| Horse Problems Australia, Post Office Box 89, Surrey Downs, SA. 5126. PH. (61) 0882515250 www.horseproblems.com.au
STIFLE PROBLEMS & BUCKING by John O'Leary © 2000
My Thanks to various people on Youtube.
Please understand you are being used as a very important educational
opportunity to help the 10's of thousands of silent suffering Horses out
there. You know......"the naughty Horses"
***************** I would dearly love a $ for every horse that I have to assess due to stifle problems. The simple Veterinary description for this is something like the momentary locking of the patella or knee bone as it crosses back and forth over the joint. This gives horses some discomfort although Veterinary opinion says that there is little or no pain associated with it. I find that a little hard to accept. This problem can come in varying severity and this can dictate what actions a horse will take in an attempt to rectify the problem. Some just try to work through it with out much affect upon the riders and others actually buck riders off, although in my experience, rarely are they trying to dislodge them. Moreover, they are kicking from the rear end in an attempt to free the locked patella. Some causes:
Horses can have the problem in one or both of the hind legs. CAUSES OF MUSCLE DEGENERATION
SYMPTOMS
JUMPING SYMPTOMS
CAUSES
TESTS
CONFORMATION Conformation plays a huge part in determining whether a horse is prone to such problems. In a high percentage of cases that we meet, horses are conformed either 'bum high' , 'straight behind', too long in the barrel or a combination of them all. Here is one such horse.
VETERINARY ASSESSMENTS FOR PURCHASE A little known fact is that Vets' rarely pick a stifle problem when doing an inspection for sale or purchase. This is because they rarely work them and never ride them. I have seen dozens of these cases. If suspect, show you Vet the video and then request an X-Ray. FARRIER This causes locking patella, crookedness in horses and lameness.
TREATMENT Treatment really should not be carried out until an X-Ray has been taken to eliminate joint damage or bone chips. Without this, all treatment is pointless.
THE SURGERY These days, this is a highly contentious issue and most Vets' don't want to do it. I feel the main reason for this is that they read an American study some years back, which dealt with a survey carried out on a number of horses that had been operated on. It showed that a certain percentage developed arthritis of the joint later. A Vet in Victoria however, comments that he has done over 500 of these operations and thinks other Vet's are a bit over the top with their worries. X-Ray is highly crucial however. We have had dozens done over the years and I am yet to see one suffer any ill affects after. I have never seen a horse suffer any ill affect during 40 years of observation of known subjects to the op. On the other hand, I have seen almost a 100% success rate in fixing the problem. On those that have been slow in mending, the cause has normally been the soft attitude of the owner in not pushing the horse through the prescribed exercise routines after the operation. So the next time you see a
horse bucking its owner off, have it checked out before sending it off to a
horse breaker and telling him (as I have been) to give the horse a good
bashing.
Remember, they can't talk.
Go here and have a look at one of the symptoms. (incorrect angles of hooves) Watch for the white socked leg to become grounded in the pirouette. http://www.horseproblems.com.au/Video/Bella%20Stifle%20Footage.wmv http://www.horseproblems.com.au/Video/listen.wmv The second horse has now been x-rayed and indeed found to be unsound. Poor little thing. :( Quite frankly, it astounds me that people rarely look at conformation when buying a potential Dressage Horse. Clearly, horses with poor conformation are never going to cut it and you are wasting your years for nothing if you think they will. This is what you are looking for.
