# Lame on a circle but sound in a straight line- ideas?



## timbobs (30 June 2016)

My lovely boy went lame last week at a competition, but was totally sound by the time I got him home! Had the vet come out the next day who did trot up and flexions and he was 100% sound. We weren't able to look at him on a circle as the school was flooded.

Did light hacking for the next few days due to lack of time and rode him again Sunday where again he was totally sound in straight lines and lame on a circle.

Suspected an abscess so poulticed and had pus Mon/Tues- Hurrah! Farrier came yesterday and said abscess has cleared as no pus to be seen even when he had a bit of a dig, and no reaction to hoof testers. Went out on a hack yesterday eve and popped into the school after and lame again!

Vet coming tomorrow to take a look, but wanted to hear other people's experiences of this!


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## ycbm (30 June 2016)

Lame on a circle, sound on straight lines on the flat can go on for a month after an a bscess, it depends how deep it went. But I would get x rays if he isn't sound on the circle in another week, just in case it's tracked somewhere deeper. Just to be safe, it's not likely.


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## Mari (30 June 2016)

If horse is lame on a circle then it's lame no matter what it's like on a straight line.  I had physio, farrier & vet to mine when he was like this.  Problem was in & behind shoulder.


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## timbobs (30 June 2016)

Thanks  

He had an abscess in the same foot back in Feb which went really deep and he had to have a couple of weeks of box rest (our fields are really muddy so couldn't turn out with a boot or anything).

He was only given an antibiotic injection and nothing after that so I wonder if it didn't totally clear then although he has been sound until last week


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## timbobs (30 June 2016)

Mari said:



			If horse is lame on a circle then it's lame no matter what it's like on a straight line.  I had physio, farrier & vet to mine when he was like this.  Problem was in & behind shoulder.
		
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Will see what the vet thinks if it's related to shoulder- thanks for telling me what it was for yours  Yes I know he's definitely lame- I was just trying to explain that it is only visible when on a circle and he appears sound when on the straight.


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## ycbm (30 June 2016)

Mari said:



			If horse is lame on a circle then it's lame no matter what it's like on a straight line.  I had physio, farrier & vet to mine when he was like this.  Problem was in & behind shoulder.
		
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I'm sorry but I can't agree with you for an abscess. It's quite possible for the horse to be completely sound on a road, but in a school, when the surface presses on the still sensitive abscess hole, then the horse will be lame. Straight lines hard surface = no pain, not lame.  Circles on a surface = pain, lame. The horse is perfectly fit to work on roads, and in fact it may well help the healing process to keep blood pumping into the foot, and the brain sane.

This scenario is common after foot abscesses.


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## Dizzydancer (30 June 2016)

Is it the same leg as the abscess he is lame on? If it is then chances are it's still from the abscess and agree you could X-ray to check it's not gone anywhere it shouldn't. 
If it's a different leg then it could be any number of things


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## timbobs (30 June 2016)

ycbm said:



			I'm sorry but I can't agree with you for an abscess. It's quite possible for the horse to be completely sound on a road, but in a school, when the surface presses on the still sensitive abscess hole, then the horse will be lame. Straight lines hard surface = no pain, not lame.  Circles = pain, lame. The horse is perfectly fit to work on roads, and in fact it may well help the healing process to keep blood pumping into the foot, and the brain sane.
		
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This describes how he has been totally- perfectly happy when out walking on the road and straight lines in the school, it is only when in a corner/on a circle that he appears lame. Even when lame, he is still actually moving forward happily and not reluctant to move forward at all.

Hopefully it is just the remainder of the abscess but thought it best to get the vet out as we are supposed to be going to ROR camp in a couple of weeks!

Dizzydancer- yes same leg he is lame on!


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## exracehorse (30 June 2016)

Had it before. Couple years ago.  Lame on right rein in circle.  Was an abscess.  Took 2 weeks to burst out heel bulb.  Stunk.


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## ossy (30 June 2016)

I had this with my old boy and it turned out to be check ligament damage.  As the poster with same that turned out to be shoulder issue it can be difficult to get to the bottom of what it is.


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## xspiralx (30 June 2016)

in front or behind?

Hind lameness on a circle can be a sign of suspensory issues.


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## timbobs (30 June 2016)

xspiralx said:



			in front or behind?

Hind lameness on a circle can be a sign of suspensory issues.
		
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Sorry should have said! Lame left fore and worse when on the right rein.


