Underslung Fetlocks

[Jerry D Milam Jr <milamj@agtelco.com>]

I need some advice from a veterinary perspective about a problem I see
progressing slowly with my 9yo arab. Anyone else out there have any experience
with this?

Some medical history about him is in order. He sustained a 50% tear of his L
rear suspensory 3 yrs ago. He is healed well from that injury and is rideable,
but we don't do endurance any more. He is now trusted with our kids riding him;
they are light and he'll take good care of them. He now has what seems like
permanent windpuffs bilaterally on hind and both fetlocks are sagging much lower
than his front fetlocks. He doesn't move in an awkward way and there isn't any
detectable lameness.

My farrier recently commented to me that his hocks are really straight. I
started looking at him and it does seem that because his fetlocks are so
overflexed, his hocks have compensated for the imbalance with less flexion than
they used to have.

My question is this. Is there something that can be done surgically to correct
this imbalance in the fetlock, so the hock can regain it's normal flexion? I
know there must be long term problems associated with this kind of imbalance. If
there is something surgically that can be done, I'd like to have that option
while he's still young.

If it would help I can send a jpeg of him for analysis.

Thanks everyone,

Susan and Sabian