Why are my horses joints popping?

Kathleen MacMillan of the University of Prince Edward Island’s Equine Ambulatory Service, who says that cracking or popping sounds from the hips, knees, fetlocks, hocks, and stifles are usually caused by gas pockets moving around in the joints (similar to when we crack our knuckles).

What popping sounds mean?

Your joints may sometimes emit sounds like popping, cracking, snapping or clicking. In technical terms, these cracking sounds are called ‘crepitus’, which means to rattle. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the sound of cracking joints is probably caused due to gas bubbles in your joints bursting.

How do you know if your horse has arthritis?

How is arthritis diagnosed? Your vet will watch your horse move on a hard and a soft surface, as well as doing some flexion tests to locate the problem initially. Flexion tests put extra stress through certain joints, and so will make pain in a joint more obvious to the clinician.

Why is my horses stifle clicking?

A locking stifle in a horse affects the stifle joint which includes the kneecap and ligaments and is the most complex joint in the horse. In horses with this condition, one of the ligaments in the kneecap catches over the inner ridge of the femur. A clicking noise may be heard as the horse moves.

What is the popping sound when you get adjusted?

This is caused by small pockets of air or bubbles, which are in the fluid that surrounds your joints. When joint tissues are stretched during a chiropractic adjustment, the pockets of air “pop,” which creates that cracking sound you hear.

Where does the clicking noise come from in a horse?

Kevin was the first to notice the noise and tried to pinpoint it by examining her and moving her in different directions to try to find where the clicking was coming from. He felt strongly that it was coming from her front end.

What does it mean when your horse’s joints pop?

They may sound alarming, but periodic pops or clicks coming from the joints of a comfortable, sound horse are nothing to fret about. Noisy joints in horses are caused by the same physiological process that allows you to “crack” your knuckles: Stretching of the joint capsule releases gas within the fluid rapidly.

Why does my horse have a pulse in his hoof?

• If the pulse in the hoof is rapid and the foot is warm, it could be an infection. • Any swelling in the leg could indicate a ligament pull or injury to a tendon. • Horse’s joints tend to get arthritic in old age. • Over worked horses may develop sore backs. This translates into lameness in the legs as well.

Why does my horse throw up his head?

• Sudden hind leg lameness in horses results in an uneven gait. • A horse may exhibit a minor hitch in his stride or be reluctant to place any weight on one foot. • When the sore foot hits the ground, horses also tend to throw up their heads in pain. • Hind leg lameness may also cause the horse to lean towards the healthier side.

Why does my old horse make weird noises?

These sounds are more common in older horses (and older people too). Their origin is incompletely understood but some may arise as tendons move through their tendon sheaths- possibly from compression of nitrogen bubbles in joints or tendon sheath fluid, or from ligaments and joints as they move in and out of weight bearing.

What should I do if my horse is making clicking noises?

The recommendation of vets are: “if there is no cartilage damage, lameness or inflammation, it is recommended to give your horse lots of turnout, conditioning and steady regular work. Any lameness should be checked out, but the noises themselves almost never correlate with injury.

What does noisy joints mean on a horse?

Some injuries and orthopedic conditions can cause structures of the joint to rub against each other in a noisy manner, but in those situations, the horse will nearly always be obviously lame. Thanks for watching! Thanks for watching! This article first appeared in EQUUS issue #466, July 2016.