locking stiffles...

[Boinky]

Ok for those of you that have had locking stiffle issues. Have you ever noticed if your horses tend to lock up MORE during certain times of the year? i've had one that locks up for the past.i think 3 winters and i've noticed in the FALL he locks up a TON.. always consistant with fall..... a lot of the time he can go all summer and usually all winter with no problems or very few locking up episodes..but fall he locks up like every few steps or at least catches.

now i just assumed it was from the cold wet, muddy conditions up in maine.. but now that i live in Kentucky i'm having the same issues (same months) but a completely different climate..still hot and dry here instead of wet and cold like maine.

Why would this be? i mean it's not like arthritis that is being affected by the cold dampness.. and it's not like there's mud to slip and make it catch ect. it's also typically not a bone issue to begin with. i was discussing this with a friend and it occured to me might it be something to do with the length of day light like hair growth and hormnes coincide with light? is it possible perhaps even that the hair growth is causing some sort of deficiency to make the stiffle ligaments not work the same?? Would there be a spike or drop in hormones that would affect ligaments??? Any theory's or idea's anyone???

 

[Judi Renchen]

Ok for those of you that have had locking stiffle issues. Have you ever noticed if your horses tend to lock up MORE during certain times of the year? i've had one that locks up for the past.i think 3 winters and i've noticed in the FALL he locks up a TON.. always consistant with fall..... a lot of the time he can go all summer and usually all winter with no problems or very few locking up episodes..but fall he locks up like every few steps or at least catches. now i just assumed it was from the cold wet, muddy conditions up in maine.. but now that i live in Kentucky i'm having the same issues (same months) but a completely different climate..still hot and dry here instead of wet and cold like maine.

Why would this be? i mean it's not like arthritis that is being affected by the cold dampness.. and it's not like there's mud to slip and make it catch ect. it's also typically not a bone issue to begin with. i was discussing this with a friend and it occured to me might it be something to do with the length of day light like hair growth and hormnes coincide with light? is it possible perhaps even that the hair growth is causing some sort of deficiency to make the stiffle ligaments not work the same?? Would there be a spike or drop in hormones that would affect ligaments??? Any theory's or idea's anyone???

Well I just replied to Leeana's question on joint supplements and I'll say the same here. Cotton our 3yr old stallion had a lot of stiffle issues last fall before it got too cold, winter and spring. I put him on flax seed whole soaked in his beet pulp. This was before it got good and warm, and I've seen nothing since. I'm a believer in it if only for that reason. I still see more benefits to using it but it's totally worth it to me to not see him hurting. Hope this helps you as well. Oh I'm in KY too. Not too far from you.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Well, that started out as the typical "my horse locks worse each winter" question, but you're right, it took a turn for the unusual!

I've never considered the idea of it having some sort of internal cause rather than external but it's certainly worth considering. Let's see here...that article I posted from the Atlanta Equine Journal has this to say about one of the available treatment options:

-Hormonal Therapy: The administration of estrogen has shown to prove benefical for some horses exhibiting intermittent upward patellar fixation. The presence of estrogen within the body of the horse may increase tension of various supporting ligaments. These include the collateral, suspensory, cruciate, and distal patellar ligaments. Increasing distal patellar ligament tension helps to relocate the patellar further distad, thereby making upward patellar fixation more difficult. This in turn may alleviate clinical signs.
-It should be noted that estrogen is also a powerful behavior modificator in the horse. It is often used for stallions and geldings that are excessively difficult to handle, aggressive towards people or other horses, or overly anxious at shows and other events. Estrogen is very effective at reducing anxiety and resistance as well as improving overall behavior in these horses. Treatment usually consists of 2 injections of estrogen (25mg) in the muscle twice weekly for 4 consecutive weeks, then as needed therafter.

Administration of estrogen to mares usually causes them to exhibit clinical signs of estrus (heat). Since this change in behavior is generally undesirable, we do not recommend its use in mares.

So would there be something about this time of year that would cause there to be less estrogen in the body? It seems like fall is the time of year that testosterone should be reducing as the stallions settle down from breeding and obsessing over the girls all summer but maybe the estrogen drops too somehow? If the mares aren't cycling it certainly would in them. Most cases are severe enough that they wouldn't be affected more than minimally by such slight hormone violations so it's no wonder that most horses only get worse in the fall, not start locking when they normally don't.

Fire away!

Leia

 

[love_casper]

Hey that kind of would make sense to me!! I've never thought about it like that and I don't know much in this area.

I would assume because mares stop cycling and such, basically with the end of breeding season would come the end of increased raging hormones LOL! Hmmm.... very interesting.

 

[Boinky]

humm the estrogen theory would make good sense. Would coincide with my "length of daylight" idea. I would think that the estrogen in studs would run on similar to a mare with the length of daylight. And if estrogen is what keeps ligaments tight...

My boy is infact a stallion as well and they (all 5 stallions) do have noticable testosterone drops this time of year. For example. I always turn all my stallions out together this time of year through the winter months. In the summer months, although they aren't the type that will fight to the death they do typically not get along very well and must be seperated. so it's an obvious drop in hormones. I wonder if my new vet would try the estrogen injections.... and of course this would be purely experimental for me to see if it does make a difference. It seriously is interesting to me. I've seriously thought about having the ligaments cut but it just never seems to be the "right time" or "have the money". it's not horribly expensive..just one of those things. I would consider his locking issue pretty severe this time of year. he will lock up and drag or hop several steps. backing him doesn't seem to help bring him out of it except maybe RARELY.