Stifle locked!

[Zoey3]

I have a new filly that I have had for about 3 weeks. She is about 5 months old now. This morning her left rear leg is stiff/locked, never seen or heard of this until now. I called the breeder I bought her from and did alot of resaerch, pretty sure its just her stifle is locked. The breeder said I should make her walk around, even scare her to make her bolt, to try and get it to unlock. Need advise, my vet is out of town until Tuesday.

Thanks!

 

[chandab]

There are plenty of posts on this forum about it, so you can probably find lots of information doing a search (there is a search box in the upper right corner of the page). I've not experienced it with my minis, but I'm thinking I've read that backing them a few steps will unlock it. [Might take a little more depending on how bad it it.]

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

You really need to have a vet check her. We can give you advice but she needs to see a vet. I had a foal with bi-lateral patella problems born one year, the attending vet told me to let him exercise to tighten his tendons. A few days later when he went in for surgery ($5K surgery), he had damaged his tendons trying to walk around the surgeon said. Even vets can be wrong, but you don't want to cause a permanent injury either.

It could be an easy fix (low selenium/Vit E) - I have a few that need an extra shot or Selenium block - or it could be a chronic genetic problem.

Some young horses will get that after a spurt of growth, but it should only be a day or so.

 

[targetsmom]

I would try backing her up to see if that will get her unlocked. I am pretty sure I have read that on here. Of course that will only be a temporary "fix" and you still should contact your vet. Exercise might help long term and she might outgrow it. Again, from what I read on here. You might try a search for "locking stifles". Good luck!

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I will say having one lock up this early is not good. It will probably be an issue she will have all her life, just saying. Backing her up they say will unlock it. I wouldn't do too much with her until she can be seen by the vet. I would keep her in a smaller pen or stall and take her out for walks every so often. I had one yearling that locked up but she got over it on her own but to this day I hear she has problems. She is now just a pet as I didn't want it to pass on. I was very upset about it as she was going to be a nice performer.

The best thing to do with horses that have stifle problems is to make sure they are trimmed regularly. If they have too long of toes could cause problems. Plenty of room, I wouldn't keep her confined as she needs lots of room to run. At this early I wouldn't do much exercise with her at all, especially one that has problems I would just let her do the exercise and play with the other horses. And you may need to have surgery. I would also really question on using her for breeding.

Good luck!

 

[Zoey3]

Thanks for the replies. I did not try to make her bolt or run period because I though it may hurt her, instead I walked her a bit around the stall and tried backing her up several times, but the leg is still stiff.

Her hoofs were just trimmed about a week ago, the farrier said she has good hoofs. She is geting the Purina Minature and Pony, 13.5% protien and not sure how much selenium they need, but it has 0.6 ppm of Selenium. 1 lb morning and night. The breeder said niether perents ever had the problem, her sire and grandsire were both National champions, but I now it still could be in the genes.

This is very disapointing because I was going to show her and have fun breeding her once she is mature in a couple years.... I will take her to the vet for sure, will have to just go from there and see what happens. I hope I can at least just have fun showing her... From what I have read, those that have the surgery end up being okay to show.

Thanks

 

[cretahillsgal]

I dont think that is enough protein for a foal that age. Course it depends on the quality of your hay also. Anyone else?

 

[Mini Love]

Feed play's a big part in stiffle lock in young, I have delt with it BUT never delt with one that would lock and NOT unlock. This is a pic of a 2 month old rescue, as you can see he was away from the mare way to soon, and was not being feed anying. 2 months of GOOD mare a foal food, we have never had an issue & he is now 3 years old

We did have a vet over see him with this & the vet said give it time, with being under feed & not moving around like he should of been ( to sick & tierd to be like he should of been)

and he was so right, good food and it was gone.

He would be running and it would lock, it would make him fall.

My vet said feed GOOD Mare & foal feed then weanling feed

&

Walking them back wards will help unluck it.

Walking him un & down a sloped hill will help build his musels to fit the bone.

How was he health when you got her?

What has she been eating since you have had her?

she needs space to book around, once it does un lock I dont think it would be good to keep in a small area ( like a stall ) she needs to move.. I would not have her in with others. If she gets to running with everyone or needs to get away and it locks up it would be unsafe..

Theres hope that this will go away with out surgery & since she in young there is room for growing & that alone can fix it with good food.

Good LUCK & hope it is a easy fix for you & her

 

[REO]

Are you keeping her in a stall? She needs to be out and walking around, playing etc.

 

[tagalong]

You CAN unlock it for her if the backing etc. does not work - but it is hard to describe... and if you have never done it before, probably not advisable.

