Horse limping on cement?

Question

Hi, my horse has been limping on his right front foot , he just isnt the same perky horse that he usually is, and saves steps. he doesnt limp in his stall or his grass paddock, but if you look close you can see he misses a few steps and trips on that foot cause he isnt picking it up high. when i take him out on the gravel to be tacked up he freezes and then when i urge him on he begins to limp. i just rode him on saturday and he was fine. He is shoed and gets ridden 4-5 times a week, so this is very unusual for him.

Do you think he just got some bruising or do you think it is something more serious?

thanks, he is my first ever horse and i have been riding him for almost a year now. I just am not sure what to do and am extremly worried of him. I love him to death!

what is wrong with him?

Answer 1

Cement can be painful for horses that have done something to their feet. Cement has no give to it, unlike grass, which will absorb impact. This is why they recommend you don't go any faster than a trot on cement.

One of our horses sprained his ankle out in the paddock. We had to wrap it up and hose it down with cold water for 20 minutes every few hours. He was out for 6 weeks and was on stall rest.

Try picking out that hoof. Does it hurt for him to pick it up? Is there a rock lodged between his shoe and his hoof? Is it sore when you touch it and he tries to pull it away?

I would put some cold water on it, wrap it, and see if it starts to get better. If it doesn't improve in a few days, call your vet out.

I'd love to help more, but I can't give a fair opinion on what is really wrong with your horse over the internet.

edit: if there's no heat, I would call your vet out. He's the only one who can give you a fair and accurate diagnosis. In the meantime, I wouldn't ride him and I would still put some cold water on his leg and wrap it. Hope your horse gets better.

Answer 2

I would talk to your vet and have him do a flexion test on both hard ground(cement) and soft.

An abscess would typically be sore regardless of what surface the horse is walking on.  Increased lameness on hard ground tends to lean more towards bone/joint space problems.  If the lameness was worse on soft ground that would suggest soft tissue problems with a tendon or ligament.

The type of lameness you are describing also suggests something different than an abscess.  An abscess will generally cause a very pronounced lameness, but you are describing a more subtle issue.  And a reluctance to raise a leg can also suggest joint pain.

I would ask the vet to come out and take a look if you are really concerned.

Edit:  A very basic way to check for an abcess would be to clean out the hoof, and then with the handle of the hoof pick, push down on various parts of the sole.  If there is a big enough abcess to cause lameness, it won't take much pressure to make the horse uncomfortable.  Most abcess come on fast and painful, so the horse appears to be "toe touching" lame.  So what you are describing could be an abcess, but I would be concerned that it could be more.

Edit:  Abcesses are usually very easy to diagnois.  They cause a lot of pain.   And they don't start deep in the hoof, and require time to make it to the surface - if the horse stepped on a stone that caused an abcess... it will be lame the next day.  The vet can usually tell right away without the hoof testers, the hoof testers just let them know where the abcess is located.  If the horse has an abcess, it should be dealt with immediately before it breaks through the coronary band.  Once it breaks through there, you are at a much higher risk of infection.  Most vets choose to cut into the abcess to let it drain, or along side the abcess to relieve some pressure.

If it is an abcess, and your horse was sore today, they will be toe touching lame by tomorrow.  From what you say - I would go with Jeff and say it sounds like a nail that got too deep, or joint problem.

Answer 3

Discounting all other injuries, it sounds like he has an abcess.  You need to let him rest - no riding - if that is the case - until the event is over.  As far as determining an abcess, most people (farriers and vets) will use hoof testers to make their "diagnosis".  My opinion, it is useless and it really hurts your horse.  If all else is ruled out and it is an abcess, your horse needs to be turned out and let him move around as he can normally.  This really hurts.  Watch your horse everyday.  Usually within a few days, the abcess will pop out either at the coronary band or on the bottom of the foot.  After it pops and begins to drain, you should soak the foot in warm water and epsom salts a  couple of times per day for about 20 minutes.  This will help draw out the infection and help it dry out and it will really feel good to your horse's foot.  If it pops on the bottom, it is usually recommended that the abcess be packed and wrapped to keep it clean and the bandages changed at least twice daily.   Again, you should not ride your horse until he gets over this.  It is really painful.  Usually, bute is recommended for a few days to help the horse cope.  When the abcess pops out, this releases the pressure and he gets a lot of relief.  If he were my horse, I would pull his shoes at least while he is healing.  Abcesses can be produced by bruising or some kind of blow to the foot but you are at increased risk when you are consistently putting nail holes in the hoof wall every few weeks.  The holes open the pathway for bacteria and other antigens to enter.  It is just another reason why barefoot is better.  So sorry your boy is hurting.  Help him.  good luck.

Answer 4

have u picked out his hoofs?

Answer 5

We also have a horse that does that. If you keep them on cement too long they ( well at least mine ) do start to limp. Make sure your taking proper care of your horses feet. keep picking them like you say you are, and have you farrier take a look at your horse and see if he can give you some tips. also when in the stall make sure he has nice thick bedding in his stall. check the foot.. even though you pick the feet.. does your horse have a rock that you missed? does he have cracks that are bad in his hoof? the best thing you can do is talk to farrier and your vet. was there an accident on the gravel? maybe he remembers how it felt to get a rock stuck in his foot so he doesn't want to walk on it. look for any signs of lamness. and check for black wet stuff at the bottom of the hoof. if you find anything CALL YOUR VET.  good luck hope your horse gets better.

Answer 6

I too would check for abcess first.  Also when was the horse shod last?  What you are describing also sound like the soreness from a shoeing which took off too much toe or even a quicking with the nail.  The nail typically takes about two or three days to develop to its sorest after the horse is lightly quicked.  At times the farrier does not even realize he did this since some horses will not flinch.  Also a loose shoe will sometimes make the sole of the foot a little tender.

Check the underside of the hoof as if you are checking for an abcess just like kicking bear suggested.  If that turns up nothing then call the vet to have a flexion test done.  A foot problem can typically be bound with the hoof pick but if it a joint problem the hoof pick will not affect that.

Horsegurl  just wanted to make sure (you probably already know this but some of the others here may not) that leaving a horse too long on cement will cause  arthritis.  I know several with premature arthritis from this including one 5 year old stud.

Answer 7

Let your farrier look it him. He may have an abcess or a bruise, and your farrier will probably be able to tell you. If not, he may be having some inner hoof issues, possibly laminitis. Trust your farrier's instincts. If he doesn't know, call the vet and get it  looked at.

For an abcess, soak the foot in epsom salts twice a day and apply ichthammol to the entire sole/frog of the hoof. Also ichthammol on the outside coronet band. This will help draw the abcess toward the weakest area in the hoof so it can pop out. Be sure to keep it clean once it pops. You can use iodine to clean it and help it toughen back up. Good luck :)

Not all abscesses cause lameness. We have had several instances where the farrier said he cut out an abscess and the horse was never lame at all! Also, the lameness may only show up on hard ground if it still pretty deep in the foot. When it gets closer to the sole, you will likely notice lameness even on softer ground. Your farrier can put the hoof testers on your horse to determine if he thinks it is an abscess.

Answer 8

He may have an abscess or a hematoma inside his hoof...the farrier can check for signs on the sole of the hoof...in the meantime you can soak it in warm water and Epsom salts to encourage it to come to the surface.  The farrier can probably open it up to drain if it is superficial enough.