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  Discussion on Fetlock lump
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New Member:
Caneenj

Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 8:01 pm:

I have a 6 year-old Quarter horse gelding. When I bought him almost 3 years ago he had a hard lump on his right rear fetlock joint. The horse had run wild since birth and the owner didn’t know what the lump was. He surmised that it was scar tissue. Since the horse wouldn’t let you near his hind feet at the time, neither I nor the vet could examine the lump very closely. But the horse moved very well and there has never been any sign of lameness in that leg.

Now, three years later the horse is calm and gentle. The lump has not changed noticeably in size. Looking from the top down the lump is at about the 2 o’clock position directly on top of the joint. It's the diameter of a nickel and it sticks out a good 1/2 inch. It is very hard to the touch and does not move around under the skin. There is no sign that it hurts the horse to put pressure on it. He still moves freely and never limps or shortens his stride. He does, however, display some unusual behavior that I think must be related to the lump. When he’s worked at the canter for more than 10 or 15 minutes, he will spontaneously swap the hind lead (picks up his left). He’s generally a well-balanced horse but after a period of time he seems to prefer cross firing to loping on the right lead.

In addition, he will often (when tired) seem to stumble on his right rear. Actually it’s not so much a stumble as it seems that his right rear “gives out” momentarily. He’ll catch himself and continue. He’s pretty soft and relaxed in the canter. He doesn’t seem to be in pain or frightened. He’s a tad on the lazy side.

I’m not sure what’s going on. Do you think this is related to the lump on his fetlock? My vet doesn’t think the lump is anything to worry about and he’s reluctant to take it off because it is right on the joint capsule. He thinks the canter idiosyncrasies are a training issue. Any ideas?

Jeff
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 20, 2004 - 7:40 am:

You may have this backward: perhaps a serious stumble in the past tore the capsule, resulting in the scar? If there is no lameness, decreased flexion, or reaction on a flexion test, I agree with the other vet, it is not likely to be a problem.

Concerning the cross-cantering you could pursue this idea that the fetlock might be the cause with diagnostic anesthesia, for more on this see Equine Diseases » Lameness » The Diagnosis of Lameness in the Horse.
DrO
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