Cup your hand around her stifle area... and slowly and carefully apply pressure from the inside to the outside in a sort of rolling motion - you can feel the patella moving a bit and sometimes you cam simply pop it back into place. It is hard to describe what you are feeling for or the nuances involved. Remember - I am not a vet - but I used this method that a vet showed me to bring relief to some minis who had chronic locking stifles in the distant past. None here, but at my previous farm there were a few that needed help...

 

[R Whiteman]

I personally would return the horse to the breeder if that is an option. There are too many very nice horses out there that don't have problems for you to have to take this on. If they believe that just walking them out will fix it or that the problem is minor they should not have any trouble taking her back and dealing with the filly's issues instead of you. If you purchased this filly as a potential breeding animal then I would check into returning her for sure.

On the other hand, I know of many horses that have had the surgery and are very successful driving horses. If this is a very special horse to you and you are not concerned about breeding her then I would asked for a reduction in price or maybe the breeder would bay for the vet bills required to eliminate the problem. It has been my experience that this just doesn't go away most of the time. There is volumes of research on this subject.

Good luck

As I see it,

Ron

 

[AnnaC]

We all know that the 'back end' of a lot of minis these days can be their 'weak' point. So I would like to take you back 3 weeks - how far was she and her dam travelled to reach you? Was the 'compartment' that they travelled in really well bedded up - and I mean really well! Travelling on any surface where she could have slipped (or even during loading or unloading) could have caused a slight strain/stretching of the ligaments surrounding the patella, then keeping her stalled, even overnight, or in a restricted space could have prevented plenty of straight movement to help tighten up the ligments again. This is just a suggestion because I have known it happen like this before.

How was she kept before you got her - lots of time in or in a small turnout, or lots of space to run and play?

Get her and her dam turned out together in as large a space as you can give them. No stall or small pen, and don't walk her in small circles ('round the stall'), if she is leading well then she needs walking in straight lines, possibly stepping over a pole or two on the ground, and later up gentle slopes (and down again when she is walking happily) But any straight line walking will help, the leg needs to be straight to help strengthen up those ligaments again.

Keep her back toes well trimmed and make sure she is getting her full quota of a good quality foal feed.

It is quite unusual for a foal to simply suddenly lock up without some previous signs, unless it has been caused by an 'accident' - a bad skid on slippery ground/getting a back leg caught in a fence/etc, so perhaps she has 'caught' herself somehow.

Surgery would not be an option until she is a lot older, so just keep going with the trimmed toes and lots of 'time out' and straight walking, and you may be suprised how she improves!

Good luck.

 

[HGFarm]

I also would return the horse to the breeder- do they have something else that doesnt have problems that they might trade you for, or a refund, since the horse technically is unsound?

This is awfully young to show having this problem and I know of others who had it and it just got worse and worse in their horses. I would NEVER breed a horse with this problem as it can certainly be poor conformation and hereditary. (I have seen that happen on other farms too)

I'm so sorry you are having this trouble with your baby.

 

[supaspot]

you said the farrier had recently been ..is it possible that he did a bad trim and poor angles have caused this

 

[Helicopter]

Some grow out of it.

Some are the result of diet lacking in minerals.

Some are the result of poor conformation (i.e. inherited) in that area.

However if you do eventually need surgery.....don't worry. Simple operation, small incision and no more problems. My mare doesn't even have scars ....she had both stifles done. My girl wasn't operated on until she was about 4 and obviously wasn't growing out of it and of course she will never be bred.

Usually just rocking them back a step will unlock it.

 

[Zoey3]

She was in a huge pasture at the breeders place, they fed some another pelleted feed and fed all the mares and foals toegther. Since she has been here(3 weeks now) she has been in a 30X30 stall with one other foal. This last week she has been geting out in a 1/2 acre area to play.

Any other advise on the feeding?

Thanks

 

[weerunner]

I second the Opinion that she needs 16% protein mare and foal feed for at least the first year of any foal's life.

 

[Riverdance]

You told us what caused the lock. Her feet were just done. This will often cause a lock on a young horse. Especially if the angles are different. Too many people feel that this will be a lifetime problem, but it rarely is . It seems rather common in young Minis, but most outgrow it. We should not be giving our youngsters too much protein as it will cause the bones to grow faster than the ligements.

They have many problems with this in larger horses and even dogs.

 

[HGFarm]

I still think the horse needs to see a vet, and not 'blow off' this problem as something that doesnt need a vet's expert opinion. I have seen MANY minis through the years that had bad stifles and it was a conformation problem. I know someone who had a mare that had a 'slight' problem and her foals were so severe that one had to be put down at a year old- the mare just continued to be bred!

 

[Minimor]

It seems rather common in young Minis,

Yes,unfortunately it is a common thing in young Minis....and in Minis in general--but it shouldn't be.
It would become much less common if people would just stop making excuses for the horses that have this problem.