The bottom line is this. Buy poorly conformed horses and you are highly likely to inherit Veterinary Problems and to waste all of your money and the years of work. Even if they are sound, wait until you reach Advanced Dressage and up. You have no hope!!! Now read this: CONFORMATION AND SOUNDNESS I have updated this article because of the number of people enquiring about it of late and as usual, I can never get to finish any article properly due to running. http://www.horseproblems.com.au/stifle_problems_in_horses.htm Tonight, I want to talk about the fact that a fair proportion of afflicted Horses, are not unsound in the true sense of the word but unsound due to the every day Riding not being perhaps correct enough. Meaning that from a Dressage point of view, the Horse may not be:
Now, having said that and before I go on, I must say that there are two styles of Riding. Pleasure/Western loopy rein style and that can be carried out all of the time or only for certain paces. To save time then, go read this: http://www.horseproblems.com.au/Help....I%20can't%20let%20the%20reins%20go.htm RIDER INDUCED SYMPTOMS If a Horse is prone to such afflictions, you can be almost sure that incorrect Riding will bring the condition on or compound it if already evident. That is of course only if the Horse is ridden mostly "with a contact" Now, it matters not to me how you ride. "On the Bit" or "Western/pleasure" It is how we do it that is the point about all of this. I am very thankful then to have received these two videos today and I believe that they are good examples of Ladies that have been taught or elected to ride basically "English/Pony Club" style but in both videos, the style of the Riding can only compound so called Veterinary symptoms or cause problems over time. REHABILITATION Veterinary Surgeons often prescribe sustained lunging in soft sand of affected Horses in the hope that the longitudinal muscles of the Horse and in particular the driving muscles will be built up and support the Patella area or others, thus fixing the symptoms. That is true and I can attest to the fact that this procedure does work but only if:
Then, rehabilitation will take place in virtually all cases where no primary cause such as Bone Chips, incorrect shoeing or trimming angles and so on. My thanks to the lovely Ladies here and I do hope they see this as being educational to the masses, the vast majority who ride like us middle aged and slightly fitness challenged Folk out there. Just like me :)
I have updated this article because of the number of people enquiring about it of late and as usual, I can never get to finish any article properly due to running. http://www.horseproblems.com.au/stifle_problems_in_horses.htm Tonight, I want to talk about the fact that a fair proportion of afflicted Horses, are not unsound in the true sense of the word but unsound due to the every day Riding not being perhaps correct enough. Meaning that from a Dressage point of view, the Horse may not be:
Now, having said that and before I go on, I must say that there are two styles of Riding. Pleasure/Western loopy rein style and that can be carried out all of the time or only for certain paces. To save time then, go read this: http://www.horseproblems.com.au/Help....I%20can't%20let%20the%20reins%20go.htm RIDER INDUCED SYMPTOMS If a Horse is prone to such afflictions, you can be almost sure that incorrect Riding will bring the condition on or compound it if already evident. That is of course only if the Horse is ridden mostly "with a contact" Now, it matters not to me how you ride. "On the Bit" or "Western/pleasure" It is how we do it that is the point about all of this. I am very thankful then to have received these two videos today and I believe that they are good examples of Ladies that have been taught or elected to ride basically "English/Pony Club" style but in both videos, the style of the Riding can only compound so called Veterinary symptoms or cause problems over time. REHABILITATION Veterinary Surgeons often prescribe sustained lunging in soft sand of affected Horses in the hope that the longitudinal muscles of the Horse and in particular the driving muscles will be built up and support the Patella area or others, thus fixing the symptoms. That is true and I can attest to the fact that this procedure does work but only if:
Then, rehabilitation will take place in virtually all cases where no primary cause such as Bone Chips, incorrect shoeing or trimming angles and so on. My thanks to the lovely Ladies here and I do hope they see this as being educational to the masses, the vast majority who ride like us middle aged and slightly fitness challenged Folk out there. Just like me :)
Stifle Lock – Checking the Hind Hoof Angles 8/1/08 byFREECALL 1800 112 227 Occasionally, a young horse in training will develop stifle lock in one hindlimb. Locking of the patella (kneecap) of the stifle joint (also called upward fixation of the patella) is most common in miniatures, ponies and some bloodlines of Standardbreds, although it can develop in rapidly growing 2 year old Thoroughbreds in race training. It is thought to be caused by a poor conformation with straight stifles and weak quadriceps muscle tone, as it is more likely in horses that lose fitness during a spell and return to training. Once the horse regains strength over the hindquarters, the risk is reduced. ‘Stifle lock’ does not occur in horses working at speed. New research has indicated the importance of ensuring that the hind hooves are not allowed to develop a ‘long in the toe’ or ‘low in the heel’ shape. If a horse starts to virtually ‘lean back on the heels’, the mechanical changes will straighten the hocks and stifles, increasing the risk of the patella locking. Regular trimming can address these issues to ensure optimum hoof angles. However, there is a tendency over time for many horses to develop long toes and low heels, even when trimmed or shod regularly to maintain the ideal 48-52 degree front hoof wall to sole angle. In