Possible stifle locking?

[RescueMini]

Hi everyone!

This winter I took on another rescue mini to foster until he gets adopted. He's super cute, although he was over 100 pounds overweight when I got him. After slowly putting him on a diet (this forum was super helpful for that!) he has lost over 70 pounds and has about 30 to go. He also has made a huge turn-around with his manners and he is almost ready to be adopted. Anyways, a few months ago, probably in February, I noticed that he occasionally walked funny with his left hind leg. It was like he was stomping it on the ground as we walked, and after I heard a 'pop' he walked normally after that. That incident was the first time I have seen him walk like that. I had just associated it with the weather being icy and that he, being a former stud who had just been gelded, had done something running in his paddock. A few weeks later the same thing happened again, so I put him on some joint supplements that my big horses are on. After that things started to clear up, but over the past month I have just noticed that things are tending to just be off with him. He sometimes 'pops' when I lead him from his stall to his paddock, but most recently I have noticed it when I have him tied up to brush him and ask him to move over. He kind of drags that leg, like it is stuck, and then jerks it up and puts it down. A week ago I was picking out his feet and his entire leg got stuck. It had never done that before and he is always good with his feet. The poor boy was so freaked out and now he is super apprehensive if I touch that leg. He also gets really tense when backing and that same leg seems to drag and 'pop' when he finally picks it up. My neighbor said to take him on walks to build up the muscle, so we've been going on walks several times a week now. Is there anything that I can do to help him? I've felt his stifle and it doesn't seem swollen or hot, and I can't really tell how his leg ties in to his stifle since he is so furry. He is eight years old. Do you think he will get over it? His feet were not in the best shape when I got him, but my farrier took care of that. He is due for a trim pretty soon, so maybe that could be another factor? This whole thing is totally new to me and I want the best for him, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and sorry for such a long post!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I had my first encounter with locking stifle recently. I do think it is important to keep the feet trimmed. Forum members with experience all encouraged me not to freak out over it, so I tried to relax. I was told it isn't painful/it is painful and do not know for sure either way. But, it seemed to me when it happened to my mare that it scared her more than was painful. I'm sure it is uncomfortable, but the longer it happened to her, the less frightened she got about it. She just seemed to deal with it without too much trouble. As prey, I'm sure she felt vulnerable when it happened. I researched the surgery, and really got nothing definitive about it.

I was working to build up her hind muscles by stretches, and also long walks with the slight inclines. She was working in harness. I acutally think the weight of a cart helped her, as it kept her hind muscles properly tensed.

She left me last fall and returned to her former owner who has her driving in a team. The stifle issue does not greatly concern her.

It is not pleasant to watch it happen.

Don't know the age of your horse, but research has hinted that giving joint supplement to young horses may not be good; it inhibits their natural formation of the joint material. Also, it contains glucose, which is a tricky ingredient for easy keepers. And joint trouble has nothing to do with locking stifle. I think it is basically a conformation issue.

Good luck!

 

[Riverrose28]

If you have any hills in your area, walk him up and down them, if not, try walking over poles of different hight. That will help to build up the muscles and help to hold that slipping stifle in place.

 

[Max's Mom]

My horse has this problem, too. I have heard that this is not all that uncommon in minis. What is happening is the patella (which is our knee) has a ligament that gets stuck as it slides over the joint, and then can lock the patella into place. The pop happens as it finally slides back in the right place. I hate seeing it happen- I feel so helpless when it looks like he's dragging his leg. My vet assured me that it isn't painful to the horse. What really helps (at least in Max's case, and this is what the vet told me, too) is to give the horse lots of exercise and especially work up and down hills. They can also get an operation (I think it is to cut the problem tendon?), but my vet didn't recommend that for our situation, because it isn't a constant problem. I've found that if he's having a problem, I can work him anyway, and usually he works out of it within a few minutes, but if it is acting up I don't ask him to back or do lateral movements, just forward movements. We've lived with this problem for many years, and it hasn't slowed him down or made him lame. I hope this helps.

 

[RescueMini]

Thanks so much everyone! I took him out for a walk again today with my neighbors. He was really 'popping' at first and I was almost ready to turn around before it suddenly stopped. I noticed that he doesn't flex in the hock as much as he does with the other leg at the walk. He still seemed really happy to be out, and we did go up and down a few hills. I'm really hoping that this doesn't get in the way of him being adopted, he is such a sweetie with great potential. Do you guys think I can still drive him with this, if it starts to clear up more?

 

[BSharpRanch]

I have a friend whose colt locked up and wouldn't unlock. Her vet did estrogen (I believe) injections into the affected stifle and the problem totally went away! Not expensive (compared to surgery which isn't as effective over the long hual) and this horse hasn't had any locking since the injections I'm guessing 4-5 years ago.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I know of several people who drive theirs. Before mine moved on, I was certainly planning to drive her, and she went to a professional trainer after she left me. It is very unnerving to watch it happening to them, but it may be harder on us than it is on them. Try to relax about it. Just do your best to give appropriate excercise.

A potential adoptive home may need some education about it, but you will be in a good position to advise them.

 

[RescueMini]

I will have to talk to the rescue founder to see if she wants to pursue treatment with him. I'm hoping that the walks will do the trick. He was super overweight and out of shape when he first came to my place. I've been slowly building him up with our walks, but it seems like it still gets a little worse each day. My farrier should be coming out soon to trim the horses, so that might help him as well. I think I read somewhere that there is a certain way that a horse with locking stifles is supposed to be trimmed?

