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[RC] Stifle problems - Arabs4sprt

Hi, my favorite trail horse is a 19 year old CMK Arabian mare that I think is 
having stifle lock up problems.  The trouble is that her symptoms are only 
occasional.  Let me give you a description and see if you all agree that it 
sounds like her stifle or if it is something else.  We'll be walking along when 
suddenly she stiffens and sort of stumbles behind.  It happens more often going 
downhill but not exclusively.  It seems to irritate her when it happens, she 
gets a little mad at me like she thinks I did it.  It seems like she has 
trouble in the forward swing phase of the movement, she can't swing that leg 
forward.  It happens more often with one hind leg (right) than the other.  
Afterward 
she seems a little uncomfortable but doesn't limp.  It never happens at the 
trot or canter, only at the walk.  It sometimes seems to occur when she is 
being 
shod.  But the horseshoer thinks that she is misbehaving (she never 
misbehaves, this is really one of those sweet-tempered perfect horses), being 
lazy, or 
leaning on him too much.  After this happens she is uncomfortable about 
holding her hind leg up high and to my eye it looks like she is unwilling to 
bend 
the stifle.  Sometimes it seems to appear as though she has a muscle cramp 
while 
the shoer is working on her.  However she has NEVER tied up and has never had 
any other problems with muscle cramping.  There is no swelling or other 
indications of problems.  And the discomfort if any fades fairly quickly with 
no 
lasting effects.  If we ask her to move around after being shod (i.e. chase her 
around the turnout whooping and hollering), she trots and canters off like 
there has never been any problem.
   The symptoms have been sporadic enough that I cannot show my vet as they 
are unpredictable.  I have no prior experience with stifle lock up therefore 
I'm not able to diagnose her myself.  I had the vet look at her and she said 
she didn't see any signs of looseness about her stifles (not really sure what 
she was looking for the stifle to do and can't say whether this vet is really 
good at diagnosing this thing).  One time she did seem to be having a 
tendonitis 
problem with her hind leg, there was a little tenderness in the superficial 
digital flexor tendon, the vet said that we should give her two weeks off and 
then gradually bring her back to work.  I did that but while the tenderness 
resolved it did not resolve the "problem".  The problem has been a long time in 
process, it started a couple of years ago.  It does seem to be becoming more 
frequent but even so it is not so frequent that I can say to the vet that she 
will do it at a particular time so that the vet can see what she is doing.  I 
can't get her to do it when lunging her.  It is unaffected by exercise or lay 
offs (even when not in work she gets daily turnout with 4 other horses in a 
large dry lot with some hills).  She still runs like the wind and goes like the 
Everready bunny, though she seems to go downhill a lot slower and more 
carefully 
than she used to.  Like she's worried about it or being careful.
   So my questions are:  a) does it sound like a stifle problem?  b) if not 
what does it sound like?  c) if it is the stifle what is the best treatment 
available and what do I ask the vet to do for evaluation and should I ask for a 
particular treatment?
   Thanks, any and all advice appreciated.

Tracy Scheinkman
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Far back, far back in our dark soul the horse prances... The horse, the
horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement, of action... 
~  DH Lawrence

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