Hello There
Kelly here, life has been so interesting I haven’t had time to write much up! HOWEVER, I did manage to put this Facebook post together and I think it’s an important message to get out there so feel free to share with Friends and Farriers 😊
Does Your Farrier understand about these Physical Issues Before Thinking a Horse is Untrained or ‘Naughty’?
Mine does – maybe because he’s married to a vet 😊
If you see things going wrong, it’s obviously your (the owners’) job to get the horse checked with the vet. Keeping this to the main points:
Sacroiliac joint or lumbosacral stiffness
The sacroiliac region links the spine and pelvis, so it is central to stabilising the horse when a hindleg is lifted. A horse with SI discomfort may snatch the hind foot away, lean heavily, swing the quarters, or become anxious because balancing on three legs feels insecure. SI problems are often associated with hindlimb stiffness, poor canter quality, dragging toes and vague poor performance.
Hock arthritis
The hock has to flex when the farrier picks up a hind foot. Arthritic hocks may resent being held tightly flexed or pulled out to the side. The horse may keep trying to straighten the leg, stamp it down, lean on the handler, or be worse on one hind than the other.
Stifle pain or weakness
The stifle is vital for supporting and controlling the hindlimb. If it is sore, weak or unstable, the horse may find it difficult to stand squarely on the opposite hindleg while the other is lifted. You may see wobbling, sudden dropping of the foot, resentment when the leg is taken backwards, or difficulty holding the limb up for more than a few seconds.
Back pain or kissing spine-type discomfort
Back pain can make any farrier position difficult because lifting a limb changes the forces through the spine. A horse with thoracolumbar pain may hollow, brace, swing away, threaten to kick, or become progressively worse the longer the leg is held. Back pain in horses can be associated with several conditions, including impinging dorsal spinous processes, osteoarthritis, ligament injury and muscle strain.
Foot pain in the opposite supporting limb
This one is easy to miss. If the farrier lifts the left fore, the right fore suddenly has to take more weight. If that supporting foot has laminitis, thin soles, bruising, navicular-type pain, heel pain or arthritis, the horse may rush to put the lifted foot down. It can look as though the lifted leg is the problem, when the real issue is the leg left on the ground. Foot pain is extremely common in equine lameness workups.
Laminitis history or chronic sole sensitivity
Even mild or past laminitic changes can make prolonged loading uncomfortable. These horses may be especially unhappy if asked to stand with one front foot lifted while the other front foot bears extra weight. They may fidget, rock back, snatch the limb, or need frequent breaks.
Shoulder, elbow or knee discomfort in the forelimb
When a front leg is lifted too far forward, too high, or held too long, it can strain the shoulder, elbow, carpus/knee and associated soft tissues. A horse with forelimb arthritis, old injury, muscle restriction or neck-shoulder tension may pull the leg back, paw, lean, or panic when the leg is brought forward onto a stand.
Neck pain or cervical arthritis
The neck is part of the horse’s balancing system. If the horse has cervical stiffness or pain, shifting weight and using the head and neck to stabilise can be uncomfortable. These horses may brace through the poll and lower neck, become claustrophobic about being held, or struggle more with front feet than expected.
Proximal suspensory or tendon/ligament pain
Soft tissue injuries may be aggravated by loading the opposite limb or by holding the affected limb in a flexed position. Hindlimb suspensory pain in particular can be sneaky: the horse may not look dramatically lame but may object to holding a hind foot up, especially when the fetlock, hock, and stifle are flexed together.
Poor core strength, fatigue or neurological/balance issues
Some horses are not acutely “painful” in one obvious place but simply lack strength, proprioception or confidence to balance well on three legs. Older horses, young horses, horses coming back from injury, and horses with subtle neurological or coordination issues may sway, lean, rush to put the foot down, or feel unsafe when held for too long.
Ask your farrier to let your horse have his/her leg down intermittently. Wrestling a leg never ends well. I’ve got the hygienist next week, and I’m OK with it because I know I only have to raise my hand and they’ll stop doing that thing they do when you think your life may be at stake.
And if your farrier is tall and he’s doing a little pony or old timer, make sure they know the pony will fall over if they try and lift the leg higher than the body.
I’ll get this written up properly for the IH Magazine and include ‘training/rehab’ farrier exercises to do.
PS: This has come up today because when I first got Hugo, I really thought he was neurologically damaged in that he kept snatching his feet away or picking the wrong leg up when I asked.
And this morning I went out, and after picking out each foot I twirled each one round (well, you know what I mean!), and he was SO good and relaxed, and I thought I really NEED to get this out to anyone who may not realise how much horses can improve when they are comfortable – particularly owners and farriers
Another PS: I had a farrier from Norway (Karin) do a small study on how horses stand best for their feet, and her results showed that tied up rather than standing with the owner or groom came out better.
