EquiFlexx Therapy

20/10/2026

20/10/2026

“My horse is injured and is on box rest, what now?”

When your horse is injured or has been diagnosed with a degenerative disease, it can be an overwhelming and uncertain time for horse owners.

So many times I see the correct veterinary treatment but, there is a lack of a structured rehab plan. After all, treatment equates to 2️⃣0️⃣%, rehab is 7️⃣0️⃣%. Rehabilitation is an important part of the recovery process, yet it is an area where many horse owners feel they lack guidance and support.

You may be unsure how to support their recovery, when to introduce exercise, or how to help them regain the strength and fitness needed to return to work.

🔵My horse has been treated, but what happens next?
🔵My horse has had a joint injection. How do I support their return to work?
🔵My horse has had months off and lost all their topline and core strength. Where do I start?
🔵My horse is on box rest or restricted exercise, and I’m worried about what happens when they start moving again.

My aim is to help owners feel less alone in the rehabilitation process, with practical guidance and an individualised approach that puts the horse’s comfort, welfare and long-term soundness first.

🤝 You are not alone 🤝

If you are navigating an injury, musculoskeletal condition (Osteoarthritis) or getting ready to return to work after time off, reach out to plan your horses’ next steps

12/10/2026

MUSCULOSKELETAL MONDAY

🦴The pelvis is made up of three main bones on each side
Ilium – the large, wing-shaped bone that forms the upper part of the pelvis.
Ischium – forms the caudal (rear) part of the pelvis.
P***s – forms the ventral (underside) part of the pelvis.

🦴 When a horse pushes off the ground with its hindlimbs, forces travel through the hindlimb joints and pelvis into the trunk.

🦴The pelvis provides attachment sites for many muscles involved in locomotion and postural control - Gluteal, Hamstring, Deep pelvic muscles, abdominal muscles

🦴The bony prominences you can see on either side of a horse’s hindquarters are called the tuber coxae, commonly known as the points of the hip.
The actual hip joint, or coxofemoral joint, lies further back, where the head of the femur fits into the acetabulum of the pelvis.

🦴 The sacroiliac joints are strongly stabilised by ligaments and surrounding tissues. They allow only small movements, but those movements help accommodate forces passing between the spine and hindlimbs.

🦴 Pelvic asymmentry does not automatically mean pelvic displacement

🦴A difference in the height of the tubera sacrale, sometimes called a hunter’s bump, can occur following trauma involving the pelvic or sacroiliac region

🦴 The sciatic nerve is a major nerve supplying the hindlimb. It travels from the pelvic region through the greater sciatic foramen and continues through the deep tissues of the hindquarter.

🦴 Pelvic problems can be difficult to diagnose-
The pelvis is covered by substantial muscle mass, and much of its bony anatomy lies deep within the hindquarters. This makes some structures difficult to assess through palpation alone

08/10/2026

Reporting Equine neglect & abuse in Ireland

I had to do this several months ago. The process was delayed, simply because I had never had to do this before and I was met with some barriers along the way.
📲 SAVE this post for future. Hopefully you never have to use it!

🔵 Observe horse from a safe distance. Physical condition, access (or lack of) essential provisions
🔵Take as many photos or videos as possible
🔵Pin location
🔵Email photo evidence to DAFM [email protected]
🔵Contact local equine rescue, make them aware
🔴Do not enter private property

In my case, I had initially contacted local cat & dog rescue but they did not have equine experience, they were however, very helpful in pointing me in the right direction and sent their own inspector out to help. I contacted the local dog warden, in some cases they are able to assist in equine cases. In this instances, the warden rung me and said they do not have the expertise in dealing with horses and it would be refered to DAFM, which I already had done.
A Department vet was onsite very quickly after I had emailed the images, the vet agreed with myself and the animal inspector that the horse was suffering and needed to be removed.
In the meantime, I had also sent evidence to a well established equine rescue organisaton, they were on the road straight away with a jeep & trailer.
All authorities worked together as a team and brought the horse into their care.

I have heard stories of authorities not doing anything in these cases or acting too late. In my experience, this was not the case, everybody acted really quickly and took the case with utmost seriousness.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a horse or pony, don’t assune someone else will report it. Take as many photos as you can, I think this is what made the difference in this case that prompted everybody to act quickly!

06/10/2026

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 only working with the best

01/10/2026

“That horse doesn’t need bodywork. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

This is an outdated way of looking at equine care.

