Expert: Lyn Kamer, C.E.S.M.T. - 11/3/2009

Question
I am 62 yrs. old %26 have been western pleasure riding for 35 yrs. I ride a 7yr. old Missouri Foxtrotter.  He has injured his left hind stifle %26 I had the vet check his last yr. It does not seem to bother him riding.  Only when the farrier trims or shoes him.  He has good hoofs so I usually ride him barefoot.  He is a laid back horse that does not foxtrot but paces. This does not bother me.  My problem - I had shoes put on him a couple of weeks ago 'cause I planned to ride him in N.Ga.Mts. Last weekend both Sat. morning %26 Sunday morning, about 5 to 10 minutes after mounting my horse I could a feel a knot on his back, his ears laid back, %26 his tail was swaying.  I had to keep circling him so he would not buck.  After about 15 minutes of riding he relaxed and I did not have any more problems.  I have had him since birth %26 he does not act like this.  Something is wrong. My daughter watched him as we rode %26 did not notice his gait changing or favoring his hind leg. I ride a western A-fork saddle %26 have been using it on him for years. He is an easy keeper %26 I feed him lite horse pellets. I'm not sure what to do, but I know something has to be a problem for him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Barbara,

Along with stifle injuries you get muscle problems.  I work on a lot of them!  It's compensatory damage due to the stifle injury because the muscles are used differently.  First off I would strongly suggest that you find an equine massage therapist and get him worked on.  Gaited horses especially benefit from bodywork because so often they are ridden only in gait and at a walk so their muscles never get a break.  Trail riding especially mandates that you change up the gaits.  Do some walking, certainly, and the horse's gait be it trotting, pacing, or some form of running walk, but add some cantering too to give the muscles a break.  What happened when you got on him was he warmed up and got some of the muscle soreness worked out.  The shoeing will add stress to his hind end because the shoes prevent to some extent the natural slide of the foot when it hits the ground.  I think you'll have a completely different horse when you get his muscle issues resolved.  It won't be a one-shot deal, I'll warm you right off, these muscles didn't get this way overnight and given the stifle injury he's probably got some scar tissue as well.  But he can be fixed.  He may need some chiropractic work too, but a good massage therapist should be able to tell you if that's needed as well.  

You'll have a whole new horse, believe me!  I've done it too many times.  Good luck and happy trails!

Lyn