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## windand rain (30 June 2016)

horse on the yard is like this been going on fora while before she had xrays discovered arthritic changes in the pasterns and coffin joints


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## Happy Ponies (30 June 2016)

Are they lame on both reins during circles? Is one rein particularly worse than the other?


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## Moomin1 (30 June 2016)

The amount of differing responses on this thread demonstrates perfectly why it's pointless asking on a forum what your horse's lameness could be caused by.


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## Goldenstar (30 June 2016)

My guess would be ligament damage in the foot on the outside of the affected hoof .
You really need a good equine vet .


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## ycbm (30 June 2016)

Am I the only one who thinks that provided the horse was sound on the circle before it popped an abscess four days ago, that this is simply normal for an abscess and that the owner probably has absolutely zilch to worry about? And also that there is no point whatever in spending any money on exploring other possibilities until the abscess has been given at least a week to settle?


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## be positive (30 June 2016)

ycbm said:



			Am I the only one who thinks that provided the horse was sound on the circle before it popped an abscess four days ago, that this is simply normal for an abscess and that the owner probably has absolutely zilch to worry about? And also that there is no point whatever in spending any money on exploring other possibilities until the abscess has been given at least a week to settle?
		
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No, an abscess is often accompanied by bruising in the area and while the initial relief is obvious and they can go from being crippled to almost sound within minutes the final healing can take several days so they may stay slightly sore for that time, being sound on the straight yet a little wrong on a turn would tie in, I think to jump into diagnostics at this stage is extreme, he was sound enough to go to a competition less than a week ago, the cause of the lameness has been found, dealt with, a few more days should see it fully resolved I certainly would do no more until at least a week had passed.


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## Jericho (1 July 2016)

AM having exactly the same problems with my big lad who is unshod. Crippled lame, pain definitely in foot, classic abscess signs. farrier came and dug out an abscess on Tuesday. Big lad better straight away  but didn't get that immediate soundness that I had read about and was hoping for and farrier said it is going to take a week or so to settle. Needed hot poulticing for 3 days then dry poulticing for another 3 days. Farrier said if no better by Monday he will come again and decide if vet needs to come but all abscesses and all horses act differently.

Hop your boy is better soon



be positive said:



			No, an abscess is often accompanied by bruising in the area and while the initial relief is obvious and they can go from being crippled to almost sound within minutes the final healing can take several days so they may stay slightly sore for that time, being sound on the straight yet a little wrong on a turn would tie in, I think to jump into diagnostics at this stage is extreme, he was sound enough to go to a competition less than a week ago, the cause of the lameness has been found, dealt with, a few more days should see it fully resolved I certainly would do no more until at least a week had passed.
		
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## Deltic Blue (1 July 2016)

I'm having the exact same issue at the moment. 
Horse kicked out at fencing in the field 8 weeks ago, nasty superficial cut. Bandaged for 7 weeks, not been lame the whole time.

Bandage came off last week, she is now lame on a circle (lunge) in trot, on the left rein on her back right which has the wound, but not the right rein. 
She's perfectly sound in a straight line, and we are baffled as she hasn't had a lame step until the bandage came off, and she had been lunged previously whilst the bandage was still on. 

Vet is now coming out to do a full lameness work up next week. Very disheartening as she was just coming back into work and I'd ridden her twice in walk around the yard to start the process off, and now she's having to stop again as my vet doesn't want her doing anything more than walking now.


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## Moon Dancer (2 July 2016)

My horse is the same. Sound in straight line, sound on a left circle, lame on the right. 
He has hole in his straight sesamoid ligament and is currently two months in to six months field rest.


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## Toby_Zaphod (2 July 2016)

Timbobs:- There will be lots of ideas from people as to what can cause this & all of them will probably get you worried. It's best to just wait until your vet sees your horse, does various tests & then the correct diagnosis can be made.


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## julie111 (3 July 2016)

My 7 year old cob is sound in a straight line but lame on a circle and he has genetic bone disease. Sadly retired 2 years ago.


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## Pinkvboots (3 July 2016)

I have seen loads of lameness where the horse only looks lame on a circle it's very common as you can imagine the leg is being over loaded on a circle more so than on the straight so it sort of makes sense with many things, one of mine was so very slightly short in front a month ago only on a circle and after looking at him and being very critical I noticed he had a very slight flare on the inside of his hoof, so I had him re shod and he was sound, so lameness can be caused by just about anything really.


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## eggs (3 July 2016)

Probably as a result of the abscess but you are quite right to get the vet out.  Sound in a straight line but lame on a circle is usually a soft tissue issue.


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## kal40 (4 July 2016)

Side bones?  I'm having this with my boy

Kx


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