Fantastic video. I'd love to send you a video of my boy. He doesn't seem lame but I think there's a soreness somewhere I just can't pinpoint it. He's such a good honest boy he hides it well if there is pain
So do I!! 😫 a view from behind would be so helpful! I’m often by myself or relying on videos sent from owners, who are also working alone, so it can be tough to get those views from behind.
Hi Barbara, FWIW, this looks like left hind limb lameness to me. I say this because his right hind fetlock drops more than his left hind fetlock, which probably indicates more weight is being placed on the right hind leg. Also, FWIU, lameness that is incited during the stance phase of the stride effects limb excursion differently than lameness that is incited during the non-weightbearing phase of the stride. Stance phase lameness will have a longer forward excursion and the leg will leave the ground sooner. Non-weight bearing phase lameness will have a shorter forward excursion and the leg will stay on the ground longer. An example of stance phase lameness would be a hoof abscess; an example of a non-weightbearing lameness would be an old soft tissue injury. So I would guess this horse has an old soft tissue injury in the left hind leg. Just .02. And THANKS for your videos!
Which horse are you referring to? I haven’t watched this in a while, it’s 4 or 5 years old now but I’m pretty sure all the example horses I used had confirmed lamenesses where I knew what the problem was.
My horse fractured his right stifle 2 years ago and I'm hoping to get a lameness exam since I feel the vet who worked with him in the first stages of his injury did him dirty
Thank you for this video. My horse is older w/ arthritis, stiff not lame. I recently took a video while riding and noticed his hocks aren't bending much in the trot; walk was pretty good. Is that a sign they're fusing or have fused?
Is it normal for the back legs to tremble while a “stout” horse is laying down? I’ve noticed my mare’s back legs tremble on her way down to the laying position.
I found your content while researching equine physical therapy. I work for an equine pt and we are currently having issues with the veterinary board saying she cant practice. Have you had any similar issues in your state?
The laws are quite different in different states… I have not had issues here but I’m in TN. Kentucky for example is much more restrictive and I cannot practice there even with a reciprocal license.
I have a 4 year old that shows obvious stifle issues going down slight slope. He seems fine going up. He has had several times about 6 that his patella stuck in upward position. Had to back him up to get back in. Been to vet about 5 times dealing with issue. Told to exercise him of which I even swam him for a couple months and patella still came out. Was supposed to be in barrel futurities but pulled him out of training due to this issue. I was hoping he would grow out of it or after conditioning he would strength if his quads. When I do lateral pull on his tail I can actually hear a click clunk in stifle area. Presently I am doing gentle slope exercises, isometric exercises ex lateral tail pulls and caveletti poles. I am not sure if this is going to help. My question is do I continue with these exercises or possibly do a surgery( fenestrate medial ligament or possibly have iodine- estrogen injected to make less lax. I am getting discouraged. He is a well bred, embryo baby and is a gorgeous horse. Please advise me! Maggie
I’ve tried to get my horse sounds with barefoot and boots since last august since moving barns the ground is harder and he’s really struggling:( idk what to do I don’t want to shoe him but I hate seeing him in discomfort
It’s hard to give you specific advice without knowing more about your horse and your situation, but it’s extremely important when taking a horse barefoot to address the diet and lifestyle in addition to getting a healthy trim on an appropriate cycle and finding boots that fit with the amount of padding that allows for heel first landings if the horse can’t achieve heel first landings barefoot. There are lots of variables at play.. If you don’t have a trimmer locally who understands all of these variables the Hoof care and Rehabilitation Facebook group is a wealth of knowledge and is where I would start. I also offer virtual consultations through my website which is www.drbarbaraparks.com
Could you explain to me how the left leg of the white horse is lame because it has more hip drop I have always heard the opposite it's the hip that is up that is causing the problem? Love your video by the way. Super interesting!
Great question! Some people look more at the hike and others at the drop, but you’ll tend to see both on the lame side - it just sort of depends how you look at it. Really what it comes down to is more vertical displacement (up or down) on the lame side vs. more stability on the sound side.
