Why is my horse lame?

Question

i have a horse which i ride who has been on and off lame in his left fore for the last year despite numerous visits to the vets and every test we can think of but still no diagnosis? he has even had a full body mri scan which showed nothing wrong? any ideas?

Answer 1

This can depend on how you work your horse. Horses are like people - they can get stiff muscles, sore tendons, and other sports injuries that won't show up easily on tests. You can also have saddle and tack problems that can show up as soreness.

You need to ask your vet how lame he is on the standard lameness scale. This will help you judge how serious it is.

Look to see if there is a correlation between how hard you ride and the lameness. Keep a diary.

Consider using / borrowing a heart monitor to see what is heart rate is when he's lame vs normal and when you work him if lame. A horse who's hurting has a higher heart rate.

Also, check to see if there's any correlation with your farrier's visits. Does this happen near a shoeing or late into the shoeing cycle? Maybe he's having trouble with his trim or shoes.

Finally, how about the riding surfaces?

Is your arena hard and densely packed or really fluffy or overdeep before he's lame? Or are you out on the trail and the next day he's lame? Maybe the impact is hard on his joints or tendons, or maybe walking in deep sand / surface is tiring.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

Since the vet can't come up with anything, maybe he's faking it. We had a horse who seriously faked being lame cuz every time he did, we stopped riding him.

But ideas . . . arthritis? Conformation flaw? Recurring abscess? Maybe he's just a drama-queen and if he feels even a tiny bit ouchie, he blows it out of proportion? Sorry, no real ideas. Good luck with your horse :)

Answer 3

STOP RIDING THE d**n THING! All you're doing is making him lame everytime he starts to get better!  

Answer 4

Time to try a different vet, and probably a different farrier.  So many lameness issues stem from the hoof.  A lot of times these can be caused by a mediocre farrier.

Answer 5

wow im in shock from how many ppl said he was faking it...thats the most obserd thing ive ever heard...well one of the many...horses are NOT like humans in that manner...for one his saddle may be to far forward causind pressure on his shoulders which is causing him to be a little off OR his saddle might be too narrow which also causes pain in the upper limbs.But i would say to get those checked out and get a new vet!  

Answer 6

Well i agree with the first answer, he could be faking it.

But i would check his hoof, and get the farrier. My mare was lame on her right back hoof. There was all this stuff in there that shouldnt have been, they drugged her, cleaned it out, and bandaged it. Since its been a year, it will be very hard to tell. So i think having the farirer come out, instead of your vet, will help the best. good luck!

Answer 7

Is he lame when riding only or all the time? At all gaits? How old? Breed(s)? What is your style of riding? ie trail/pleasure hunter/jumper etc. How is he trimmed/shod and how often? How often do you ride? How have you treated the lameness thus far? Have you noticed any patterns at all in when it happens, even something so simple as who he is turned out with?

First two things I would check would be saddle fit and a chiropractic exam. You would be surprised what a poorly fitting saddle can cause! I suggest the chiro since the vet hasen't found anything, it may be a matter of misalignment cased from "who knows"?

Once you check those out and don't find aything I'd try another vet also. Even one in the same office is a different pair of eyes, ideas and experience.

There are a million and one possibilities and it is very frustrating I know! Good luck with him!

Answer 8

I have had similar experiences. I use a menthol ligament rub. Just put it on about 5 minutes before a ride. Because he might just be sore or the injury might not be stronge enough to show on an MRI. it really helps, and it will remove the pain or if they are faking it. Hope this helps!

Answer 9

I agree with Amy. It is possible that he is faking it. There is a horse at my stable that does that all the time. When he's not in the mood to ride, he starts limping. Plus, he likes the extra attention. If the MRI didn't turn anything up, then he's probably faking it. I'm assuming you had his feet checked as well, right? Horses are smarter than we think sometimes. Or more devious I should say.  

Answer 10

Although horses can "fake" ie repeat a behavior which they have learned gets them out of work, they cannot "fake" pain. I'm sure you have already done nerve blocks starting from the bottom up, but you might discuss with your vet a regimen of an anti inflamatory such as bute. While an MRI is helpful, it doesn't cover all the bases the way a nuclear bone scan does.

I would determine if he is in pain (via bute etc) or simply having a mechanical problem that makes him appear lame but doesn't hurt. Some horses move in a way which looks lame without accompaning pain due to healed bone damage, fused joints, etc.

Answer 11

Do you really think that anyone here will be able to diagnose a lameness that numerous vet visits have not been able to diagnose on a horse they cannot see based upon a vague description?

Have you tried a different vet? Or going to a university with a large animal clinic? How about a lameness specialist?