Thanks everyone, this is a totally new experience for me, but I'm glad I recognized what was happening to him after I remembered reading a thread on locking stifles here. He doesn't seem in pain at all, and actually seems quite annoyed with his leg, lol! He is so happy to be worked with, so it can't be bothering him much. I don't blame him either, he's 8 years old and never did much until now.

 

[Marty]

I'm going to jump in here and say that I have horrible problems with my knees. They lock up and its the most killer painful thing in the world to try to get them "back." Maybe this is not a good comparrison to a stifle lock for most but it is for me. I've seen horses with stifle lock and its really upsetting to watch to say the least.

In CMMR we have x rays taken and stifle surgery done to help out plus give the horses a variety of supplements which of course makes them more adoptable.

I highly suggest your group should consider x rays and surgery as well. Best wishes.

 

[RescueMini]

Thank you Marty! I will be contacting the head of the rescue in the morning to tell her what you guys have recommended. And I agree, it is really hard to watch him when it happens, and I really wish I could do something to help him. I think it scares him more than it hurts him, but being as he can't talk, I don't think I'll ever know.

 

[stormy]

Have had a couple rescue minis here with similar issues, both were nice boys and upon examination my vet recommended a fairly simple procedure involving splitting the tendon. Did not require an incision and recovery was very quick. One this fixed completly, the other required the more invasive tendon cutting procedure later...at any rate both are now very nice driving geldings and doing well in their new homes.

 

[Max's Mom]

I drive Max, as well as jump him and about everything else. He's 18, and has had the problem on and off since we got him 11 years ago (and I assume before). I've noticed that it flares up from time to time. Sometimes he's totally fine for weeks and weeks, and then it happens more frequently for a few weeks. The way you described the problem in your initial question seems that it is like Max's problem- looking like he stomps sometimes on that leg, and having it pop when you pick it up, and sometimes locking when he backs. As long as your horse works it out and it doesn't stay stuck, and it isn't happening constantly, I can't see how this would interfere with anything that your rescued horse would be doing, assuming the horse won't be a show horse.

It's great that you are looking into all the medical options. As far as the farrier work, mine is always trimmed by a high quality farrier on a 7-8 week schedule, and I haven't noticed it being worse due to length of feet, but maybe if they were previously neglected it might affect a horse.

Again, as others have noted, keep the horse active and exercised as much as you possibly can. The hills and walks are great, and if you can find a way to incorporate consistant trotting, that's even better. It will take time for the horse to get into condition, so just because the problem hasn't stopped after a few walks doesn't mean that it won't get better. Good luck to you both!

 

[RescueMini]

Thanks so much! Max's Mom, the way you described it is exactly what he does. It seems like it starts up when he stands still for a long period of time, but the more he moves the better that leg gets. How much did the medical procedure cost?

I'm guessing jumping would be too hard on him, right? I had started training him to jump and got to the point where we were going over small cross rails before I decided that I would wait to see if it flared up. He never seemed to lock up when we were trotting, and he really liked jumping, but I don't want to cause any more stress on it. I'm glad trot poles are ok, he loves to go over those. Would light free lunging also be a good idea for him, if he just sticks to trotting?

 

[Minimor]

For hoof trimming you want to ease break over--so keep the feet trimmed regularly and at the proper angle, and roll the toe to make break over easier. If the toes get too long it can cause a stifle issue to become worse.

Straight line work is better than circle work for a horse with stifle problems

 

[RescueMini]

Ok, I will let my farrier know. Our walks are pretty straight, so I'll stick to those then. I talked to the rescue founder today and she said that I should continue what I am doing with the walking, trot poles, and corrective trimming. I guess we're going to wait and see if he gets any better before we decide to do any surgery. Thanks so much everyone! He definitely feels good as he was just racing and bucking in his paddock.

Is there anything that I absolutely should not do with him? I don't want to set him back at all. How would you guys recommend explaining his stifle issues to potential adopters? I'm sorry for all of the questions, I just want to make sure he gets the best care possible.

 

[AnnaC]

Any horse with stifle problems needs to be outside as much as possible - if you need to stall for a short while or overnight, then make the stall size as large as you possibly can. And yes, straight lines and gentle hill work plus keeping those toes trimmed will help considerably!

Good luck!

 

[supaspot]

Have had a couple rescue minis here with similar issues, both were nice boys and upon examination my vet recommended a fairly simple procedure involving splitting the tendon. Did not require an incision and recovery was very quick. One this fixed completly, the other required the more invasive tendon cutting procedure later...at any rate both are now very nice driving geldings and doing well in their new homes.

how did your vet decide that each needed a different procedure , did he do x-rays first ?

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Exactly what MM says, with the feet, spot on.

You can do all the exercise in the world, and it will do no harm at all, but it will not solve the problem, all it will do is put off the time you will have to have the op done, and I am now of a mind that this does no good, and that the op should be done as soon as the problem is noted. My mare I left until she was five, her son (NOT my idea I did not own her when he was born) was done at just over a year (as soon as he started sticking) and although the mare did make a miraculous recovery, and did come sound, when I think of all the times we had to roll her over so she could get up, and the four years of her constantly sticking out (actually right up to the time I had a meltdown at her then owner!) I just wish she had been done at a year, as well. I had had NO idea how simple the initial op is (and that is the one that does not always work but you normally try it first) The mare was sound within two weeks and she was the worst patella'd animal I have ever seen.