# Explanations for a "tucked up" horse?



## FinkleyAlex (30 November 2007)

I lunged my horse yesterday and he was going fairly flat and wasn't striding as he usually does (have since been told by yard that we have run out of cortaflex so I'll put it down to this.) I looked over him and saw a funny line behind his ribs on his lower stomach, another livery said it was just a muscle line but it has literally just appeared overnight. He also seems tucked up around his stifle. I gave him the day off today as it was raining horribly, he still seemed tucked up. He has had lami once in the past but he is not footy at all, no digital pulse, no hot feet and completely sound when trotted. He has been eating/ drinking and in the field as usual (only goes out for 3 hours a day), doesnt seem colicy of over heated, digestive system functioning fine and seems well in himself.

Could having run out of cortaflex made him go tucked up? What are the other causes of this? I took some photos on my phone of the "muscle line" at the bottom of his ribs and around his stifle but it won't upload to the computer!


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## YorkshireLass (30 November 2007)

Sounds like some sort of low level hind end lameness.  This can lead to horses looking tucked up or roach backed.  The line apears becaus ethe horse is using its muscles to adapt to a more comfortable posture.

Horses can looked tucked up for many reasons, mostly relating to discomfort or dehydration.  In your case the rapid change in the horses way of going strongly suggests a hind end problem.

I would not think the lack of cortaflex itself would be enough for such a drastic change.  Itis debatable whether cortaflex works at all!

Your horse mighthave strained or twisted itself some how, but rule out dehydration first.


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## JenHunt (3 December 2007)

has been doing more work than usual? or has he got cold at all in the horrible weather?
he doesn't sound lame to me, just a bit cold or tired.
mine occasionally tuck up after hunting if the have got cold or tired, but usually come right overnight with some warm speedibeet, electrolytes, plenty of hay and some rest.


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## FinkleyAlex (4 December 2007)

For the last two weeks he has been working 7 days a week instead of 5. We recieved blood tests that had been taken a month ago (the RVC forgot to ring and tell us the results) as I had got the vet out because he wasn't putting much weight on after his lami diet. The results showed that he had high amounts of tapeworm so this could well be a cause! He has been regularly wormed for the last two years on the yards general routine, and the years before that I was in control of worming and he never had any problems. I'm not hoping to persuade YO to let me worm him on my own routine


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## the watcher (4 December 2007)

I think you have answered your own question. The tapeworm burden would certainly contribute to this, hopefully not too much long term damage has been done.


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