Gaited Horses with Stifle Issues
By Gaye DeRusso
Let’s Talk About Stifles
When a horse sleeps on its feet it will lock its joints in order to stay upright. That way, it can take a nap but not fall down. But in the stifle, if a ligament gets hooked over the bone, the horse will have more difficulty unlocking it.
The stifle which is in the horse's groin area is a hinge joint and it is very similar to the human’s knee. The stifle can lock up which means get stuck, but it can also sublux which means move out of place. This can also happen with the human’s knee cap and other animals such as your dog, and they call it upward fixation of the patella in horses and dogs.
How do you tell if it is locking or subluxing?
If it locks up the horse's back leg appears to be stuck in extension and they drag their leg. They will drag it until it unlocks.
They will also have difficulty backing up because the leg gets stuck. They may drag their leg and then snap it up when it releases. Sometimes when you’re trying to back them out of the trailer and they won't, it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because their stifle is locked. Also, when you go to pick their hind feet, the horse may not pick it up because the stifle is stuck. If you pull the horse forward or ask them to back up or do both over and over this sometimes will unlock the joint.
If the stifle subluxes, the back leg will give out and it feels like the horse is sitting down. Sometime it is just one side but sometimes it is on both sides when it happens. The stifle is going out of place and then goes back into place, this is usually do to looseness in the ligaments or poor muscle strength.
If the stifle is subluxing the horse may have difficulty engaging their backend and they usually have more issues in soft footing like sand vs hard footing on the trail. So, some horses will have the stifles slip multiple times in the arena but hardly at all on the trail.
What Causes Stifle Issues?
1. It is more common in young horses having growth spurts as the bones grow faster than the muscles develop. Starting a horse too young or pushing a young horse too fast before it has been conditioned well can also cause stifle issues.
2. Weak horses such as horses who have not been worked and just stand in a stall or pasture with no hills. Or horses that have not been conditioned well and then riding too hard or too fast.
3. It is in breeding lines especially the Tennessee Walking Horse. The looseness allows them to reach way under themselves for that overstride but it also causes the stifle to give out.
4. The angle of the joint can cause stifle issues. Just like people who are knock kneed have more issues with their knee caps, if the horse’s hind leg is rotated outward such as cow hocked horses, they can have more issues. When a horse is cow hocked its back feet toe out and the hocks are closer together. Many gaited horses are cow hocked, the reason for this, is it allows the horse to reach further under itself without stepping on its front feet. As a horse moves with cow hocks, it will reach its hind leg inward then outward making an arc. This will cause the horse to land with its hind foot outside the track of the front foot, so it does not step on its front foot, but this in turn puts more stress on the horse’s stifle.
5. Horses that have conformation in the hind end that is very straight in the stifle and hock area are also at more risk.
6. If your gaited horse has long toes and not much heel, this can also cause more stress on the stifle joint.
7. Being an unbalanced rider can also add to the issue or being too heavy for your horse to carry. The horse can comfortable carry 20% of its weight this includes your saddle.
8. Not warming your horse up well before you start gaiting can cause issues. You have to give the muscles time to be ready to gait.
9. Lastly pacing which many gaited horses do, can cause stifle issues. Since the horse is swinging the leg instead of using its muscles, the muscles around the stifle are weak and do not help the stifle to stay in place.
Symptoms of Stifle Issues in Horses
A horse with a stifle issue may drag its toes, it may develop a slight lameness in the hindquarters which, when mild, can be easily overlooked. It may feel like your horse’s back legs are tripping, giving out or like the horse is about to sit down. The horse can appear to knuckle over in the backend, so the owner thinks it’s the horse’s fetlock area that is the issue.
It can happen more on descending slopes going down the trail. Your horse may even refuse to go downhill, to backup, to pick up its hind foot or get out of the trailer.
The horse may take a shorter step on the side that has the issue, which is usually seen when they gait but not when they trot. They can also have issues holding their back lead at the canter and will cross canter. If the horse loses balance at the canter, it can also bunny hop at the canter and will switch to the wrong lead or back to the right lead. Some horses will also fling their legs out. Many owners think the horse is bucking or kicking out and will punish the horse, but it is not the horse’s fault that its stifle gave out or locked up.
