Does anyone know of any exercises or any method of strengthening long pasterns ????

Question

Or of any helpful websites ??

I have a twelve hour old foal who is heaps down on her rear pasterns and want to get on top of it before it becomes an issue for her.

Answer 1

Let her mature a little longer and I bet she'll straighten out. Foals' legs need time to tighten up before they look normal.

Answer 2

Don't worry!!!!  It is not uncommon for a foal to be down in the pasterns. Keep an eye on the foal. You will see steady improvement over the course of a few days. It may take a few weeks till they are straight, but that's okay. Let the baby be a baby.  Don't worry about exercises for the pasterns. Let nature take her course and do as you would for any foal regarding exercise.

I appreciate your concern, bu have seen this many times. I've been raising horses for about 15 years.... (I can't remember exactly how long).

You can confirm this with your vet when he/she comes out to do the 24 hour blood draw to check the IGGs on the foal.    

Answer 3

It's not even a day old?  She'll be fine.  Newborns are almost always out of whack. It's COMMON for them to be down in their pasterns as well as over at the knee.  Give her a couple days and I bet she'll look heaps better.

Answer 4

why strengthen it, it will taste better if you tenderize it

Answer 5

is your foal walking on her toes or her heels? or anything like that.

If they are walking on there toes (tip ofthe hoof first on the ground) they might have ballerina syndrome. the best way to do that is to put them in a paddock with a steep hill so it will stretch it out. if u dont have a hill u can get supports for this but u have to get to it early when they are young.

i think it might be the same as if they are walking on there heels but im not sure.

if all else fails ask a vet

Answer 6

seriously, you should really just give her time for the muscles to tighten. but if you want to make yourself feel better there are a few things that you can do. after a day or two, put the mare on a lead, and walk her SLOWLY around a small paddock with the foal walking with her. the light exercise will help strengthen her tendons. after about a week in a big foaling stall, put the pair in a paddock for the filly to play, which will also strengthen her legs. sorry, but there are no magic treatments that you can use; its all mother nature. just wait. she will straighten out.  

Answer 7

*********************** Added Monday ***********************

So your vet has been out to see her. TBH, he is the best person to recommend how to proceed.  I assume he didn't recommend anything when he came out?  If she's really bad, why was this?  Maybe he thinks she needs a bit of time to 'come up' on her own?  However, you are very worried, so give him a call today and ask him what he thinks you should do to help your filly. He'll have to be the one to guide you through any remedial measures you may need to take.  That, or he'll have to refer you on to someone else who specialises in young horse leg problems, maybe a remedial farrier?  They do use stick-on extentions to assist foal limb deformities, but be warned! They are expensive to have fitted, are very time consuming to put on and fall off really easily.  My yearling is having them fitted this week and I am dreading it. Each fitting is going to cost about £200 at time. I have to take the filly to the vet hospital, the vet has to sedate her, he'll maybe xray her again and then feet have to be immaculately cleaned before the glueing on can begin. The glue is rather like SuperGlue so if either the hoof or the plastic extension are not really clean, the shoe just comes off. Then the whole process has to be done again. I am going to keep my yearling in whilst her extensions are on. She wont like it, but it's better than the extension coming off or becoming sucked off by the mud in the field.

I know you are really worried about your filly, but I can only stress - being very down in the pasterns is extremely common and is something that happens to foals which are either a little weak after the birth or are a little premature.  It's a sign that their tendons are not yet mature or strong enough to hold the limb at the correct alignment. It looks frighteningly bad I know, but as the foal gets stronger and exercises, so the tendons get stronger too, which stretches and tightens them and brings the pasterns and fetlocks upwards back into the correct position.

I got this from another website:

"Once your foal stands up, dont be concerned if their legs seem weak. Many times the pasterns and fetlocks may almost touch the ground. Their legs should straighten up within a couple of days or it can be as long as one to two weeks."

But, please. Give your vet a call today and ask for his advice. He'll be the best person to monitor your filly and intervene if he thinks she needs any extra assistance.  I am sure she will just need a few days to strengthen up, but ask your vet for reassurance during this early period. Good luck :0)

______________________________________...

Hi,

To be honest, it's very early days for your little filly. At the stud where I breed mine, many of the foals are born very wonky and with weak legs. Don't be overly concerned if your baby is very down in her pasterns and fetlocks for the first few days of life. They will generally straighten up as she grows stronger over the next few days. However, if you notice her to have any other physical problems, or if her condition doesn't improve significantly within the next 7 to 10 days do consult your vet without further delay.  There are remedial measures that can be taken when absolutely necessary, but these HAVE to be started well within the first 3 months of life to be effective.  Your filly's pastern and fetlock growth-plates will fuse (have finished growing) at around 3 months of age, after which time it is impossible to alter them.  

Don't worry unduly though, just keep in a stall with her dam or out in a very small paddock, and keep an eye on her for the next week to see how she strengthens up. My fingers are crossed for you that she's going to be fine all by herself :-)

Liz