"Clicking" stifles

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine regarding clicking stifles, particularly in the very young minis. How common is it, really? And do they usually outgrow it? If so, by what age generally? If not, what can be done about it besides cutting them later?

I'll add another question to yours - is there a nutritional component to the problem? I have several I've noticed clicking right now who have never done it before. These are mature horses who have been sound all their lives. I've also had a couple of babies with stifle issues, and this is something I'd never had in my herd until recently. Last time I asked a vet, he said they now think there is a link to excessive carbohydrates more so than to protein.

Jan

Just something to note.

I have known a few horses to have a clicking noise. Which sounds from the back (i thought stifles). It was actually the bottom joint of the legs as the hooves were too long.

Hi Sunny

I had a (large)mare she was 2years old when it started. I had sent her to a specialist when she was 3 1/2 because when her training started she got worse.

The Vet did not recomend cutting her, we tried the shots first right into the stifle.

This was in a set of three. Once done we were on a excersice program to help strengthen the stifles. Well I was not into a long term badle with this mare for when we did the x-rays she was in bad shape. So cutting was not an option for this mare.

The clicking noise the vet told me, was where the cartlage has worn and now it was just bone. This is what caused her clicking.

BUT this could be something different in your freinds horse, I would have the stifles x-rayed to diagnose the problem. Then go from there.

Hope this helps and good luck to your freind.

My mare was on Glucosamine with condritan? spelling She will be on this for ever. I have sense sold this mare to a permanent retirement home.

Hey Sunny!!

First get a complete set of xrays..to rule out that the clicking may be the fetlock or hock.

Second, the only semi (not 100% but close) successful treatment that ever worked was injections/strengthening. But clicking indicates to me that is a bone issue versus muscular issues.

Get the vet to dot he workup..the longer you wait the greater chance of having bone spurs or bone chips in the joint.

Kimmy

Bump!

How common is it?

Can they usually outgrow it?

If so, by what age generally?

If not, what can be done about it besides cutting them later?

Can a horse show competively with stifles probles/'popping'/lock? (eg. in halter -expessaly- in jumping, driving.. etc.)

What are preventers?

Does it hurt them?

What can it lead to? (eg. authrits)

What ages are affected?

Can horses heal from it 100%?

Please help Desiree!

Also wanted to add, this is not LOCKED stifles - This is the 'popping' noise when a mini is walking.

Also, what could cause the 'popping'?

-Desiree-

Hello everyone!

Let me try to shed some light on this subject.

In the normal horse the patella (bone) hooks over the medial trochlear ridge of the tibia locking the leg in extension and allowing the horse to stand with minimal effort as well as sleep standing up. The patella is anchored by 3 patellar ligaments which attach to the quadriceps muscles. When the horse contracts his quadriceps the patella should unhook and slide smoothly over the trochlear ridge allowing the limb to bend.

There is a spectrum of malfunction that is possible. If it has a little trouble unhooking you get an audible pop but the leg moves normally. The popping sound is bone knocking against bone. This can become more severe to where you see a hitch or hesitation in the leg. The most severe is when the patella does not unhook and the leg locks in extension. They are all manifestations of the same problem.

Why does it happen? In large horses it is often lack of fitness leading to weak quadriceps and a laxity to the ligaments. Then they can't effectively pull the patella off the ridge. This condition can respond to either exercise (strenghthens quads) or blister injections (tightens ligaments). The condition is quite common in Miniatures and usually doesn't respond to exercise. It is thought by some that in the Minis the abnormality is in the shape of the trochlear ridge so exercise won't help. Blisters can be tried but if the above is true that won't work either.

This brings us to the surgery. Cutting the medial patellar ligament makes it so that the patella cannot hook over the ridge (this is why horses that have had the surgery can no longer sleep standing up). The jury is still out on whether the surgery will contribute to arthritis years later. Xrays are always a good idea to determine if arthritic change ha already occurred as this will affect the horse's prognosis.

Another treatment that has been tried in the Bigs but I'm not sure about Minis is intramuscular Estradiol injection. I'd have to look this up to get more info.

In summary there are options and , Judy, I can tell you that some excellent driving horses you know very well have coped with stifle issues. It is manageable if arthritic change is not present. Try the least invasive first. Exercise. If that doesn't work tehn try injections. As a last resort the surgery may be necessary to make a useful performance horse.

BTW there is a condition I have observed in young Minis where a clicking noise actually comes from the hock. When the horse is standing on the leg gently push the point of the hock forward and it will "clunk" forward and back. This is not something I've seen in Bigs and in the Minis it improved with age (in the ones I have seen).

Hope this adds some clarity to the situation.

Wow.... what a great explanation. We had this problem for awhile with our minis and our QH... Well, now we find out a year later, it was the farrier. He wasn't triming on a level surface ... something like that... and that was the hooves too long as mentioned in another post. So we changed farriers and no more problems in that dept. Our new farrier has me walk our mare around on a lead a bunch on concrete to see if there is any problem he can see. I like this guy... he takes a good long time working on the horses, and he has me walk them around, get them on level concrete and is very very observant about them.

The other thing we now do differently is that we make sure we add minerals to the diet that have the ole "seliumim" in the ingrediants. I'm not sure if it was the farrier, or adding the minerals.... but something did the trick and now... no more problems.

Our vet also said to try these options, before he went for the medical route. He said he was hoping it was something simple. He also suggested exercising the boys too... I did.. So... Yeppers.. it was..simple to deal with, without the vet.

God Bless,

Lynn W

and thanks Dream... for that great explanation.