Need help diagnosing horse lameness - UPDATE: getting better

[SamsaraEquitation]

Horse's talk and this horse is not putting it's leg down properly because it knows it is going to be painful. They are not stupid! This is not the first time it has been shod so it is not because it feels weird. Horse's have different thickness soles on their feet. To me it is a clear case of being poorly shod. Either a nail was in too deep or too much was taken away and was therefore too sensitive. These things are relatively easy to test. S

[95horses4life]

i meant un comforable

[95horses4life]

it does look comforable

[WCJosesRitzyDoll]

Just ran accross your video and you may have already been suggested this, but it looks like fibrotic myopathy to me. Most of the stringhalt horses I have seen are bilateral and fibrotic myopathy is often unilateral. Fibrotic myopathy is usually due to ingestion of a plant toxin that causes the nerve damage (not caused by the farrier cause the nerve is higher in the leg). Good luck with her

[MrRonchambers]

Look up string halt stifle, epsm

[shadinalonesea]

@MrRonchambers I've asked the vet about the stifle and he didn't see anything wrong. It doesn't sound like EPSM cuz she doesn't have any other symptoms. It COULD be stringhalt (we had a lot of flatweed on our pastures, and she lost a lot of muscle on her hinds), but it was a heck of a coincidence that she ate that stuff on the same week she was badly shod! :P Will ask the vet about it, but since she's improved after re-shoeing by a different farrier, now I'm more curious than worried. Thnks! :)

[JustBecause110]

Give her about a week of rest if you change the style of her shoes.. It oculd be that her body needs to get used to the diferent shift of weight on her hoof.

[14imke]

i agree with YuiVayden

i think her shoes don`t fit her comfortably

[shadinalonesea]

@14imke

That's what I think too, and it's the most likely cause, 'cuz she started doing this after nearly a year of riding shod and barefeet. *shrug*

I'm also assuming it's because the farrier tried to correct her lousy (his words) hind feet. Like forcing one to wear 6in high heels after a lifetime of wearing flip-flops - it must be uncomfortable, but it shouldn't be painful. right?....

[14imke]

@shadinalonesea no i don`t think it`s painful, she just thinks it feels weird

tough next time you see the vet you should probably ask ;)

[shadinalonesea]

@14imke She seems to be either in a little pain, or a lot of discomfort - I'm starting to suspect what's really aching are the muscles she's overusing from doing that stupid gait... If that'll go away by itself or just get worse, is beyond me.

I'd be happier if the vet/farrier/whoever came and said "she's got THIS problem, we'll do THAT and she'll be brand new in THIS MUCH time" but things aren't just as easy. XD

[YuiVayden]

she might have been shoed wrong.. just a shot in the dark.. looks to me like shes very uncomfortable and in a bit of pain after being shoed

[shadinalonesea]

@YuiVayden That's what we're all suspecting, given that she was perfectly fine for almost a year before... That's why we're calling the farrier first, and only if he fails we'll call the vet.

I know she must be in pain for sure, because she's very cranky, when she used to be friendly and kind.

[Kinuoxx]

waaahh haven't seen that baby in forevers ^_^

And thats weird, the shoed version makes it look like her foots heavier/harder for her to lift, is it a normal shoe? If it is it might be her not being used to them or something along those lines. . .

[shadinalonesea]

@Kinuoxx Yeah, he's grown heaps, hasn't he? :D

It's funny, because before this shoeing (and with her pre-foaling shoes) she was a "feet dragger", and now she seems to lift them MORE than usual! Makes no sense.

[shadinalonesea]

@Kinuoxx I don't know what kind of shoes she's wearing; we just assumed the farrier was doing the right thing and didn't ask... I also thought it had something to do with the corrective shoeing, and that's why we let her be for the first couple of weeks, but instead of getting better, she's getting much worse - doesn't sound like she's getting used to them, right?

[Kinuoxx]

@shadinalonesea thats odd. My horse has awkward feet, and my farrier used normal shoes and put them on her backwards, for heal-protection.

[shadinalonesea]

@Kinuoxx We always knew she had weird feet (from dragging them across the dirt to hitting herself on the inside of the fetlocks, she's got it all! XD), but the previous farrier never mentioned it. This new guy saw all the defects and presumably went on to fix them - but either he messed up, or the horse doesn't want to be fixed. :( Either way, it's not looking good. I just hope it wasn't some kind of serious injury (like her spine, or hips), and that it'll go away easily....