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[RC] Stifle problems - Arabs4sprtHi, my favorite trail horse is a 19 year old CMK Arabian mare that I think is having stifle lock up problems. The trouble is that her symptoms are only occasional. Let me give you a description and see if you all agree that it sounds like her stifle or if it is something else. We'll be walking along when suddenly she stiffens and sort of stumbles behind. It happens more often going downhill but not exclusively. It seems to irritate her when it happens, she gets a little mad at me like she thinks I did it. It seems like she has trouble in the forward swing phase of the movement, she can't swing that leg forward. It happens more often with one hind leg (right) than the other. Afterward she seems a little uncomfortable but doesn't limp. It never happens at the trot or canter, only at the walk. It sometimes seems to occur when she is being shod. But the horseshoer thinks that she is misbehaving (she never misbehaves, this is really one of those sweet-tempered perfect horses), being lazy, or leaning on him too much. After this happens she is uncomfortable about holding her hind leg up high and to my eye it looks like she is unwilling to bend the stifle. Sometimes it seems to appear as though she has a muscle cramp while the shoer is working on her. However she has NEVER tied up and has never had any other problems with muscle cramping. There is no swelling or other indications of problems. And the discomfort if any fades fairly quickly with no lasting effects. If we ask her to move around after being shod (i.e. chase her around the turnout whooping and hollering), she trots and canters off like there has never been any problem. The symptoms have been sporadic enough that I cannot show my vet as they are unpredictable. I have no prior experience with stifle lock up therefore I'm not able to diagnose her myself. I had the vet look at her and she said she didn't see any signs of looseness about her stifles (not really sure what she was looking for the stifle to do and can't say whether this vet is really good at diagnosing this thing). One time she did seem to be having a tendonitis problem with her hind leg, there was a little tenderness in the superficial digital flexor tendon, the vet said that we should give her two weeks off and then gradually bring her back to work. I did that but while the tenderness resolved it did not resolve the "problem". The problem has been a long time in process, it started a couple of years ago. It does seem to be becoming more frequent but even so it is not so frequent that I can say to the vet that she will do it at a particular time so that the vet can see what she is doing. I can't get her to do it when lunging her. It is unaffected by exercise or lay offs (even when not in work she gets daily turnout with 4 other horses in a large dry lot with some hills). She still runs like the wind and goes like the Everready bunny, though she seems to go downhill a lot slower and more carefully than she used to. Like she's worried about it or being careful. So my questions are: a) does it sound like a stifle problem? b) if not what does it sound like? c) if it is the stifle what is the best treatment available and what do I ask the vet to do for evaluation and should I ask for a particular treatment? Thanks, any and all advice appreciated. Tracy Scheinkman ============================================================ Far back, far back in our dark soul the horse prances... The horse, the horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement, of action... ~ DH Lawrence ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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