# Am I going to have lameness issues?



## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

Unfortunately, we can tell nothing from these pictures. Look at the conformation tutorial at the top of the conformation critique page


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Those pictures are too far away to be any good for a critique 

Did you buy him? Or were you given him? 

Always PPE before making any sale/given away horse final.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SavvyD (Oct 17, 2013)

Sorry! I thought they were ok, Ill go check it out.I bought him from an auction so there was no way to get a PPE.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

First day on a new pasture he could have very well tripped over or in (like a hole) something, been excited and overdid it causing some sore muscles or strained tendons, if you have rocks in your pasture he could have gotten a stone bruise. There's a bunch of different things it could be since he was in unfamiliar territory that are not necessarily permanent. Best way to find out for sure is through your vet.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

In the fourth photo on the high line he looks to be pointing with his left front. Is that the leg he is lame in? 

Nice enough horse. A bit bow legged behind. 

Get him checked before you dump a lot of money in him. He may have something difficult to deal with such as navicular. Get it checked and find out. 

Auction horse is always a risk.


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## spirit88 (Jan 12, 2011)

Hard to tell much from photos not a bad looking horse though. I personally wouldn't of bought him he's got pig eyes....

I won't buy auction horses anyway to risky.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

How long has he had the limp? How tall is he? Small feet are not a problem for a small horse. Any idea as to age? It looks like you have been trail riding or camping from the highline photo. Any lameness at all when you are riding?
The vet would be the best bet for a diagnosis if the lameness continues.
As others have said we can't tell much from the photos.
Welcome to the board!


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## SavvyD (Oct 17, 2013)

Ill try to answer all questions at once.

Actually his left leg has a problem with one hoof and thats why he's standing so weird. The inside of that hoof is really worn down, he does have shoes on now to correct it but this is just after he had them done so due to habit he still stands a little funny. He's actually lame on the right side and it seems to be stemming from the shoulder area. The high line picture was taken while camping at the coast. He did really well on the beach but had a harder time with harder ground. The weird thing is that his lameness doesnt seem to be painful, it just seems to be more of an annoyance to him because it doesnt slow him down and thats why im puzzled.

He's had the limp since august but its been really off and on. Hes been off of riding since then. He's around 14.3 or 15hh, just by estimating, i havent measured him exactly yet. He's around 4 or 5, im leaning more towards 4.He shows some signs of lameness when riding but like i said, he doesnt really show signs of pain. But i didnt push him nonetheless. Thanks for the welcome!

As far as the auction goes, I didnt really have the luxury of purchasing one from anywhere else. Prices are really high in oregon for horses right now. He was one of those horses that had the personality i wanted, not the looks. Id rather have a safe, fun horse than a dangerous but pretty one. 

THanks for all the opinions! (Ill get better conformation pictures up soon)


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

If he has a conformation issue that is causing one side to wear down quicker than the other.....I'm not sure I would try to correct that. If the way he wears the hoof is a reflection of his conformation you will only make him sore (in my opinion) in trying to "correct" it. That's why he does okay on sand but not on hard ground. Sand will let him find his own hoof balance but hard ground will stress the joints if the hooves aren't trimmed correctly. And by correctly I mean that they respect his natural conformation and not try to make the hooves balanced if the horse's conformation requires them to be worn in a less-than-perfect manner. But I am just a layman.......you really need the advice of a good vet or farrier.

He's not a bad looking horse at all.....he looks beautiful to me!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Elana said:


> He may have something difficult to deal with such as navicular.


I don't think that's a difficult thing to deal with really.:wink: Can't even see his feet tho OP & if you want a hoof critique, check out link in my signature for what's needed of pics.



> I personally wouldn't of bought him he's got pig eyes....


That's nice, that is! I don't think they look that 'piggy' myself, but then he's a QH so you'd expect that to some degree anyway:hide:. I think he's a pretty good looking horse actually. While pics aren't adequate, you can get a fair idea that he's nicely shaped, seems to have a strong, sound back & HQ, etc.



> The inside of that hoof is really worn down, he does have shoes on now to correct it ... He's actually lame on the right side and it seems to be stemming from the shoulder area.


That sounds a bit strange & not sure what you mean, but if the farrier has 'corrected' something that maybe shouldn't have been messed with, that could well cause body issues on the other side.



> that his lameness doesnt seem to be painful, it just seems to be more of an annoyance to him because it doesnt slow him down


Horses are stoic animals that are hardwired to keep going as long as they're able. Even seriously injured horses will run on adrenaline. If he's obviously lame - & often when they're not - he's hurting. Don't ever ride a lame horse(unless under vet's instruction). I notice below you say you haven't ridden him... but then you say he's lame when ridden...?? At 4yo I wouldn't be doing anything like hard riding on him for a while anyway.



> He's had the limp since august


Then this has gone on way too long without veterinary attention! As a rule, you might leave a lame horse untreated for a week or even few, to see if he gets better, but no longer than that if you don't know what's wrong, certainly not months. If money's a problem, perhaps you can borrow or barter for it. Of course I don't know the whole story, but if you take on the responsibility for an animal, you also need to budget for vet's bills.


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