ridecamp@endurance.net: [endurance] stifles

[endurance] stifles

Gwen Dluehosh (dluehosh@vt.edu)
Wed, 8 Nov 1995 00:39:45 -0500 (EST)

Hi you guys!
Boy, know you know why I AM HERE instead of at the racetrack!!!
WHen I had Aly in race training, he bucked a shin. Well, it turns out, he
had the very same stifle problem you are talking about. HTe ligaments aren't
strong enough, and unless the joint keeps moving, the horse locks up and
trips while galloping around the track! Needless to say, he compenstaed with
his front leg and bam, there's the bucked shin, It was really mild. SO, ALl
the vets up there were like, hey, let's blister his stifle! Let's cut his
ligament! HEY HEY HEY! NO WAY. HOw about let's put this horse out on a
paddock and run him from there-NOPE, can't do that, he's a RACEHORSE. HE
MIGHT *injure* himself! Anyway, I got so fed up that I took him home and
here we are doing fine in endurance. I find it highly amusing that my horse
that can't go around a track becuase he is stall kept can do 25 miles
without looking back! He was fast at the track too. Would have been fine in
the races.

Apparently the whole cause is the stifle angle.All these new fangled Arabs
have been bred for that comparatively flat croup, and it changes the angle
there to make it straighter, which makes the horse more prone to lock up. I
don't htink Aly has a bad back end, but I do try to make sure that he is
only bred to mares with big behinds and a more angulated stifle. He is by no
means bad. His rear resmbles Fadjur's. I also have to trot a lot more than
other poeple to condition, and he won't canter until he's VERY fit, because
then he won't lock up. It's HIS choice. He has NEVER locked up wiht me. ON
the track, it manifested as a slight trip. So, if your horse trips a lot and
it isn't him forging, look into his stifle... for one thing.

So, yeah, check those ligaments for
cutting I think that can't hurt. IMHO of course. Can you tell it's a sore
(no pun intended) subject for me?
Gwen
> cut stifle ligament led to this problem. Her vet had missed the fact
> that this procedure had been performed at the pre-purchase exam. The vet
> school vet also told he that this seemed to be a common practice in
> Arabian halter horse world.
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