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It results in an inability to flex the stifle, so the horse must walk with an extended hind leg. It is associated with straight hind limb conformation (post leg), poor muscling of the hind limb, stifle trauma, and genetics. [4] Fibrotic myopathy is caused by damage to the hamstring muscles, usually from trauma or intramuscular injection. [5]
Evaluation of the horse's conformation, hoof balance, and shoeing is often a first step in treatment of lameness. A correct, balanced trim is a key component of lameness treatment and prevention. Some cases of lameness, such as angular limb deformities and navicular syndrome , are best managed with special trimming and shoeing.
With this conformation, the horse can pull the hind legs further under the body, so there is a longer hind end stride, but the animal may not move in synchrony with the front. This will create an inefficient gait, as the hind end is forced to slow down to let the front end catch up, or the horse may take high steps behind, giving a flashy ...
Rarely, horses will show a spastic gait in the front limbs in which the leg is held in full extension or with the knee flexed, with trembling occurring in the upper limb. [2] Despite histologic changes in the cerebellum, horses with shivers do not show clinical signs typical of cerebellar disease (ataxia, intention tremors). [3]
Bone spavin indicated by A.. Bone spavin is osteoarthritis, or the final phase of degenerative joint disease (DJD), in the lower three hock joints.It usually affects the two lowest joints of the hock (the tarsometatarsal and the distal intertarsal joints), with the third joint, the proximal intertarsal, being the least likely to develop bone spavin.
The prognosis for a horse with navicular syndrome is guarded. Many times the horse does not return to its former level of competition. Others are retired. Eventually all horses with the syndrome will need to lessen the strenuousness of their work, but with proper management, a horse with navicular syndrome can remain useful for some time.
In cow-hocked horses, the hind hocks are too close together and point toward each other, with the feet too widely apart. It is a fairly common defect, and if the metatarsal bones are vertical, may not always cause lameness. A combination of cow- and sickle-hocks poses a greater risk. [1]
Many horses compete actively in demanding sports with sidebone, and are not hindered in any way. If the ossification is severe and associated with lameness then the prognosis is more guarded. Discovery of sidebone on an equine prepurchase exam without signs of lameness or local sensitivity should not affect the purchaser's opinion of the horse.