Your horse may not be able to make a sharp turn without losing its backend.
So, if you notice any of these issues, don't write it off as your horse being bad, it could be its stifles and it is best to start treatment to help the horse. Have your vet check the horse and start a rehab program.
In severe cases, a horse may stretch its hind leg out behind it when walking, or kick backward or step in an odd way to get the stifle joint to release. Some horses cannot unlock the stifle and will just drag the leg.
Treatment
1. Most the time stifle issues will improve with rehab. This means conditioning your horse, working it over poles and raised poles, working it on hills and teaching it to engage its backend. Don't make sharp turns or work it in a tiny circle. Check with your vet or a rehabilitation facility to see what they recommend.
2. Make sure the horse does not have long toes and low heels. Speak with your farrier about the stifle issues, as a horse that has an unbalanced foot, can have more issues. If the horse is balanced but still having issues the farrier can encourage hoof rotating by trimming the inside wall and applying a lateral wedge. Also, the farrier can give the horse better medial breakover by rounding the medial aspect of the toe of the hoof or the shoe. If severe locking, then rockering or rolling the toe can also help.
3. Weight gain in younger horses has seem to help, some believe this is due to the enlargement of the fat pad that is behind the stifle. Also make sure to give them time to grow and recover from work outs
4. Supplements such as Glucosamine Chondroitin, MSM, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, and Omega -3 can help. Injections such as Adequan have helped. Also making sure your horse has enough essential amino acids to build muscle.
5. Have your chiropractor or body worker evaluate your horse, as stretching and strengthening certain areas can be helpful.
6. Teach your horse to gait well without special angles of its feet or heavy shoes, try not to let them pace and learn how to be a better-balanced rider. If you are heavy, try and lose weight and use a lighter saddle to help your horse.
7. If your horse does not improve then speak to your vet about possible surgery options.
Many horses have stifle issues. The best thing to do, is to educate yourself so you understand what is happening and then come up with a plan to help your horse get better.
The picture is of a cow hocked horse.
By Gaye DeRusso
Let’s Talk About Stifles
When a horse sleeps on its feet it will lock its joints in order to stay upright. That way, it can take a nap but not fall down. But in the stifle, if a ligament gets hooked over the bone, the horse will have more difficulty unlocking it.
The stifle which is in the horse's groin area is a hinge joint and it is very similar to the human’s knee. The stifle can lock up which means get stuck, but it can also sublux which means move out of place. This can also happen with the human’s knee cap and other animals such as your dog, and they call it upward fixation of the patella in horses and dogs.
How do you tell if it is locking or subluxing?
If it locks up the horse's back leg appears to be stuck in extension and they drag their leg. They will drag it until it unlocks.
They will also have difficulty backing up because the leg gets stuck. They may drag their leg and then snap it up when it releases. Sometimes when you’re trying to back them out of the trailer and they won't, it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because their stifle is locked. Also, when you go to pick their hind feet, the horse may not pick it up because the stifle is stuck. If you pull the horse forward or ask them to back up or do both over and over this sometimes will unlock the joint.
If the stifle subluxes, the back leg will give out and it feels like the horse is sitting down. Sometime it is just one side but sometimes it is on both sides when it happens. The stifle is going out of place and then goes back into place, this is usually do to looseness in the ligaments or poor muscle strength.
If the stifle is subluxing the horse may have difficulty engaging their backend and they usually have more issues in soft footing like sand vs hard footing on the trail. So, some horses will have the stifles slip multiple times in the arena but hardly at all on the trail.
What Causes Stifle Issues?
1. It is more common in young horses having growth spurts as the bones grow faster than the muscles develop. Starting a horse too young or pushing a young horse too fast before it has been conditioned well can also cause stifle issues.
2. Weak horses such as horses who have not been worked and just stand in a stall or pasture with no hills. Or horses that have not been conditioned well and then riding too hard or too fast.
3. It is in breeding lines especially the Tennessee Walking Horse. The looseness allows them to reach way under themselves for that overstride but it also causes the stifle to give out.
