Any ideas .....

[chocolatecakeystuff]

So my big girl (13 yr old ISH) has had some soundness issues since I got her in november, 2 abcesses (one in each front foot) both missed by the farrier, and a kick to the knee which made her tendon swell up.

However...

In walk, to me she looks lame... in the front left, more she's not picking it up properly iyswim.. but in trot she's sound, untill you downward transistion to walk, where she's lame for the last 2 strides.

She's got a bit of a funny gait anyway, she paces as she strikes of in trot.

She also falld over her feet a lot.

I've got the back lady out this week, as I'm wondering if she might have something going on higher up...

Any guesses I might not have thought of? Will obviously have a vet come see her if the back lady finds nothing.

Could it be general stiffness, in which case cod liver oil in her diet will help. You could also try devil's claw/no bute which will help with wear and tear. Do you lunge? Do you ride her regularly? Is she worse on hard ground?

Could well be just general stiffness actually I guess.

Before she went lame the most recently she was in light work, maybe twice a week. Have never tried lunging her, but should imagine she will lunge.

She has cod liver oil joint suplement already. Reluctant to use no bute/ devils claw untill I know its nothing serioud iyswm don't want to mask any pain & risk further injury.

She's no worse on hard ground as far as Ican tell.

O and is much worse on uneven ground.

I think back person will help a lot. Mine was not forward going in walk (not lame though), lame in downward transition to walk from trot (but only briefly), reluctant to canter on left rein and stumbled not often but noticeably, thought might be problem in left shoulder but turned out he had twisted his hock slightly, which meant he was compensating by placing weight on left shoulder hence stumbles and general reluctance. The change since back man has been is AMAZING he spent the first day just trotting / cantering all day bless him! Now we have beautiful canters, still some stiffness on left rein but I think this is as it has been worked unevenly? Good luck with back person though- keep us updated!

I will do... because she's got a bit of a funny gait anyway I think she's probably out somewhere .

Of course having come from a riding school it could just be she's been ridden into the ground, but seeing as she was only there a year or so I'm not sure.
I know they sold her on because she went lame after heavy work, but I believe that's because she had these abcesses brewing.

i really do not think you should be feeding a horse fish products as they are naturally vegetarian and would not eat fish naturally. We add sunflower oil to feeds although whether that does any good apart from coat condition is debatable.

Best off getting a good back person IMO.
Also it does depend on the riding school, but none that I worked in 'rode the horses to the ground' - well perhaps one.

sounds like my old, stiff, ex-riding school horse

I use: cod liver oil, cortaflex and sometimes danilon - he is hundreds of thousands of times better when he can live out

She's living out now mitchy, but to be honest it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Fingers crossed the back lady can help.