I was also taught to check for hind limb lameness from behind by looking for a hip hike. I need to watch again but I thought the hip hike was on the right side for the gray horse.
my dressage horse definitely has hip drop on the left hind. Is there a body asymmetry that may cause this, rather than a "lameness"? Thank you. (I enjoyed your video - it was very instructive.)
Great question! It sort of depends on what your definition of “lameness” is. Some people use “lame” to mean visibly limping/severely painful, but I use it much more broadly. So yes - if could be an asymmetry due to weakness, compensation for an old injury that’s no longer painful, stiffness, etc. The hip drop alerts us to the leg that’s “not quite right” - just like it alerts us to the leg that’s acutely lame from something like a tendon injury or an abscess. You may want to watch my video on the Trendelenburg gait in horses. It talks a bit more about the hip drop!
@@TheHorsePT your answer was very helpful. If I can add one additional finding, he received stifle injections (IRAP) about a week ago for bilateral effusions and 1/4 lameness (L>R) on dynamic flexions. He still is tender on the R stifle, but the hip drop is on the Left. How might this make sense?? (BTW, This horse has a history of 4 SDFT injuries in three fetlock regions( 2 in RF, 1 each in LH and RH) over three years!! He has been great for the last 1.5 years)
@@jbt1952 ah yes! definitely look at my trendelenburg video! That will help explain why you might see the drop on the opposite side of where he’s tender. I have a playlist on my page called “lameness vids” and it’s on there.
What are some things to help this? Because my mare started doing this like 2-3 years ago and we were stretching her out, getting special vet treatments and she wouldn’t stop, so we gave her a year rest time but when we tried again she was still doing it. Is there any way to stop it?
Hey my mom has a horse that is 30 and he is having trouble with his back legs and the vet wants to put him down. He has been having trouble for a year maybe and we gave him steroids and they worked for a while but not it isn’t working and he is very wobbly and has a hard time, almost falls over. Do you recommend we put him down or is there any hope? Thanks.
@@gailbrant2356 I think what you’re describing is what I call twisting. it can be hard to put words to this stuff 😅 but that is usually a weakness issue in the deep core/pelvic floor/hip stabilizing muscles!
Is there anything I can do to help her? She can gallop ok. I don't ride her, she's a young mustang. Maybe got hurt during a round up or another horse. She had a foal when she was 2 or 3. How serious is this twisting?.@@TheHorsePT
Great question! In that example it’s a little different because it seemed as if this horse had more trouble with letting the hind leg extend behind him, rather than simply having pain with weight bearing on that leg (due to a muscle strain). If the horse has pain with weight bearing, you’re right! You’d generally see them spend less time standing on that limb.
Can you use the correct terminology “near side” and “offside”? I gathering the “right side” is “near side” and the “left side” is “off side”? Of vice versa? Are you standing facing the horses’ hindquarters and stating “right” and “left” or are you standing besides the horse facing the fore quarters? Otherwise your explanation is good.
Near side is the horse’s left side and off side is the horse’s right side. I hate the near/off side terms because they’re confusing and not particularly helpful terminology.
Thank you for putting this together. I feel I have definitely learned what I should be watching for with my horse. It’s been very informative
Thank you for putting this together. I’m horrible at lameness and this was VERY helpful!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you!
ो़़़़़़़़ हैं ँँ@@TheHorsePT
ो़़़़़़़़ हैं ँँ@@TheHorsePT
ो़़़़़़़़ हैं ँँ@@TheHorsePT
Fantastic video. I'd love to send you a video of my boy. He doesn't seem lame but I think there's a soreness somewhere I just can't pinpoint it. He's such a good honest boy he hides it well if there is pain
Super instructive, thanks for posting this analysis
Thanks for sharing this useful video. However I wish that you had videos from back side of the first two examples.
So do I!! 😫 a view from behind would be so helpful! I’m often by myself or relying on videos sent from owners, who are also working alone, so it can be tough to get those views from behind.
for the last horse with sensitive feet try scoot boots they work better then shoes and last for 2 years, bonus they save money for a ferrier.
This was a very helpful video thank you
Thank you for sharing this! Very well put together.