Think about your car.

You wouldn’t wait until the engine explodes, the gearbox fails or the car breaks down completely before addressing the warning signs.

Your car has a dashboard.

Warning lights, unusual noises, changes in performance and even subtle changes in how it drives can tell you that something needs attention before a major failure occurs.

⚠️Your horse doesn’t have a dashboard.

There are no warning lights telling you:

🔴 “I’m compensating through my back.”
🔴 “My muscles are becoming overloaded.”
🔴 “I’m developing a restriction.”
🔴 “Something doesn’t feel quite right.”
🔴 “I’m struggling to maintain this movement.”

Instead, horses communicate through behaviour, movement and subtle physical changes.

Maybe the horse suddenly feels different to ride.

Maybe the canter becomes less comfortable.

Maybe they struggle to work through their back.

Perhaps they become reluctant to pick up a lead, resist certain movements, develop tension through particular muscle groups or simply don’t feel quite like themselves.

These signs don’t automatically mean there is an injury — and bodywork should never replace appropriate veterinary assessment when pain or pathology is suspected.

But experienced Bodyworkers are trained in spotting the warning lights⚠️

And this is where preventative care matters.

Bodywork isn’t simply about treating an injured horse.

It can be part of maintaining physical function, identifying changes early, supporting recovery from workload and helping owners monitor how their horse is coping with the demands being placed on their body.

Because by the time your horse is obviously lame, significantly uncomfortable or unable to perform, the problem may have been developing for some time.

We shouldn’t wait for the engine to explode before we start listening to the warning signs.

Your horse may not have a dashboard.

But they are constantly giving you information.

The question is:
Are we paying attention? 🐴

24/09/2026

Very interesting post!!! When a horse gets cast it puts pressure on every structure.
If a horse goes suddenly acutely lame or is mysteriously very sore through its truck I put on my CSI investigation hat - is there marks on the wall, damage to the stable structure, has the bed beed disturbed….this is why.
You may not notice if a horse gets cast in the night or slips getting up. Having CCTV is an invaluable tool to horse owners to help put the pieces of the puzzle together

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗔 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧?

This morning I assessed a very large horse who had recently been cast.

His owner had noticed that he was particularly sensitive around the 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻.

But when I assessed him, the interesting part wasn't one isolated sore area.

It was the pattern through his whole body.

When a horse becomes cast and can't get enough room or traction to get back onto his feet, he doesn't simply lie there.

He struggles. He pushes. He braces. He twists his trunk and repeatedly tries to reorganise his body to get enough leverage to stand.

And in a horse of this size, that's an enormous amount of force travelling through the body.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗼?

This is where osteopathic anatomy becomes really interesting, because we can't think only about bones and muscles.

Inside that twisting trunk are the 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮.

The abdominal organs aren't simply sitting loose inside an empty cavity. They have their own mobility and relationships with the surrounding fascia, ligaments, abdominal wall, spine, pelvis and diaphragm.

So if the horse's pelvis and rib cage are being compressed and rotated while the abdominal contents have their own weight and inertia, there can be considerable demand on the tissues supporting and surrounding those structures.

And then sitting between the thoracic and abdominal cavities is one of the most important structures in this whole story:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺.

We tend to think of the diaphragm simply as the horse's main breathing muscle.

Osteopathically, I look at it as much more than that.

The diaphragm is a major 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 between the thorax and abdomen.

It moves cranially and caudally with respiration while pressure continually changes on either side of it.

But it isn't floating independently inside the horse.

Its attachments connect it into the 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘂𝗺, 𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Its crura extend caudally into the lumbar region and have close relationships with structures including the ventral longitudinal ligament, with the right crus being particularly substantial.

So mechanically, the diaphragm sits right in the middle of a system involving the:

𝗿𝗶𝗯 𝗰𝗮𝗴𝗲 – 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘂𝗺 – 𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 – 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮 – 𝗽𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝘀.

And every breath requires movement within that system.

Now put that system inside a very large horse who is cast.

His trunk is compressed.

His pelvis is twisted.

His rib cage is asymmetrically loaded.

His viscera still have mass and movement within the abdominal cavity.

The diaphragm is still moving.

Thoracic and abdominal pressures are still changing.

And he is repeatedly bracing, pushing and twisting against his own bodyweight trying to stand.

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆.

That is why, after an incident like this, I'm interested in much more than whichever leg appeared to be trapped.

In this horse, I found the 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 , the ilium held/restricted in a latero-ventral direction, essentially 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.