fact, many trainers observe that stifle lock is less apparent for the 10-14 days following a trim, but begins to recur as the hind hooves grow out. A simple check to determine the optimum toe length and heel height can be carried out on a regular basis. The front angle of the hoof wall on the hind limbs should be more upright than the corresponding slope of the front hooves, with a shorter toe and higher heels. A long toe, low heel hoof shape increases the risk of stifle lock because the stifle joint is angled back in a more relaxed position when the horse is standing, allowing the patella to be ‘loose’ within the stifle joint. This conformation also transfers more weight loading to the lower back and may perpetuate a ‘sore back’ due to chronic sacro-iliac sprain. HANDY HINTIntermittant Stifle ‘Locking’ or ‘Clicking’Occasionally, a young horse will develop a ‘locking stifle’ after it has been standing and attempts to walk off. Stifle locking can be related to strain injury to stifle ligaments, selenium and other trace-mineral deficiencies in a rapidly growing young horse, as well as an increased risk due to inherited weakness in the stifle structure. However, long toe and low heel conformation in the hind hooves can account for up to 80% of the cases due to altered mechanical angles of stifle joint alignment. Simply trimming and squaring off the toes and either raising the heel with temporary wedges (or growing more heel over time) in the hind limbs often corrects the problem within 1-2 days. HANDY HINT To restore the hind toes to the optimum angle, trim the toes back and square off the front taking care not to expose the white line when rasping as infection can enter the laminar area. This will change the mechanical relationships and help reduce the risk of patella locking by achieving the optimum hoof angle The slope of the coronary band can be checked by placing the end of a piece of string (eg length of baling twine) on the coronary band on the back of the heel, and then running it parallel to the slope of the coronary band to determine where it intersects on the front limb 10 Cutting the Medial Patella Ligament In chronic cases of ‘stifle lock’ which a thought to be inherited in certain bloodlines due to malformation in the height of the inside ‘condyle’ border of the femur, straight stifle conformation or severe injury, the medial patella ligament can be surgically severed in a simple operation. Historically, it was considered that arthritic changes in the stifle joint after the medial patella ligament fesmotomy could develop as a horse aged. However a recent survey on 1000’s of horses has found that there is no long term risk of stifle joint instability or arthritis. Many horses are trained to lift the hind limbs when their heels are touched. Simply stand about 3 metres to each side of the standing horse and extend an ‘imaginary’ line of sight parallel to the coronary band hairline along to intersect on the front limb, as illustrated in the above diagram. 2008 I do have to
say, "I told you so" to the World wide Veterinary Community because I have
always disagreed with their original study that said that the stifle
operation causes arthritis 20 years ago and are now vindicated. They have
just found otherwise Hi HP, HORSES THROUGH MY HANDS OF LATE
18th June, 2008 CONFORMATION and the BREAKER You probably think we are making them up by now :) The last two of my 'Breakers' have been
Note here the angle of the cannon bone in the photo versus that one on the Drawing. Now, I am not suggesting that this young Horse is unsound or that he will be unsound but I am saying that as of today, he commenced kicking up during the canter transition and it is only the 4th Canter Day. Consequently, the Horse was sent home slightly ahead of time. We often get the Breaker having problems like this and a warning to all Trainers out there. If you persevere with the Canter aid, be ready for the Horse to get Mental Problems about it, go sour or even start bucking. The responsibility here lies with the Owners', not the Trainer. They Bred or purchased the Horse and it is their responsibility to go home and put in the hard yards to build the young Horse up with lot's of trotting and walking and then bring it back to the Pro if they so desire, for the Canter work. Their call as to how fastidious they go about supporting the young Horse and whether they put in the 'Hard Yards' that I was talking about last night. As I said, we meet many Breakers who start locking up temporarily, during the canter work almost exclusively but perhaps on trot walk transitions we can feel it ever so minor. We can always feel it however. The Horse I sent home last Sunday locked up in front of the Owner which was good. It all gets down to conformation however. Mechanical Engineering pure and simple. The two red lines on the photo shows you immediately, that from an Engineering point of view, a weight bearing point of view that the Horse in the pic will have far more force and stress put on it's hicks and above than the Horse in the Drawing. Now having talked about the same type of angles this week, what about the angle where the legs are out the back and that red line would be running down the centre or front of the rear legs? Then I would much rather have the type we have been featuring (providing they x-rayed and tested sound) for Dressage. DRESSAGE RIDE BUYING THE HACKING HORSE We see a lot of X Hacks and in terms of muscle development and are therefore ill prepared for a Dressage Career. This is because so many of them are simply ridden reverse 'German Training Scale, jammed up, pulled in, double bridles and side reins. The muscle Development builds incorrectly and begins to produce a stilted and choppy trot with the Horses lacking looseness. Mrs HP can feel all of these things of course as she can feel when they first start to "Let Go". Often, we find subtle unsoundness enduced by the style of training. So the Hack is not the way to go for the serious Dressage Rider in our opinion.
