When riding Bramble you can be riding for 5 mins or longer and for seemingly no reason her hind leg feels like it drops off, her whole body tilts that way as she is out of balance and then she will recover the leg, when you look back behind you in the sandschool she has left a drag/skid mark in the sand of fairly substantial length. I have only found this to happen when under saddle or in the cart and more so when she's not tracking up and working hard?
Has anyone got any thoughts on what could cause this?
Saddle has been fitted and also checked by the physio when she had her back looked at, she is unshod but sound.
could be laziness/working in but my friends horse did this and had a slipping patella, she still does it and it is to do with weakness behind, but she does it less now shes stronger(was a broodmare till she was 5 and when she came into work was incredibly weak behind)
My friends hunter mare was doing something similar and she has just been diagnosed with OCD. She did seem to drag the toe of one leg but when vet came she found she actually had it in both hocks(one was worse than the other). At first we thought it was because she had time of work and was unfit, but after lots of schooling and her outline and muscle tone improving her ability to step under herself (particulary in canter)was not getting better yet she was always forward going. Not saying your mare has this but i would definatly get her checked out by your vet to be on the safe side.
It stands for Osteochondrosis (sp). It is when bone does not form properly from the cartilage in a young horse. Google OCD you will get a far better explanation than i could give you.
Thank you for your help guys, had someone out today and they have diagnosed a locking patella (sp?) but that as it is reasonably mild with correct exercises to build up her bottom muscles that will keep everything moving well but keep it where it should be
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Posted - 20 Nov 2008 : 9:05:55 PM