Hi Barbara, FWIW, this looks like left hind limb lameness to me. I say this because his right hind fetlock drops more than his left hind fetlock, which probably indicates more weight is being placed on the right hind leg.
Also, FWIU, lameness that is incited during the stance phase of the stride effects limb excursion differently than lameness that is incited during the non-weightbearing phase of the stride. Stance phase lameness will have a longer forward excursion and the leg will leave the ground sooner. Non-weight bearing phase lameness will have a shorter forward excursion and the leg will stay on the ground longer.
An example of stance phase lameness would be a hoof abscess; an example of a non-weightbearing lameness would be an old soft tissue injury. So I would guess this horse has an old soft tissue injury in the left hind leg. Just .02. And THANKS for your videos!
Which horse are you referring to? I haven’t watched this in a while, it’s 4 or 5 years old now but I’m pretty sure all the example horses I used had confirmed lamenesses where I knew what the problem was.
Hi Barbara, thank you for your reply! I am talking about the first horses in the video. Thanks
Do you have video to help pinpoint the exact area the lameness is coming from?
This is super interesting, thank you for making this video!
My horse fractured his right stifle 2 years ago and I'm hoping to get a lameness exam since I feel the vet who worked with him in the first stages of his injury did him dirty
Thank you for this video. My horse is older w/ arthritis, stiff not lame. I recently took a video while riding and noticed his hocks aren't bending much in the trot; walk was pretty good. Is that a sign they're fusing or have fused?
Very helpful video. Thanks!
Love your videos!
Hi, what was causing the lameness in first case presented in video?
Is it normal for the back legs to tremble while a “stout” horse is laying down? I’ve noticed my mare’s back legs tremble on her way down to the laying position.
I found your content while researching equine physical therapy. I work for an equine pt and we are currently having issues with the veterinary board saying she cant practice. Have you had any similar issues in your state?
The laws are quite different in different states… I have not had issues here but I’m in TN. Kentucky for example is much more restrictive and I cannot practice there even with a reciprocal license.
What was the first horse in the video lame from?
I have a 4 year old that shows obvious stifle issues going down slight slope. He seems fine going up. He has had several times about 6 that his patella stuck in upward position. Had to back him up to get back in. Been to vet about 5 times dealing with issue. Told to exercise him of which I even swam him for a couple months and patella still came out. Was supposed to be in barrel futurities but pulled him out of training due to this issue. I was hoping he would grow out of it or after conditioning he would strength if his quads. When I do lateral pull on his tail I can actually hear a click clunk in stifle area. Presently I am doing gentle slope exercises, isometric exercises ex lateral tail pulls and caveletti poles. I am not sure if this is going to help. My question is do I continue with these exercises or possibly do a surgery( fenestrate medial ligament or possibly have iodine- estrogen injected to make less lax. I am getting discouraged. He is a well bred, embryo baby and is a gorgeous horse. Please advise me! Maggie
I’ve tried to get my horse sounds with barefoot and boots since last august since moving barns the ground is harder and he’s really struggling:( idk what to do I don’t want to shoe him but I hate seeing him in discomfort
It’s hard to give you specific advice without knowing more about your horse and your situation, but it’s extremely important when taking a horse barefoot to address the diet and lifestyle in addition to getting a healthy trim on an appropriate cycle and finding boots that fit with the amount of padding that allows for heel first landings if the horse can’t achieve heel first landings barefoot. There are lots of variables at play.. If you don’t have a trimmer locally who understands all of these variables the Hoof care and Rehabilitation Facebook group is a wealth of knowledge and is where I would start. I also offer virtual consultations through my website which is www.drbarbaraparks.com
How to tell if the lameness is hock or stifle or lumbar
Could you explain to me how the left leg of the white horse is lame because it has more hip drop I have always heard the opposite it's the hip that is up that is causing the problem? Love your video by the way. Super interesting!
Great question! Some people look more at the hike and others at the drop, but you’ll tend to see both on the lame side - it just sort of depends how you look at it. Really what it comes down to is more vertical displacement (up or down) on the lame side vs. more stability on the sound side.
