Are ticking stifles a timebomb?!

[tetervin@bms.com]

Hi all- My 5 year old who has been in training for almost 1.5 years recently 
had an episode of acute lameness in the rh when we on a training ride. She was 
grade 5 lame at the trot but was just stiff and landing wide at the walk from 
my vantage point alongside her. She was not lame the next day when the vet 
came and we lunged her for 15 minutes. X-rays said the joints are ok
 although the 
stifle x-rays were not clear enough to show articular surfaces clearly.
 Rest and massage of all the muscles in the hind end and especially
massage of adductor muscles which seemed hard and slightly swollen and going 
back to lighter work schedule. No apparent lameness but I feel her rh 
'dropping' at the walk when her weight is being pushed off by that leg. I 
watched her walk fom behind and she is lowering her right hip when 
the weight passes over that leg. Her stifles have always  'ticked' but the rh 
is much worse than the left. I put my ear to her stifle and moved with her as 
she grazed and sure enough- at the point in her stride where she is pushing 
off that rh, there is a loud 'tick' (felt like a spark in my ear!)coming from 
her stifle area. Could this possibly be just ligament noise? HELP!! Thanks-Amy