and weak stifles?
I've had my horse looked at twice - once flex tested by my local vet, another time looked at by a track vet - and neither of them think she has anything wrong with her stifles but I have a gut feeling she does. One thing I've learned is my gut is almost always right. I'm just not sure if I need to keep pushing that her stifles ARE sore, or maybe I just need to strengthen them? |
|
| |
|
 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | If in doubt, have PRP done, then 30 days of conditioning with appropriate days off to heal/build muscle. (Like miles one day, strength training the next, then a day off). |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | Yes and lots of hills and backing. I just had one with sore stifles, but nothing actually wrong, so we injected them, I've laid him off a little bit, and now I'm going to really try to get him strong there. |
|
| |
|
Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | jojammer - 2014-04-03 11:55 AM Yes and lots of hills and backing. I just had one with sore stifles, but nothing actually wrong, so we injected them, I've laid him off a little bit, and now I'm going to really try to get him strong there.
I used hills, ground poles working up to cavaletti, pulling tires, eventually we backed up the pond dam. Straight lines tho. |
|
| |
|
Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24955
Location: WYOMING | A few things you can do to help strengthen or rehab the stifle is:
1. Tail pulls. Pull to the right side and make them put wt on and contract the muscles in that leg, then the left..
2. Set up a bale of hay, tall side up, and ask them to step over the bale. When they begin to step over with their hind leg get them to slow that step down contracting that leg for a long slow step. |
|
| |
|
I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | Three 4 Luck - 2014-04-03 9:51 AM
If in doubt, have PRP done, then 30 days of conditioning with appropriate days off to heal/build muscle. (Like miles one day, strength training the next, then a day off).
Can you tell me more about PRP? I know what it is but I don't know much else about it. Is it expensive, does it require multiple treatments or is it a one-time thing? |
|
| |
|
I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | geronabean - 2014-04-03 10:05 AM
A few things you can do to help strengthen or rehab the stifle is:
1. Tail pulls. Pull to the right side and make them put wt on and contract the muscles in that leg, then the left..
2. Set up a bale of hay, tall side up, and ask them to step over the bale. When they begin to step over with their hind leg get them to slow that step down contracting that leg for a long slow step.
I saw that hay-bale exercise and I was going to start her with cavelettis and work my way up to that. She didn't even know how to trot over ground poles when I first got her so I don't know if she'd even walk over a hay bale on the first try haha |
|
| |
|
Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | livexlovexrodeo - 2014-04-03 12:05 PM Three 4 Luck - 2014-04-03 9:51 AM If in doubt, have PRP done, then 30 days of conditioning with appropriate days off to heal/build muscle. (Like miles one day, strength training the next, then a day off). Can you tell me more about PRP? I know what it is but I don't know much else about it. Is it expensive, does it require multiple treatments or is it a one-time thing?
It can be expensive, but depends on the vet. My vet charges basically $100 per site, but she is the cheapest I know of. When I had my gelding's stifles done last year, my bill was $275, including exam, and I left him there for 2 days. Another vet I used was $250 per site. They will be sore for a couple of days and sometimes have swelling (as I found out last week...) but should improve rapidly. It can't hurt anything but your pocketbook, but I have seen miraculous improvement. The first time I had one done, we had been trying to get him sound for a year, so his injury was old. 4 weeks after PRP, he was sound and stayed that way. |
|
| |
|
Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24955
Location: WYOMING | livexlovexrodeo - 2014-04-03 1:07 PM geronabean - 2014-04-03 10:05 AM A few things you can do to help strengthen or rehab the stifle is:
1. Tail pulls. Pull to the right side and make them put wt on and contract the muscles in that leg, then the left..
2. Set up a bale of hay, tall side up, and ask them to step over the bale. When they begin to step over with their hind leg get them to slow that step down contracting that leg for a long slow step. I saw that hay-bale exercise and I was going to start her with cavelettis and work my way up to that. She didn't even know how to trot over ground poles when I first got her so I don't know if she'd even walk over a hay bale on the first try haha
I just lead the horse over the bale. (forgot to add that).
This is for rehab/strengthening PRIOR to backing, trotting, etc. You dont really want to bring one back from time off or soreness and just start trotting, hills, pulling, etc without some strengthening first.
Once that area is built up somewhat you can do in conjunction with.... |
|
| |
|
Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | geronabean - 2014-04-03 12:31 PM livexlovexrodeo - 2014-04-03 1:07 PM geronabean - 2014-04-03 10:05 AM A few things you can do to help strengthen or rehab the stifle is:
1. Tail pulls. Pull to the right side and make them put wt on and contract the muscles in that leg, then the left..
2. Set up a bale of hay, tall side up, and ask them to step over the bale. When they begin to step over with their hind leg get them to slow that step down contracting that leg for a long slow step. I saw that hay-bale exercise and I was going to start her with cavelettis and work my way up to that. She didn't even know how to trot over ground poles when I first got her so I don't know if she'd even walk over a hay bale on the first try haha I just lead the horse over the bale. (forgot to add that ).
This is for rehab/strengthening PRIOR to backing, trotting, etc. You dont really want to bring one back from time off or soreness and just start trotting, hills, pulling, etc without some strengthening first.
Once that area is built up somewhat you can do in conjunction with....
I agree. We started out walking (and I mean WALKING not meandering) a mile and stepping over a line of ground poles, then building from there. Trotting was actually the last thing I added because it's harder on stifles than loping. Just use common sense and listen to your horse. |
|
| |
|
Regular
Posts: 60
| You want to be careful before you just start long trotting a mile. As someone just mentioned it is actually really tough on sore stifles so you want to do the best you can to strengthen them leading up to trotting workouts. I'm a huge fan of Pentosan. I've seen it do wonders for my old mare. I would seriously recommend it if you're not looking to do injections 3 times a year. |
|
| |
Folks on-line