I was also taught to check for hind limb lameness from behind by looking for a hip hike. I need to watch again but I thought the hip hike was on the right side for the gray horse.
my dressage horse definitely has hip drop on the left hind. Is there a body asymmetry that may cause this, rather than a "lameness"? Thank you. (I enjoyed your video - it was very instructive.)
Great question! It sort of depends on what your definition of “lameness” is. Some people use “lame” to mean visibly limping/severely painful, but I use it much more broadly. So yes - if could be an asymmetry due to weakness, compensation for an old injury that’s no longer painful, stiffness, etc. The hip drop alerts us to the leg that’s “not quite right” - just like it alerts us to the leg that’s acutely lame from something like a tendon injury or an abscess. You may want to watch my video on the Trendelenburg gait in horses. It talks a bit more about the hip drop!
@@TheHorsePT your answer was very helpful. If I can add one additional finding, he received stifle injections (IRAP) about a week ago for bilateral effusions and 1/4 lameness (L>R) on dynamic flexions. He still is tender on the R stifle, but the hip drop is on the Left. How might this make sense?? (BTW, This horse has a history of 4 SDFT injuries in three fetlock regions( 2 in RF, 1 each in LH and RH) over three years!! He has been great for the last 1.5 years)
@@jbt1952 ah yes! definitely look at my trendelenburg video! That will help explain why you might see the drop on the opposite side of where he’s tender. I have a playlist on my page called “lameness vids” and it’s on there.
What are some things to help this? Because my mare started doing this like 2-3 years ago and we were stretching her out, getting special vet treatments and she wouldn’t stop, so we gave her a year rest time but when we tried again she was still doing it. Is there any way to stop it?
Hey my mom has a horse that is 30 and he is having trouble with his back legs and the vet wants to put him down. He has been having trouble for a year maybe and we gave him steroids and they worked for a while but not it isn’t working and he is very wobbly and has a hard time, almost falls over. Do you recommend we put him down or is there any hope? Thanks.
Thank you!
That's natural or nah cuz a while ago I was crying for my horse
What would cause a horses hocks to swing outward when walking?
Do you mean like hocks twisting? Or the whole leg swinging out?
Just the hocks@@TheHorsePT
I don't know if they're twisting, but you can see the hock bow? out when she walks.
@@gailbrant2356 I think what you’re describing is what I call twisting. it can be hard to put words to this stuff 😅 but that is usually a weakness issue in the deep core/pelvic floor/hip stabilizing muscles!
Is there anything I can do to help her? She can gallop ok. I don't ride her, she's a young mustang. Maybe got hurt during a round up or another horse. She had a foal when she was 2 or 3. How serious is this twisting?.@@TheHorsePT
How long it takes to heal in need a answer
Can i t ll if their lame by the way there walking
Hello! so the angle between the legs is bigger in the sore limb? If the angle is bigger isnt he gonna put weight of the body longer on the feet?
Great question! In that example it’s a little different because it seemed as if this horse had more trouble with letting the hind leg extend behind him, rather than simply having pain with weight bearing on that leg (due to a muscle strain). If the horse has pain with weight bearing, you’re right! You’d generally see them spend less time standing on that limb.
I see it
What can we do about lameness
It depends on what is causing it! If your horse is lame you should always get a vet assessment to help determine the cause and appropriate treatment.
@@TheHorsePT thank u 😊
Can these be treated?
It all depends on what is causing the lameness!
Naturally stoic unless their name is Tres :D
😂😂 so true! should’ve said “most horses”
Can I post a video of my horse ?
The horse is LIMPING
Yes this video is about how to tell where the problem is coming from when a horse is limping or showing other signs of lameness
Can you use the correct terminology “near side” and “offside”? I gathering the “right side” is “near side” and the “left side” is “off side”? Of vice versa? Are you standing facing the horses’ hindquarters and stating “right” and “left” or are you standing besides the horse facing the fore quarters? Otherwise your explanation is good.
Near side is the horse’s left side and off side is the horse’s right side. I hate the near/off side terms because they’re confusing and not particularly helpful terminology.
The near and off side terminology is not been used much any longer...