This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Lower Limb » Diseases of the Lower Limb topics not covered by the above »
  Discussion on Soundness Question...
Author Message
Member:
leec

Posted on Monday, Sep 15, 2008 - 12:01 am:

Hi DrO
I just purchased a 2.5 yr old QH gelding who cut the fronts of his knees on I’m assuming wire (I don’t know exactly when this happened – between 6 and 18 months...). There are a couple of scar lines, but the hair has mostly grown back, though it’s a little cowlicky. If you run your fingers down the fronts of his knees, there is an indent where the injuries were, more on one knee than the other. He does not appear unsound at any gait, though at the walk he almost moves like he’s gaited – he appears to pick his front feet up higher than the average horse and kind of slap them onto the ground. His feet are in serious need of a trim, so I don’t know if being unbalanced could be part of his movement. As well, his front pasterns are maybe sloped less than what some would consider 'the best' angle – again maybe corrective trimming will change that. It appears he has a lot of growing to do – bum high, undeveloped wither, leggy, head seems big for his body etc. – maybe that is part of his odd movement... My camera is on the fritz, but in the next couple of days I will send some pictures of his knees/pasterns. The person I bought him from had a pre-purchase exam done 6 months ago when she bought him and her vet said he was sound and would be suitable what she planned to eventually train him for - a barrel horse. Anyway, she ran out of money and now he is mine. My plan is to use him as a trail horse – he won’t be started until next year. Given what I’ve said regarding his front end movement, pastern conformation and knee injuries, can you tell me what (if any) types of unsoundness may arise with him in the future?
Thanx, Lee
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Sep 15, 2008 - 8:08 am:

Lee, it is not clear there are any future soundness issues and the gait and pastern issues could easily be do to long unbalanced feet. Get those feet trimmed and if the knees worry you have them radiographed for early signs of osteoarthritis.
DrO
Member:
leec

Posted on Monday, Sep 15, 2008 - 9:38 am:

Hi DrO
Thank you for your quick reply. Farrier is booked - he has a lot of experience (correcting feet is his thing). I was not too concerned about the knees - just wondered if there was a way to tell how severe the initial damage was, given they healed with 'indents'. Unless he becomes unsound between now and next year, I won't bother with the rads unless my own vet suggests I should before he starts training.
Thank you,
Lee C
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008 - 9:42 am:

One other thing you can try is checking that the knees flex OK.
DrO
Member:
leec

Posted on Sunday, Oct 19, 2008 - 1:50 pm:

Hello,
Just an update following Chance's farrier visit. The farrier figured it will take about 3 trims to get his feet balanced. He said there was nothing about his feet that raised any red flags even though they'd been neglected for a long time (he wondered if the horse had ever been trimmed – it certainly appeared he didn't know how to balance on 3 legs for any length of time). Did not think his pasterns were 'weak', but noted that his front cannons were short – not sure what that means... When flexing for trimming, he said the knees felt 'normal'. Following the trim, Chance was not sore or 'off', even on rocky, hard ground. Since the trim, his pasterns look better to me. He does not slap his feet down as previous, but he still appears to pick up his feet higher than any other QH I've seen (my other one drags his feet when he's walking casually).
Lee C
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC