Working Up a Tripping Horse - Gaited Horses Part 2 - Ringbone and DSLD

Working Up a Tripping Horse - Gaited Horses Part 2 - Ringbone and DSLD
By Gaye DeRusso
 
So, what do you look for next?  Well as I said start with the feet and move up. X-rays of the feet are so important because it can show many things or nothing, which helps you know what else to look for. The x-rays besides showing navicular, can show arthritis, cyst, broken bones, sidebone and ringbone. Any of these things can cause pain and tripping, but I want to talk about ringbone, which is another form of arthritis, since it is another common finding with horses having tripping issues. 
​
When a horse gets ringbone, you will sometimes see bumps in their foot area. Some vets and shoers are very good at picking this up, but you still need x-rays to prove it because I have also seen them be wrong. These bumps are from bone growing around 2 joints, the coffin and pastern joints. They call it either high or low ringbone depending which joint is by, coffin - low ringbone (foot), pastern - high ringbone (ankle area).

Signs of ringbone include tripping, shorten stride, pointing the toe, heat by the foot, shifting weight, intermittent lameness to start then consistent lameness. It is more common in horses with short upright pasterns and horses that toe in. Horses that have repetitive stress to the joint such as jumping, barrel racing, and even police horses and cart horses because they are ridden on the roads repetitively. So how do gaited horses get it?  Well besides the conformation, many are racked on pavement repetitively. Horses that are overweight also puts those joints at risk, so another good reason to keep their weight in check.

The sooner you find ringbone, the better chance you have at keeping the horse useable and decreasing the tripping. So don't wait on those x-rays.  Special shoeing, pain medications, and injections are some treatment options. The horse is tripping due to the lack of movement in the joint and the pain so treating these issues can help.

The coffin bone has more movement, so low ringbone is usually a worse diagnosis than high ringbone. But with either, it will progress over time, you can only try to keep your horse comfortable and slow the process down. 

Now let’s talk about DSLD (Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis). This disease affects the horse’s fetlock area and is also degenerative which means it progresses over time. To keep it simple, the suspensory ligament runs down the back of the horse’s legs and then splits into 2 branches at the bottom and insert onto the horse’s foot bones. The suspensory ligament is responsible for holding up the horse’s fetlocks, so if they are not working properly the fetlocks begin to get lower. Over time they will finally give out where they will be touching the ground.

DSLD was thought to just affect the fetlocks, but they have found through research that it affects many soft tissues in the body and is thought to be a connective tissue disease. At this point in time, it is believed to be a genetic disease and not from injury. The hard part is at this time as far as I know, they have not found the genetic marker, but I am sure in time they will be able to.

DSLD usually appears when horses are age 15 and up but is possible in the younger horse.  It is more common in Peruvian Pasos, Paso Finos, Arabians, American Saddlebreds, American Quarter Horse, Morgans and even Thoroughbreds, but can happen in any breed. 

When it affects the horse, it is bilateral, which means it happens in both front legs or both hindlegs, not just one leg. 

Signs of DSLD may include tripping (horse may not lift hoof completely off of ground due to pain), landing toe first, tight rope walking, traveling wide behind, unable to stand on one leg for shoer,  stomping of feet with no flies, shifting back and forth on legs, frequently lying down to relieve the pain, back soreness, digging holes in pasture and standing in them with toes pointing down in the holes to get the pressure off the back of the leg. Sitting on fences or buckets, behavioral changes.

 Fetlocks may be swollen, warm and appear plum like, the horse will be tender over its suspensories, and the fetlocks will drop down in time. If it affects the back legs, when the horse is standing normally not parked out, its legs will appear more straight in the hock area. Some horses will also appear neurologic, and some will act colicky often, but no reason for colic is found. 

Diagnosis is through a lameness exam that should include palpation of the suspensories, fetlock, flexion exam and ultrasound. The ultrasound will usually show fiber pattern irregularity and calcifications on the ligaments. When it is severe most vets and people can see the fetlocks are dropped way down. 
Because gaited horses do many times come further down in their fetlocks, we have seen DSLD misdiagnosed from vets just looking at their legs. So, unless the horses fetlocks are on the ground, always ask for an ultrasound to prove it is DSLD before retiring your horse.

This is a progressive and so far, incurable disease. That means it will just get worse overtime. Riding the horse will only put more weight on its fetlocks so the horse should be retired. You can try to keep the horse comfortable with pain medications, support boots and supplements. Shoeing can help support the fetlocks with a bar shoe or with more heel support, but many owners have down well with a well-balanced barefoot on the horse with the toes backed up. 

The reason these horses trip is due to the pain and the lack of support in their leg. Again, it is not a curable disease, so it is better to find out if the horse has DSLD and retire it. As the horse cannot help the tripping and it is unfair to expect them to carry you safely. 

As you watch videos of gaited horses for sale and you look at horses in rescues and kill pens, you may see them come down in their fetlocks a fair amount. But some come down much more than others. They may or may not have issues in the future. If you have concerns it is best to get a real vet check on the horse before bidding on it in auction, buying the horse or rescuing it.

 Many of the horses in the rescues were sent there because of this, or to the kill pens because the owners did not want to deal with putting the horse down. So be very aware, that if you do not do your homework and get one of these horses, it may not be rideable.