What's Wrong with This Horse?

[Horserider]

http://dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1251649

I spotted this horse while looking around and what's wrong with it's pasterns? I've never seen a horse's do that before.

[FatSpottedAppy]

I think its just the weight bearing on them. I've seen it often, especially in racing pictures.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0h0o3e00VD677/610x.jpg
Front pastern. :)

http://www.winecountrydressage.org/WorldCupPhotos/4-23WC-Final/anky-piaffe%20copy.jpg
Back pastern

[cloedoll]

Ditto to what Morgan said! =)

I hope Taylor (laredo454) doesn't mind me posting this picture, I cropped out everything but the legs just in case lol. Anyways, this is Laredo landing after a jump..

http://i36.tinypic.com/2w5pw90.jpg

[WashingtonBay]

Agreed. Without seeing more I wouldn't assume there's more than a normal amount of flexion there. The point of the first photo is at about the maximum flex in the stride.

It's a good illustration of the shock absorbing function of the pasterns. They absorb much of the impact. We want long sloping pasterns for a smoother easier ride, but not too long, or they become weak and the tendons can be stressed. Very short and upright pasterns are physically strong, but they fail to absorb and dampen the jarring and are a more uncomfortable ride.

[Gypsy Rose]

Short upright pasterns are also more prone to concussion injuries and arthritis, lol!

[westmanfarrier]

Yup, they are load bearing in the photo. The pastern is the 'shocks' for the horse. A nicely proportioned pastern makes for a nice ride. A short, upright pastern makes for a bumpier ride.

If they look like that when the horse is static (standing) then either your hooves are way too high, or you are dealing with Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis

[lovesfortune]

you are dealing with Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis

Could you give more information on this please? I used to foster a horse that had "stretched tendons" that made her rear pasterns look much like those in the pictures. It was permanently swollen on one side. I never really knew what to do for her, my vet said she must have had a rough life to have so much damage.

[Lakota's Pet]

Westman I have a question then. We have a Qh/arab that we have had for almost 20 years that has front pasterns that look similar to that. He has never been lame a day in his life, even when we bought him with his front hooves split to the band and bleeding. Is it something that a horse can have that doesn't affect them if they are not worked very hard and ridden by a fairly light person? He has been mainly just trail ridden and used a police horse up until about 5 years ago. Now my dad's girlfriend rides him once in a while, my kids ride him, and other than that is mainly a pasture puff in his old age. Looking at his feet he has quite a bit of heel, but when we have tried to change the angle of his foot, the joint will hit the ground. He is now 24 years old, and been with us since he was 7.

[WashingtonBay]

He could have DSLD, though I think (westman?) that is usually apparent in the hind legs.

Conformationally, he might just be coonfooted, overly long pasterns, particularly if he's always been this way, and it hasn't gotten any worse. For light work he may be fine, but it wouldn't be a feature you'd want in a hard running horse or for higher impact jobs like jumping, because those suspensory tendons would be the first place the horse would break down. Pictures of yours, standing and in motion if you can catch that moment of greatest flexion, would be helpful!

[Lakota's Pet]

I will see if I can get some pics tonight, if it's not dark when I get there. All he's ever done is just some trail riding and police work, not anything high impact at all. We were always afraid to over strain him. But he's great with green riders so if someone wants to ride that's inexperienced, he's our choice.

[Horseless]

hummmm yes I ve seen this before, in my many years of expeirence as a horse doctor and owner, its a simple case of GET OFF MY FREAKING BACK!!!
Im tired of having humans ride me, I want to be free, I want to run wild like my
ancester's did a long time ago.

That will be $150.00 will this be cash or charge??:cool:

[Lakota's Pet]

:funnypost::hysterical:

[John Boy]

A couple points I'll mention -
The first pic - shows the horse not moving up hill , but weight on fore.
The horse is in a dressage ring where a majority of activity is done on the rail , which means soft (deep) footing. The following post shows a horse weight bearing in a race gallop.
It is quite possible if this horse was in different footing as seen in the second photo in western tack , less flexion from that joint.

As everyone has stated not an issue.

[Horserider]

Thanks everybody. I just had never seen a horse with pasterns that flexed that much who wasn't jumping or galloping.