Rear ankles/fetlocks popping in and out of the joint~ HELP!!

[Stacy~AK]

I've noticed sometimes that when my 3 year old gelding walks his rear ankles making a popping sound and you can see the joint popping in and out slightly. It never seemed to bother him and never lasted so I didn't worry too much about it.

Over the last week, i've noticed it is doing it again but alot worse. The popping sound is REALLY loud and the joint popping in and out seems way more svere as well. (I'm not sure if the joint is actually popping in and out but it sure looks like it is)

It started Saturday but he hasn't seemed to be bothered by it until last night. He just wasn't his usual spunky self and instead of running to me when I called like he usually does, he just slowing plodded up to me with his head down. When I lifted one of his rear feet to check it he freaked out like I was hurting him.

Nothing seems swolen and there is no heat.

I've done some reasearch online and i'm getting conflicting info.

• Some say popping is normal and not to worry about it
• Other say it is serious and a vet needs to look at him
• I've also read that this is commom in mini's if thier toes are too long in the rear. Our regular farrier has been out on maternity leave and her fill in isn't the greatest so his toes are a bit long.

Any ideas on what this might be?? Do I need to take him to the vet?

 

[disneyhorse]

Have his toes trimmed. After that, if it persists, have a vet take a look.

 

[supaspot]

Ive heard of popping hocks but never popping fetlocks , Id love to see a video of it

 

[Carolyn R]

I agree with disneyhorse, most likely culprit is that the hooves' have varied from the horse's natural angle. long toes, too much heel, worn uneven, forced into a angle that is acceptable but not natural for the horse in question.....

 

[Stacy~AK]

I was going to take some video and pictures to send my current farrier so she can see the mess she gets to come back to when she is off maturnity leave. I will post the video on here as well. He is getting a trim this Saturday (by the fill in farrier) so we will see how he is after that.

He is my first horse and my baby so I panic easily when somethins seems wrong with him!

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

If its near the fetlock then its more likely to be occurring at the pastern joint probably from a lower than normal angle. A trim should make it better and continued trims should fix it.

Dr. Taylor

 

[Stacy~AK]

I tried getting video of it but you really can't see the popping in the video.

Hopefully he will be doing better after his trim Saturday.

Thanks for all the help everyone!!

 

[Marty]

Picture of him?

 

[Stacy~AK]

Here are a few different angles of his feet. his toes are so long!

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

This is difficult for me to explain with words, I usually draw a picture to get this point across, but the problem is not as much too much toe as it is under-slung and low heals. Many times I have seen horses like this after a trim who are no better because the farrier removed just toe. Heal needs removed also in an attempt to draw back the heal and raise the angle.

Good Luck.

Dr. Taylor

 

[Stacy~AK]

My normal farrier is amazing and got his feet all fixed up and sound after I first got him. She brings foundered horses that were going to be put down back to soundness. The problem is she has been on maturnity leave for the last 6 months and the girl filling in is not so amazing. In just a couple trims she has undone all the work of my normal farrier has done

One more trim with her then my next appointment will be with my original farrier. I'm going to email her these pics along with some taken after the other girl comes Saturday to do his feet. I know she is not going to be happy with what she sees. I don't want to get the other girl in trouble but if she is representing and filling in for someone she needs to be doing it correctly.

 

[Stacy~AK]

Here's what his feet looked like when she took over as our farrier



Here's after 1 year, 5 months





I can't wait until she is off maternity leave and back doing his feet

 

[rubyviewminis]

The second picture is correct if you notice the equal lengths of 1/3 1/3 1/3, dividing the hoof into equal sections heel to toe. The last photo, looks just like my mare's pastern. She stepped in a hole or on a rock playing and the short pastern bone and the long pastern bone dislocate like your picture. Hers had fused, until we were getting them in shape. That loosened the fusion in the joint so it started popping again. She is not lame, the prognosis is leave her alone since soft casting resulted in no improvement and a small sore started on her cannon. Trimming helps, but in our case that is how she will stay. I posted a video of the popping on here in 2011 when we noticed it. Hers is only on the one back pastern from injury. I won't drive her because I don't want to stress the joint enough to make her lame the rest of her life or need surgery which I cannot afford. I love her the way she is.

I hope my laymen's terms made sense. The first photo's you posted made me cringe. Look at the topic posted on hoof angles and look at the drawing in it and you will see what the inner structures of your mini's hoof are like right now. Your *fill in farrier* makes me want to smack her. If he looks like that after her *care* don't let her touch your horses again! Underslung and long toed is how my stallion arrived here. Ridiculous to neglect hooves like that. Took me a year to get them where they needed to be. I backed up the toe every two weeks, and filed his heels down. That is all he needs, back up the toe, file the heels. In actuality his heels are long, so they are growing forward and under as the toe grows longer and forward. Pretty soon, you will have the heels where they are in the first photo, aligned with the widest part of the frog. His frogs are probably shriveled and infected also, and need snipping off.

By backing up I mean I filed the toe just like your third photo. I have severe arthritis in my right hand and wrist, so I was able to do it still. Sometimes I just file as they stand if I can't get their hoof up and forward to file. I don't have a hoof stand to put the hoof on.

On second thought, is it at ALL possible to have your real farrier come out or you go to her, to give you advice as you or someone else picks and files?

 

[Carolyn R]

I am fairly confident the issues will subside once the hoof is corrected. I agree with Dr. Taylor, after seeing the back hoof. I don't know how else to describe it other than the heel does not get a lot taken off but trimmed to keep it open so a flat surface is exposed rather than the rolled in heel.

The boy in my pic to the left was my stud, now my gelding since i no longer breed. He was a great little driver, but he really engaged his hind end wreaking havoc on his rear heels. When he wore them down he developed much the same issue you are describing. Quite honestly, I kept his feet in shape, but sparingly trimmed the heel . The slight joint abnormality subsided 100% once his hoof built up. He is pushing 20 yrs and shows no ill effects from it what so ever.

 

[Stacy~AK]

I just can't believe she messed his feet up so bad in just a few trims!! The scary part is, when she came yesterday she had an "apprentice"!! So she is teaching someone else how to mess up horses feet!! I just emailed my farrier with pictures and asked if she would come out as soon as she can to have a look at him. I didn't want to get her fill in girl in trouble but she can't be going around doing this to someone else's clients!

Thank you everyone for all the help and advice!!!!

 

[Stacy~AK]

Was able to get my farrier to come out today. She removed a lot of toe and his feet look so much better! The popping in his ankles has completely stopped to! She will work over the next couple of visits to get his heel back to where it should be.

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