Abnormal locking patella?

Has anyone heard of this?

Michelle

I'm not sure what an abnormal locking patella is--but perhaps you are simply meaning that locking stifle is abnormal for a horse>

Unfortunately locking stifle is all too common in the Miniatures; there are many that have this problem. So many Mini owners/breeders make excuses for the condition--it's a growth spurt, his feet need trimming, he was injured, and so on. The worst excuse of all is "Minis are prone to this, it's not a big deal". So many people make these excuses, and do not recognize the fact that in most cases poor stifle conformation is the true cause of locking stifle. People continue to breed horses that have this problem, and so the faulty conformation--and therefore the problem--gets passed on to the offspring.

Do some searches (top right on the Miniature Horse forum) for this topic Michelle. You will find a whole lot of discussions from the past and how some have dealt with it.

Lizzie

Thank you, My AppleJack has this. His farrier believes it is from maybe being in a small stall without the abliltiy to move around. He was at an amusement park and clearly their only concern was how much money he would bring them by his cute, small size..but as soon as he grew, he was put up and ignored until he was found and "rescued". we have been jogging with him ( my profile pic shows my sweet Gabbie taking him for a jog) Thank you for the insight, and I will go have a look in other posts.

Michelle

Michelle, as your farrier has stated, it can be caused by a lack of exercise, poor or no farrier care, and perhaps too much weight. Sometimes, just having the space to move around and the inspiration to move is enough to build up his knee strength.

This is a different problem then those that are born with an obvious genetic issue.

Proper exercise, farrier care, and nutrition are the first course of action. I would go with your farrier's advise for now. It can take six to eight weeks to improve or more. Free moving is also important.

Best of luck to you.

Hi--

My mini has this and the owner had told me before I bought him but I didn't understand the condition to the extent I do now. He had surgery on both his back stifles. I have never noticed him having any stiffness/popping issues. However my trainer did say he had a little bit when she was training him to drive but he got over it and moved on. So your mini still could be a successful driving horse---at least that's what I see.