Ridecamp: [RC] Stifle Problems

She acted stiff and one night I briefly lunged her and
> discovered she was "gimping" with her right rear, yet
> was not lame.  Had my friend check this too and all
> agree that this is a stifle problem. 

Val,

My horse began to swing a rear leg to the side to go forward, rather than
lift and swing it forward. Vets started suspecting his stifle.  It was
very suttle though, but then he travels very wide to begin with so it
wasn't a big change in his way of going. He slowed down on the downhills
too.  They flexed his stifle and it made no difference, but they weren't
totally convinced.  There was a Walking Horse vet at a ride who was
especially certain that it was his stifle, said she saw it in TWH all the
time.  

Finally a good chiropractor looked at him.  She said his hip was out or
something like that.  (the joint right at the top of the croup) She gave
him a couple of good hard slams from behind, then felt the ligament
inside the leg and said, "*that's* in the wrong place and gave a little
twist, and everything seems to be fine now.  I'm sure that's not always
the case, but it may give you a straw to grasp.  She felt that he had
probably had one hind leg slide up under him really quickly on a downhill
and messed it up.  

To flex that stifle, left that leg way up and hold it in a flexed
position for a minute. Don't flex his fetlock joints (not sure how you'd
keep from flexing the hock), then trot her off. She ought to be worse if
it's really the stifle.

Angie

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