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  Discussion on Bent knees when tired?
Author Message
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2006 - 8:27 am:

Occassionally when I have been bringing my horse out of his stall He stands with his knees buckled forward and they shake slightly. Its like he cant stand square, He will stay like this till I walk him around for a minute or two and loosen the muscles a bit, then he is fine. It doesnt cause lameness or anything. It started over a year ago but I think is getting a little worse. Yesterday I noticed it more than normal, so I thought I would see what you have to say DR O. I read all the articles and most say there is lameness with carpal problems. What else could cause this? Is this something I should worry about when there is no other symptoms. He is ridden in the steep mountains 2-3 days a week. Thanks Katrina
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2006 - 9:22 am:

Forgot to say his knee cracks (like when you crack your fingers) when picked up. arthritis is my first thought. I cant get the vet (emergency only) out money problems at the moment.
Member:
Erika

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2006 - 9:49 pm:

Katrina, funny you should post this. I have noticed my 17 y.o. mare's knee is more "over" than it used to be. She had an injury there when very young. Never gave her a bit of trouble, but it is noticeably more bent looking than it used to be. I was wondering about developing arthritis also. I'll be watching to see what Dr. O has to say, too.
Erika
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2006 - 6:30 am:

Horses who are unable to lock the knee's closed while standing usually have one of two conditions that often can be differentiated by age:
  • In the young growing horse this is usually flexor tendon contracture involving the superficial digital flexor but sometimes other tissues in the back of the knee.
  • Arthritis of at least one of the carpal joints.


In Katrina's case the horse sounds like it is very functional and is unlikely to cause problems. Erika's horses age and description suggest a situation that may progress to cause soundness problems and should be pursued next time the vet is out to see what they say.

For more on both of these conditions see, Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Upper Front Limb » Overview of Lameness of the Knee (Carpus).
DrO
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2006 - 6:34 am:

Erika does your mare stand like this all the time or does she do it after standing around like in a stall. My guy is only in the stall during the heat of the day at the moment usually about 6 hours. I am worried I have over stressed his knees. Dr O if he has tiny fractures from being over stress wouldnt he show lameness.? I am thinking of doing no hill work and see what happens. If he was lame or had swelling or heat I would have the vet out in a heart beat. Nothing except for standing funny for a little bit. Then he stands square. He is one of those horses that does not tolerate pain well. Which is good because I usually know when something is wrong way before damage is done. All my friends call him a sook because unless everything is perfect and he is comfortable he will buck you off.Katrina
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2006 - 6:39 am:

Dr O you answered my question as I was writing . Thanks, I over worry, My friends all think he is fine. Thanks DR O
Katrina
Member:
Erika

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2006 - 7:03 am:

Thanks Dr. O, I will have her checked out. She is certainly not even slightly lame--yet, but the thought of it hurting is bad news. She's a lovely mare with an incredible jump. I guess I'll ground her for now.
Katrina, my horses are out all the time with access to the stalls whenever they want, but yes, during the heat of the day they might as well be closed in. They spend a lot of time in there to escape heat and bugs.
Thanks,
Erika
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