# Not tracking up and stiff behind?



## HevenzAngel (27 May 2012)

Okay so my horse has always tracked up and works beutifuly now after hard work but about two weeks ago i took her to a show and as i was warming up i noticed she wasnt tracking up and was stiff behind. I rested her and then we got the vet up when we brought her in one day and she was severely lame.

The vet came up the next day and said she had an abscess on her back foot but it had burst already so she scraped back her hoof ect and told us to give her a weeks rest. So in total she has had 2 and a half weeks rest.

I brought her back into work a few days ago as instructed with just light walks but i felt she was tracking up well again when she went out a hack but was maybe a bit stiff. The next day we tried again but she was now tracking up short so i gave her another 3 days rest. I rode her in the field so she was on the soft but again only walked around i noticed she was tracking up well again but still stiff. Again i rode her in the field and took her in the school to walk infront of my instructor and she said she looked stiff behind (Its extremly hard to explain). 

Extra information: The day she went very lame i felt she had a swollen back right fetlock but it had gone down the next day and the vet thought nothing of it but one of the girls at my yard said that she wasnt extending from the fetlock. Another girl said it was a groin issue by the looks of it, and personnaly i think its something near her hip.

I am not extreamly concerned as we have had the vet up and a saddler and they were not concerned but she has been the same way for a while now even with nearly 3 weeks rest and i am worried it has been soemthig else besides an abses that the vet has missed but i have been just keeping her in light work to see if it ease of. You cant tell she is stiff unless you have known her previously and my instructor says becuase she has short pony stride it is hard to tell. Any advice, Keep riding her? or Stop?


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## be positive (27 May 2012)

I would get a physio to look at her, she possibly has a muscle that is tight due to holding herself in a different way while in pain with the abscess.


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## Oberon (27 May 2012)

Ditto - find a decent body worker. I don't much care what methodology they do - just whomever is best in your area.

A lameness can create a body issue and a body issue can create a lameness.

Wherever it started from, the hind end always gets involved in lameness and that's where the engine is.

The horses can get trapped in a cycle of tension in the lumbar and sacro illiac areas especially.

So it's worth getting someone to check him over - as long as the vet is happy with that


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## flintfootfilly (27 May 2012)

Is she striding short with both hind legs, or just one?  I only ask because if it's one, I'd be pursuing identification of a lameness cause, whereas if it's both, I'd choose to have a blood test including muscle enzymes to check whether it's a scaled down version of tying up.

When you say she seems stiff, what is it that you are seeing/feeling to make you think that?

Sarah


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## HevenzAngel (27 May 2012)

Right hind leg only. It's hard to explain but it looks as if her movenent is not as fluid from that hind leg but she seams to be tracking up fine you can't really feel a diffrence but you can see something is not quite right. I will try and post a link to a video if that helps 
 I was actually thinking of getting the phisio up that we had for my old ex racer.


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## mini-eventer (27 May 2012)

I wouldnt be suprised if  the absess may not have completely cleared. If all the infection or forign body causing the absess doesnt come out then the absess will just reaccur. Did you poltice the foot or anything to draw the infection out? I have known absesses cause the fetlock to swell in a few horses so i wouldnt worry about that.

you could try tubbing the foot for a few days (soacking the hoof which softens it and can help an absess break out. Uf I was you I would get your farrier to have a look


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## HevenzAngel (28 May 2012)

Think farrier is coming to the yard on Wednesday so will ask him to have a look then, thanks. Will get some videos tomorrow so use can see her movement and will post the link on hear please post all replies to the video back onto this thread, thanks


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## HevenzAngel (17 July 2012)

Okay it has been a while but i have an update on willow. We had the farrier up and he found another abscess which had now burst that the vet had missed so we poulticed the foot just to make sure and she was 100% fine again. We had the vet up also just to make sure and he agreed that she was fine but a lazy mover in walk.

I am really happy she is okay now and i am planning more shows for the rest of the season as she has been fine for a long while now and is starting to work in her outline again


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## muff747 (17 July 2012)

This is great news, glad it is all resolved and you're back on track.
Your horse is lucky to have a sensitive owner who was patient enough to find out what was wrong and make sure she is well and happy.
Good luck with the shows


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## mightymammoth (17 July 2012)

Great news xx


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