VETERINARY SURGEONS RESPONSIBILITIES VERSUS NEGLIGENCE Now don't get me wrong, Vet's should be encouraged, they do a wonderful job and they shouldn't be sued because it impacts upon us all via fees and charges which are always passed onto the Customers. Us. However, having listened to many of them who still think that the old saying, "Caveat Emptor" is the main game, I know that a lot of them just don't get it. I write this in the knowledge that there are plenty of Vets who read this Site but nevertheless, they have to lift their game in certain areas. CASE ONE You would have read the story about the Dressage Horse and the 2.5 year saga last week. Went well known and accomplished Vet's here in SA with suspect rear end problems and so the Vet X-Rayed the front Fetlocks, suspecting ring bone and in fact proclaimed that the Horse had it. 3 years later, X-Rays reveal no ring bone but the Horse is still not traveling correctly through it's rear end and can't be competed. Imho, the Vet was pompous, believing in his own importance a little too much and badly erred in judgment. A reasonable Legal Case could have been brought against him for 'Negligence" CASE TWO The $17,000 Warm Blood purchase for Dressage. The Owner tells the Vet that she wants X-Rays. He quotes her $900 for 12 x-Rays but suggests that she may save money by only x-raying the Knees and Fetlocks. She listens to the advice of her expert but was quite prepared to pay whatever it took to protect herself. So she buys it and shortly afterwards the Horse is lame, it comes to us. We take one look at it and see it's conformation is more like a Hippo than a Horse. It's rear end is that of a cripple! Mrs. HP rides it, it won't travel straight. She can feel unsoundness.
Now I thought Dressage Horses are supposed to carry their weight on the hind legs???? Be 'Off the forehand" and "sit for piaffe, passage, canter pirouette etc" So imho, that Vet, if sued, would be in real trouble for 'Negligence. (Adelaide Hills Vet.) I will tell you why. It is the responsibility of a Vet imho, to advise a client if the Horse is "suitable for the purpose" for the Sport as indicated. Therefore, Dressage was stipulated and the Rider a good one likely to go far. The Horse stands in front of the Vet and looks like a HIPPO. Is the Vet Blind??? It is one thing to get lost and be front leg mad but take a look. The bloody Horse is a cripple. Why would you not X-Ray the Stifles and Hocks?????? Not only that. The Horse was born 4 inches higher in the rump than the whither. Hardly a Dressage Horse. Why would the Vet just not say, "Walk away my Dear, this is not a Dressage Horse. So the question that springs to the mind of the 'Investigator" is, "Incompetent or Mates with the Seller" Sorry but that is what incompetence causes. The Buyer is the Victim here, NOT THE VET!!! CONFORMATION I am reminded daily, how the lack of controls on Breeding in this Country compared to Europe, impact upon Horse Owners in so many ways. Basically, I can't remember when I saw a properly conformed Horse! Meaning, that basically every Horse that comes through my hands, are not up to the mark. We can leave out Thoroughbreds here as there are no controls there. They will Breed put a Ferret over a Rabbit if they think it can run but what about the Breeds of Horses that are supervised and supported by the relevant 'Breed Societies' and their registration systems. Classification Days and so on? You would think that those Breeds would be churning out well proportioned Horses, wouldn't you? Afraid not. Unlike Europe, the controls are not there and the ol Human fragilities shine through, thus diminishing quality where the Friends of the Classifier gets 'Brownie Points" or they just can't see it. Take the Warmblood Horses for instance. If ever there was a Breed where you would think Controls would be stringent, it would be with these Horses who are Bred to perform at the elite level of the Sport of Dressage and are purchased with the expectation that every Buyer is going to get to the Olympics. I am afraid not. I rarely see a properly conformed German Warmblood Horse come through here. In fact, the majority are so poorly conformed that they have Veterinary issues of one type or another. Why do I notice these things? What do I care. My job is only break them in. Well, true but I keep riding Horses, most of whom have rear end problems from the ever so subtle to the serious. Many re-education jobs and the reasons are invariably due to conformation but of the pristine 'Breakers', MOST have poor conformation and MOST have varying degrees of rear end deterioration. Most caused by being 'too straight behind", 'Too upright" and not having the correct angle through the Gaskin, hocks, hips etc. It is a crying shame, it is simply not fair on Horses and most are not equipped to achieve the Dreams of the Rider. You know what that then means for the Horse into the future, don't you? Once more, another serious Horse Welfare issue that is never highlighted or even thought about by those that run our Industries. They could do so much if they got their act together :(
CONFORMATION AND SOUNDNESS IN
HORSES
CONFORMATION VERSUS RIDDEN EXPECTATIONS
I have
been vividly reminded of late about the relationship
to the conformation of the Horse to the desires,
plans and aims of the Owner. Once again, due to the
lack of education within the Industry to
conformation and the lack of controls as outlines
above, you get THE VAST MAJORITY of Horse Buyers who
NEVER give conformation a thought. They look at the
head of the Horse, the colour, temperament and so on
but NEVER conformation.
