At 19:36:56 on 15.02.10, bee20 wrote:
My mare increasingly has been crossing her front legs slightly just in walk. I put it down to her having to go down steep hills for balance but she has been doing it on flat ground. Hence she is a slow walker but does everything else such as trot at a fast pace. I bought some tendon boots for her and had to take them off as they were catching as she walked. Is this anything to worry about, she isn't lame.

At 08:14:53 on 16.02.10, Flicka wrote:
Is she wearing her shoes differently have you noticed? Had you been doing a lot of something new? Or could she have slipped? I just wondered if she has got tight in the chest muscles going down between her legs?

At 09:10:03 on 16.02.10, bee20 wrote:
I moved yards 2 weeks ago, but this has been going on for some time, it was in October my new part loaners pointed it out and again people at my new yard. Her shoes hardly wear out at all as there was such little road work so haven't noticed anything different there. But there were lots of steep short hills which were quite slippy so I thought that may have caused it and now it is a habit, but am concerned that it could be something else. She was treated by an Osteopath in December who said her pelvis and front fetlock joints were out. Perhaps I should see him again ?

At 11:40:50 on 09.03.10, hannahbananaroxsox wrote:
i think she probably has a dish. its a conformation problem commonly found in cobs and welsh ponies. if you were to have someone trot her towards you then you will see that one, or both of her forelegs swing outwards slightly and then landing in front of the other (if its only one leg). nothing can be done about it. my pony has a dish and it doesnt affect him at all, just alot of showing judges notice it and we get marked down because of it. his last owner but brushing boots on his front legs to try and help it but it didnt work. nothing can be done to cure a dish and it shouldnt cause any problems. hope this helps

At 11:45:20 on 09.03.10, YasandCrystal wrote:
If it were just a dish it would be unlikely to be getting worse. I would follow your instincts bee20 and get some professional advice, especially if it is something you hadn't noticed before. Youngsters who have yet to build up muscle tone commonly have a wobbly back end and legs and the same could happen in front with an unmuscled horse. Good luck!

At 12:08:11 on 09.03.10, hannahbananaroxsox wrote:
bee20 didnt mention in this post that it was getting worse, you may have misread something yasandcrystal :P

At 14:46:35 on 09.03.10, HorseVet wrote:
Hi bee20 did say it was "increasingly" happening if you read the post carefully hannahbananaroxsox! It would tend to suggest that there is a cause that is worsening and I wouldn't put it down to hill work. There could be multiple reasons that should be looked at before it results in lameness. Have a chat with your vet and see if it's something they've seen before. Be careful to make sure you know what is intended for investigation as you could stack up a big bill if you're not careful if the reason isn't obvious. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk

At 18:42:11 on 09.03.10, bee20 wrote:
Thank you all for your advice. Pepsi only does it in walk, trotting, cantering etc are fine. She is 11 years old, very fit (too fit at times !) and muscled. I spoke to my new farrier last week who was surprised as he said her shoes were worn evenly. We have the vet up the yard alot at the moment as it is a stud, so lots of foals are being born, will mention it to her.

At 18:55:45 on 09.03.10, YasandCrystal wrote:
Hi bee20 may I ask is this the first time she was shod by the new farrier? My husband is a farrier and he asked if her feet are turned out when she stands? If she tends to 'toe out' then that will naturally make her go close in front. Also why were her feltlock joints out?, as that is unusual. Maybe a word with the osteo would help? You also would not notice this 'crossing over' at trot anyway.

At 19:08:11 on 09.03.10, bee20 wrote:

Yes it was a new farrier as I moved yards a month ago. I didn't question why her fetlock joints were out when she saw the Osteo, Pepsi had been doing quite a bit of jumping so just presumed that may have done it. The Osteo did comment that it was unusual how she stands when tied up, as she always stands with one side the corresponding front and back legs go towards each other and the other side they are further apart, he said horses normally stand like this when grazing, don't know how true this is. She does stand with her feet turned out a bit. Have downloaded a picture of her taken a couple of weeks ago.

(Click here for larger view)