# Clicking joints in horse



## Christmas Crumpet (9 September 2009)

We've got a 7 year old newly bought horse who passed a 5 stage vetting last week. 

He has very clicky joints behind - not sure which joint it is - but he seems to click nearly every stride. Am slightly confused becasuse I don't remember him doing this when I tried him out although we were going xc. Should he have passed a 5 stage vetting or is it nothing to worry about? I am concerned that he is doing it as much at such a young age. He clicks all the way out on exercise until we get home, clicks when he moves in the stable and in the field.


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## BFG (9 September 2009)

I would give the vet a call that did the vetting as ask them.

They maybe call the old owners and see if this is normal for him.


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## stencilface (9 September 2009)

My sisters horse does this - comes from his hips I think.  I am pretty sure he has always done this, although is now 18 - and we've had him since he was four - so I can't be sure if its something that has come up in the last 10 years.

He doesn't have any probs, and is still competing at RC horse trials and Disco show jumping.  

I have clicky joints myself, and as far as I am aware (in humans) people with arthritis have clicking joints, but clicking joint does not necessarily mean you'll get arthritis - ie there is no causal link (as yet) between clicking and arthritis.


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## Christmas Crumpet (9 September 2009)

Have just left message for vet to ring me back. I've got the vets cert in front of me and the only thing of note were 2 splints. Surely he should have mentioned the clicking.


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## BFG (9 September 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Have just left message for vet to ring me back. I've got the vets cert in front of me and the only thing of note were 2 splints. Surely he should have mentioned the clicking. 

[/ QUOTE ]

You would have thought so, keep us posted.


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## U_T2009 (9 September 2009)

My horse's joints occasionally click either in his off-hind fetlock or in either one of his knees. I've had him for 5 years now and the only time he has ever been lame was once when he got a bruised sole and another when he got bad mud fever. He gets worked quite hard (has done BSJA, BE, hunted ect.) and its never caused him a problem.

I also get clicky knees whenever I bend down, again never had a problem with them.


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## beutifulwobble (9 September 2009)

hey- my new nag also has clicky joints. He is only 5 and has a huge amount of growing still to do as proved last night when we had a locked stfle and i had heart failure!! My vet didnt comment on clicking and as people above have said we click as do other horses. I have a few friends whose horse clicked from day 1 right up until they passed away.

I am feeding oil and am thinking maybe a supplement to help safe guard for duture.

xxx


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## liliro1 (9 September 2009)

Shall keep my eye on this post as have recently noticed that my ned click from behind, but only in walk, only just noticed it and its only at the very start of work before warmed up!


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## posie_honey (9 September 2009)

my mare clicks a lot - but she'd had a hard life as a hunter before i got her. she;s 11 and i have put her on a low dose joint suppliment to help for the future. she's perfectly sound though


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## golddustsara (9 September 2009)

My 9yo connie has been clicking since he was bought aged 6. Clicking comes from his stifles and vet has assured that it is just air popping and means nothing. The clicking is very intermittent, sometimes its every time he moves and other times it doesn't happen for a couple of weeks.


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## Hippona (9 September 2009)

In  humans clicking joints alone ( in the absence of pain/swelling/heat etc) is not clinically significant of anything... so I assume its the same with horses.

Best check with your vet, who will no doubt need to do some expensive test to confirm this


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## Boater (9 September 2009)

My 8 year old Connie clicks from the hip when he's walking downhill. Doesn't seem to bother him, just me!


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## Supanova (9 September 2009)

When I first got my 6 year old mare she clicked quite a lot too from the fetlock and hip area.  Never caused any problems and it has pretty much gone away now she has become stronger.  My physio said clicking is just air moving through the joints and nothing to worry about!


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## beutifulwobble (9 September 2009)

I have heard the same which was why i wasnt in a panic with my boy- he is a) 5 b) very unfit and c) Is clearly going to be huge and take time to grow into himself!!!!

My last hw finally stopped growing at 7 so i think he will be the same- i am having a lesson this week so my instructor can give me some good exercises for building up bum muscles etc to help with the other baby prob of locking stifle.

xxxx


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## camilla4 (9 September 2009)

Guidlford - are you quite certain that it is his joints?  I know some horses can make clicking noises caused by their hind shoes slightly knocking together at each stride.  I'm sure you are probably right but thought I'd throw it into the mix!!


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## Christmas Crumpet (9 September 2009)

Definately clicking joints!!


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## Steeleydan (9 September 2009)

Lots of horses have clicking joints I think it could be his stifles or hocks, dont worry too much about it. (Says me who is the worlds worst worrier!!)
My best way of discribing it is- You know some people pull their finger and it makes a clicking noise or if you go to a Chiropractor and he click your joints, I ask my chiroprator if that clicking noise is the joint going back into place, he said its a pocket of air between the joint, so this could be what your horse is doing.
Speak to your vet about it, but then on the other hand you dont want to open a can of worms with xrays etc, if he was mine I would put him on Cortaflex as it maintains healthy cartlidge this may help him.


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## Christmas Crumpet (9 September 2009)

Have got tons of Newmarket Joint Supp. so will put him on that.


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## Alex.W (5 June 2012)

Hi I also have a problem with my pony as well! He's a just turned five year old welsh sec d. I have noticed this problem for a while now, I've only had him since November last year, and he has a regular clicking in both his hips(one side is worse than the other) which sounds like the noise made when walking in flip flops. He is not lame and it doesn't cause him any pain or discomfort in anyway. We have had the vet out to him and she didn't really know what it was she took an x-ray of his hocks and there was nothing wrong with them, she suggested a months field rest and bute which he is currently on now. This is my second pony and personally I think he has benn overworked to young as his old owner had taken him to shows all summer being a just turned four year old doing all types of jumping on him, and I have also played my part in this as we regularly go to kelsall on the farm ride and in the jumping arena and also regularly attending working rallies with him at pony club. I think that he has benn to over worked and this bute and field rest will do the trick, I just didn't understand that he is still growing and all his joints are very fragile. Thai is probably the case but I just wanted to see if anyone had any other solutions to this problem!


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## LaurenBay (5 June 2012)

My Horse has a clicking joint. Its her stifle, she does have a stifle injury but thr clicking has nothing to do with that.


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## AntxGeorgiax (14 August 2013)

LaurenBay said:



			My Horse has a clicking joint. Its her stifle, she does have a stifle injury but thr clicking has nothing to do with that.
		
Click to expand...

I know this is an old post, but my old driving horse has just started doing this! It seems to be only in her hind legs and I'm not sure which one it is as I haven't seen her for a long time! Did any of you try a supplement that stopped the clicking? Or just leave it?


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## Jazzy B (14 August 2013)

My old mare had a clicky joint, it clicked every day from when I bought her as a 8 year old and every day until she died at the age of 27 of colic.  She never had any problems with it at all.


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