4. The angle of the joint can cause stifle issues. Just like people who are knock kneed have more issues with their knee caps, if the horse’s hind leg is rotated outward such as cow hocked horses, they can have more issues. When a horse is cow hocked its back feet toe out and the hocks are closer together. Many gaited horses are cow hocked, the reason for this, is it allows the horse to reach further under itself without stepping on its front feet. As a horse moves with cow hocks, it will reach its hind leg inward then outward making an arc. This will cause the horse to land with its hind foot outside the track of the front foot, so it does not step on its front foot, but this in turn puts more stress on the horse’s stifle.
5. Horses that have conformation in the hind end that is very straight in the stifle and hock area are also at more risk.
6. If your gaited horse has long toes and not much heel, this can also cause more stress on the stifle joint.
7. Being an unbalanced rider can also add to the issue or being too heavy for your horse to carry. The horse can comfortable carry 20% of its weight this includes your saddle.
8. Not warming your horse up well before you start gaiting can cause issues. You have to give the muscles time to be ready to gait.
9. Lastly pacing which many gaited horses do, can cause stifle issues. Since the horse is swinging the leg instead of using its muscles, the muscles around the stifle are weak and do not help the stifle to stay in place.
Symptoms of Stifle Issues in Horses
A horse with a stifle issue may drag its toes, it may develop a slight lameness in the hindquarters which, when mild, can be easily overlooked. It may feel like your horse’s back legs are tripping, giving out or like the horse is about to sit down. The horse can appear to knuckle over in the backend, so the owner thinks it’s the horse’s fetlock area that is the issue.
It can happen more on descending slopes going down the trail. Your horse may even refuse to go downhill, to backup, to pick up its hind foot or get out of the trailer.
The horse may take a shorter step on the side that has the issue, which is usually seen when they gait but not when they trot. They can also have issues holding their back lead at the canter and will cross canter. If the horse loses balance at the canter, it can also bunny hop at the canter and will switch to the wrong lead or back to the right lead. Some horses will also fling their legs out. Many owners think the horse is bucking or kicking out and will punish the horse, but it is not the horse’s fault that its stifle gave out or locked up.
Your horse may not be able to make a sharp turn without losing its backend.
So, if you notice any of these issues, don't write it off as your horse being bad, it could be its stifles and it is best to start treatment to help the horse. Have your vet check the horse and start a rehab program.
In severe cases, a horse may stretch its hind leg out behind it when walking, or kick backward or step in an odd way to get the stifle joint to release. Some horses cannot unlock the stifle and will just drag the leg.
Treatment
1. Most the time stifle issues will improve with rehab. This means conditioning your horse, working it over poles and raised poles, working it on hills and teaching it to engage its backend. Don't make sharp turns or work it in a tiny circle. Check with your vet or a rehabilitation facility to see what they recommend.
2. Make sure the horse does not have long toes and low heels. Speak with your farrier about the stifle issues, as a horse that has an unbalanced foot, can have more issues. If the horse is balanced but still having issues the farrier can encourage hoof rotating by trimming the inside wall and applying a lateral wedge. Also, the farrier can give the horse better medial breakover by rounding the medial aspect of the toe of the hoof or the shoe. If severe locking, then rockering or rolling the toe can also help.
3. Weight gain in younger horses has seem to help, some believe this is due to the enlargement of the fat pad that is behind the stifle. Also make sure to give them time to grow and recover from work outs
4. Supplements such as Glucosamine Chondroitin, MSM, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, and Omega -3 can help. Injections such as Adequan have helped. Also making sure your horse has enough essential amino acids to build muscle.
5. Have your chiropractor or body worker evaluate your horse, as stretching and strengthening certain areas can be helpful.
6. Teach your horse to gait well without special angles of its feet or heavy shoes, try not to let them pace and learn how to be a better-balanced rider. If you are heavy, try and lose weight and use a lighter saddle to help your horse.
7. If your horse does not improve then speak to your vet about possible surgery options.
Many horses have stifle issues. The best thing to do, is to educate yourself so you understand what is happening and then come up with a plan to help your horse get better.
The picture is of a cow hocked horse.