Re: For Tom - hocks/stifle

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/23/00 5:26:51 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
kathy_mayeda@atce.com writes:

<< TI - regarding the stifle issue - I sometimes think that
 the "locking" comes from a problem in the lumbo-sacral
 area or the iloipsoas or something like that.  I am just
 saying this because if I palpate my horses back in a certain
 spot on his back, his whole hind leg on that side used to buckle.  
 He had been diagnosed with an "upward fixation of the patella"
 and was advised to do a lot of uphill trotwork.  Never really
 went away until I fixed my saddle problem, and now he only
 "drops out" when we have been trotting downhill at the end
 of a looong ride (like the last 5 miles of my last 50 mile
 ride which was pretty much a lot of downhill). 
 
 But then again, he does have a funny hock action - tends to
 hitch up as he swings his foot a little more inward than he
 should on that same leg.  Drives my farrier nuts.
 
 What do you think?  This is also causing me to think about
 the hock..... Maybe one thing is causing a chain reaction
 that appears to be something else.....  This diagnosis
 was also done by an well respected lameness expert.
 
 Kathy >>


Yes, you may have a multiple problem--the hike is typically hock. The 
"locking" has to be something else. The back/hip is a possibility, but stifle 
more likely. Troouble is, both these areas are hard to diagnose--the hip 
would require scintigraphy.

ti