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[RC] loose stifles - Amy MartinI have a question to anyone who may have experience with this. I have a horse with loose stifles, she has always had them but has never been lame till the last 2 months. She is a half Arab mare turning 5 this month. I have competed in about 6 novice CTRs and one limited distance endurance ride this year. One CTR was particularly wet, muddy, rocky ect and she has been off in the left rear since then. Many vet visits have diagnosed intermittent locking patella which the therapy for is heavy conditioning at the trot in straight lines. She has clear stifle and hock x-rays and a definite short strided hopping step in her left rear, I also think I notice her moving with her left rear leg slightly externally rotated. She has had cortisone shots in both stifles to try to help reduce swelling there. She is regularly on cortiflex and had about a weeks worth of bute. I even had a chiropractor out to adjust her which didn't help. I am afraid to ride and trot her when she is so lame and have been shirking the conditioning program the vet recommended, it just seems wrong to me though I hate to second guess a very good, well known vet. I would gladly have thrown us full tilt into more conditioning if not for the definite lameness. I understand that the muscles must strengthen to shorten the ligaments and stabilize the joint but if there is inflammation and pain maybe the conditioning would do more damage than good? Any advice? Amy Martin and Tequiza =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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