So they buy the lovely sweet Filly and they want to do Dressage. The Filly has front legs 6 inches shorter than the back legs and the Horse was 'born on the forehand' The Judges however, have a different set of requirements. They want to see 'hind end engagement and 'off the forehand' Well guess what Folks. The little Filly has ZERO chance of doing any of it and gets flogged around for years while the Owner wastes their budding career, waste's valuable years of their life and in some cases blames their frustration for the lack of performance of the combination, on the Horse. Never themselves...and you know what that can and does mean in so many cases. Rips in the teeth and so on. I see it every day, I see it every time I am at the Dressage and you know what? " No one in authority ever tells them so because this is the age of "Political Correctness" and covering one's ass. You know what that means for the poor Horse, don't you???
CONFORMATION ACCENTUATED BY RIDER
I have been vividly reminded once again by a real
life example this week where we have another Hack
Horse here with problems. Yes, rear end Problems.
Now apart from the appalling conformation of the
Horse, the Rider has markedly accentuated the
problems for the Horse and built incorrect muscle
tone on top of Poorly conformed rear end, just the
opposite of what the Horse should have had. Instead
of the "German Training Scale" to do everything
possible to equip the Horse to do the work when it
was clearly born not to, the Hacky Double Bridle,
the Carrot up the ass and the locked elbows have
worked wonders in building incorrect muscle tone
over the loins and hips of the Horse basically
sealing the Deal. So they sell the Horse of course.
Let someone else deal with it and go stuff another
one. Yet again, the lack of Education in this
Industry. You can forget Olympic Medals in Dressage
for this Country. The Grass Roots gets no teaching
MOUTHING THE CONFORMATION CHALLENGED HORSE Not a problem. I can Mouth these as good as any of the others BUT.........guess what happens when an Amateur Owner later attempts to collect the Horse and go ride 'English" Yep, forget it. The Mouth is out the gate inside two days because there is not an Amateur out there that would have the skills to achieve this task AND keep the integrity of the Mouth of the young Horse. Doesn't happen. Such Horses simply bore right down into the hands of the rider and ask them to carry their head. As I said, the Mouth is gone inside two days with any lightness gone. Something to be remembered by any young Horse Trainer out there. Do they keep their mouth shut and just take the money or do they try and explain the difficulties to the Owner who will probably get peeved with you? Well, if you care about Horses over people, you know what to do.
BUYING HORSES IN
WORK
and of course we now come to the inevitable sale of the unsound Horse with the ever so smick move of telling the Buyer that the Horse has been out of work for a Month or so. I have TWO $15,000 one's of these this week!!!! Both stuffed, both Owner's conned, sucked in but entirely their fault for being so gullible. "Lambs to the Slaughter" I call them. Why do you think people often sell Horses on the basis of "not been in work for a while"? Hellloooooooo, they probably "bucked the ass off or are UNSOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. So what similarities did these two Buyers have?
How can
it be that in this day and age, with the Consumer
warnings, the daily News, the horror stories from
Friends? After 6 years of me highlighting such
cases almost daily????? So frustrating
You may now like to read these: SACROILIAC PROBLEMS AND BEHAVIOUR. Dr. JOHN KOHNKE IMPORTANT HINTS
Regards John O'Leary mailto:horseproblems@horseproblems.com.au
|
June, 2008. This Mare wins with 74%, ridden by the young Lass who has MS.
The Stifles were being affected by the teaching of the Coach, crookedness
which caused the 'Bridle Lameness" and a slight incorrect angle of the rear
near side hoof.
Uphill, ability to engage and to bend the
hocks.
I
feel the pain for the Owners and the Horses :(