Latley we’ve been having lots of problems

I have a 9 yr. old grade QH/cross mare (I don’t really know what she’s cross w/). I have had her for about 2 years, I spent the 1st year working on her basics then on to walking & trotting a barrel pattern, she seemed to be a fast learner & she really seemed to enjoy it I let her progress @ her own speed, @ the end of last year we were running low 20’s in large pens, then we had an accident, there was a 1′ PVC pipe under the dirt in the arena and well we found it, it was under the pocket on the 3rd and she tripped I couldn’t get her head up, she knocker over the barrel & tripped over it we did a couple of summer salts, and my left foot was in the stirrup & my knee got dislocated pretty bad she got up & seamed OK, heres where it all begins we were both on stall rest for 4-5 months and when we started riding again, after loping the pattern a few times she would go lame. I had a different vet look @ her & he said she had reinjured an old reinjured (I didn’t know anything about her past when I got her she had been turned out for years because the lady was intimidated by all 14.1 hands of her (sounds scary huh, ! sorry I can’t resist sometimes ties a big baby). he said it as very visible, it was her right back leg, her stifle, I haven’t heard much about this, and no one seams to have much knowledge, and now she’s not sore but she turns funny to the right and doesn’t want to pick up her right lead past a collected lope, and she drops her shoulder on the 2nd & 3rd on a right pattern, but if I try running to the left she come out really wide & and can’t seam to get her legs far enough under neath her to fire out of any turns, she is a really good mare and she has the speed but the more speed I ask for the worse these problems get, and every thing was fine before (she got hurt)

Michelle

From what you’re telling me in your message, it sounds like you may have a horse that can no longer be competitive in the barrel race. Stifle injuries are very hard to rehabilitate, especially if they are “the second time around injury”. Your mare may not be “head-bobbing lame” but I would guess that she is sore and hurting when she exerts in a turn since you say that she doesn’t want to pick up and hold the right lead and she can’t seem to get her rear end under her to drive away from the barrels. By dropping on to her front end, she is able to take some of the pressure off her rear end and her stifle. I’m so sorry to hear of your accident but thankful that it didn’t end up being much worse for you or your horse.
Martha Wright