# Horse lame on soft ground and sound on hard ground any ideas



## ebonyallen (29 September 2011)

Wonder if anyone can help, tonight one of our horses came in sound from the field, taken up to the sand school and went lame, brought back to yard trotted up road to have a good look sound again, then back to the school on the lunge lame. It is the nearside front no heat swelling lumps etc. Does anyone have any idea what this might be, thanks in advance.


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## MrsMozart (29 September 2011)

Possibly suspensory ligament. I'd call the vet out tomorrow.


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## LIP2806 (29 September 2011)

Hi, I'm no expert but possibly a tendon? Tendons have to stretch further on soft ground. Also a horse is always more likely to look lame on a circle than on a straight line anyway. 
Is the horse lame on one rein or both? Have you checked down the back of the tendons?
Hope I haven't stated the obvious! Hope your horse is well soon anyway


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## unbalanced (29 September 2011)

Does it make a difference if it is on the straight or turning? That would tell you whether you are looking at a foot or limb lameness. I agree with other posters though, get the vet. Navicular would show up as lame on a tight circle on a soft surface before anywhere else.


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## alsxx (29 September 2011)

Normally that would indicate some kind of soft tissue injury. Best to call the vet out I'm afraid. :-( Hope your horse is better soon!


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## ebonyallen (29 September 2011)

Thanks every one, not my horse but a friends. She took her up the school at said she just did not feel right, was as if she was not walking properly in a straight line, she carried on for a bit and then she just fell in and was lame, even going up the long straight of the school. She was going to phone blacksmith tomorrow to see what he thought and to see if he would come out and have a look.


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## Elf On A Shelf (29 September 2011)

Ever the optimist here  It could be a bruised sole or a hole in the bottom of the hoof where the horse has previously stood on a stone or the likes and punctured it. Thus the horse would be lame on a surface or soft ground where stuff is being packed up into the sole of the hoof but on hard ground no such thing happens.

On the down side, if any swelling or heat or uneasyness upon palpitation shows up in tendons or ligaments then this needs seen to by a vet asap.


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## cptrayes (29 September 2011)

As EKW says, this is often a bruised sole, abscess in the sole or frog, or thrush, especially if the horse is in shoes and the frog only touches the floor on soft going.


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## Rainbow01 (29 September 2011)

Hi, my boy has an injury at the moment, symptoms sound kinda the same, he is slightly lame on the flat, but in the school on a circle is very lame.  Had vet out and he has soft tissue damage (think someone else mentioned that earlier). 

Obviously none of us are vets and havent seen the horse so prob just best to get checked out by the vet.  Hope all is ok soon!


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## ebonyallen (29 September 2011)

cptrayes said:



			As EKW says, this is often a bruised sole, abscess in the sole or frog, or thrush, especially if the horse is in shoes and the frog only touches the floor on soft going.
		
Click to expand...

We had gone down this route thinking that it might be something to do with the hoof, when we looked nothing jumped out at you, will check first thing tomorrow I will tell her what everyone has suggested and see what she thinks, once again thank you every one


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## Marydoll (29 September 2011)

Lame on the soft is usually soft tissue injury, vet will tell you for sure


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## The Fuzzy Furry (29 September 2011)

As others have said, likely to be soft tissue prob.

Had the same with big Fuzzy in July with lame on soft, fine on hard. 
Thought it wasn't foot, but got farrier out next day to check (without telling him what I suspected) and he said it was above knee.
Vet happened to be doing a routine visit to adjacent yard & amazingly popped in for a quick natter on way past as farrier was still chatting to me. (never had this luck before!)
So, I prised him out of car & got him to give opinion. (vet & farrier work together often) 
Vet diagnosed shoulder strain. Week off out in field on bute for 5 days. Also got physio out to give once over after the week. Trotted up fine 10 days later (I was away for the final 4 days of rest).

Sorry, wittering on, but do also look higher too, hope you get it sorted


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## ebonyallen (29 September 2011)

Fuzzy thanks for that, she was going to call him this evening, so if no joy there the next step will be the vet, but thanks for your advise


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## cellie (29 September 2011)

My mare bruised her  hoof on flint I knew she had  hurt herself and jumped off.She was sound on firm ground but pressure of sand in her hoof in school made her lame.When farrier dug out hoof next time he  shod the bruise was very plain to see.Hope its only bruising.


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## mr fields (29 September 2011)

a muscle injury also shows up on clearer on soft ground rather than hard ground. if i was you i would try box resting him and lettin him walk in the school for 20 mins a day if he will walk sensibly if not walk him in hand, if would try this before u get a vet out and if u can see an improvement then you know what you are looking at and if there isn`t an improvment then i would get a vet  hope this helps


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## The Fuzzy Furry (29 September 2011)

ebonyallen said:



			Fuzzy thanks for that, she was going to call him this evening, so if no joy there the next step will be the vet, but thanks for your advise 

Click to expand...


I was going to box rest big Fuzzy for 3 days or so to see how things progressed, but with the devine intervention of vet passing by, circumstances changed  always an opportunist, me 

Hope you get it sorted - whatever it happens to be 
Who's have horses eh?


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## ebonyallen (29 September 2011)

Yes there always seems to be something bless them,would like to think we might have an answer tomorrow.

Thanks again to all for all your thoughts on this nice to think you are not on your own with a problem


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