The sacrum was also held in an oblique-axis pattern, with the right side down and directed medially/left into the horse.

Together, those findings gave me a significant torsional pattern through the pelvic ring.

And I don't then stop at the pelvis.

The pelvis has relationships with the abdominal viscera, fascia, lumbar region and diaphragm, so I want to know what has happened further forward.

In this horse, the 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗯 𝗰𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, with restriction and tension through the diaphragm on that side.

The diaphragm itself was held in an 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀, with considerable tension and spasm through the left side of the diaphragm and ribs.

So the original thing his owner had noticed - 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 - suddenly became much more interesting.

Was I looking at an isolated sore abdominal muscle?

Or was I feeling the consequence of a much larger alteration involving the 𝗽𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝘀, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮, 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺, 𝗿𝗶𝗯 𝗰𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗸?

Then there was another extremely sensitive area:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘅𝗶𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘂𝗺.

Again, anatomically I don't want to isolate that finding.

The diaphragm has a sternal attachment in this region.

The xiphoid region also has relationships with the abdominal wall, while the sternum itself is mechanically integrated with the ribs and thoracic sling.

So think again about what was happening while this horse was cast.

The rib cage was being compressed and twisted.

The viscera were being subjected to changing position and pressure within that trunk.

The diaphragm was still having to move with every breath.

The abdominal wall was bracing.

And the horse was repeatedly attempting to lever a very large body back onto his feet.

At the other end of the pattern, I found the 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯/𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽 - the scapulothoracic junction held/restricted 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 (inwards) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 (towards the head).

Again, that made mechanical sense.

A horse has no bony articulation attaching the forelimb to the trunk. The thorax is suspended between the forelimbs through the muscular and fascial structures of the 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.

If a huge horse has spent time heavily loading and bracing through one shoulder while desperately trying to push himself upright, those forces don't simply stop at the shoulder.

They are transmitted through the 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗰 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘂𝗺.

And from the sternum and ribs we're straight back to the diaphragm.

From the diaphragm we're connected mechanically with the lumbar region and abdominal viscera.

And from there we're back to the pelvis.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

Rather than asking:

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀?

I'm asking:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺?

The owner noticed sensitivity in the left abdomen.

My assessment found a left ilium held in ventral outflare, an oblique sacral pattern, altered position and tension through the left rib cage, a diaphragm held in inspiration, marked sensitivity around the xiphoid process and a significant downslip through the opposite scapulothoracic junction.

Written as a list, they can look like unrelated findings.

Put the 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗮, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮, 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 back together and they start to tell a very different story.

I can't say which restrictions were present before he became cast and which developed during the incident.

But anatomically, the pattern makes sense in a horse that has been 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁.

If your horse ever experiences a significant physical event; 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸, 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 or any other substantial trauma - please have them thoroughly assessed afterwards.

In my opinion, it is very difficult for an animal of this size to fall, become trapped or spend a prolonged period struggling to get up without there being some consequence somewhere in the body.

And yet, so often the story I hear is:

𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼…

Or even:

𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Was he?

Getting up, walking away and looking relatively normal doesn't necessarily mean that the body came through the event without consequence.

Remember, we're dealing with a 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹.

Horses can continue to move and function despite discomfort and restriction. They also have an incredible ability to 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗲 > reorganising movement around an area that isn't functioning as it did before.

And compensation can work.

𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁.

Sometimes the thing that happened months or even a year ago turns out to be an extremely important piece of the history when I'm trying to understand the pattern I'm finding in front of me today.

That doesn't mean every restriction I find was caused by that event.

But it absolutely means I want to know about it.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

A horse being cast isn't simply:

“He got stuck, we got him out and he seemed fine.”

Think about what his body may actually have experienced while he was there:

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗔𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁. 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘅 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻.

And potentially a huge amount of force travelling through the pelvis, spine, viscera, diaphragm, ribs, sternum and thoracic sling.

He may stand up and walk away.

But that doesn't necessarily mean his body has simply reset itself back to exactly where it was before.

And that's why after a significant event, I would much rather assess the horse 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 than meet him months later when the compensatory pattern has become part of the way he moves.

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Image: Horse & Hound magazine

23/09/2026

🟣 Stifle Popping in young or weak horses

The stifle is essentially the horse’s knee joint and is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body.
So why can a weak horse develop this popping?

This is where the whole hindquarter function becomes important. A horse doesn’t stabilise the stifle using the stifle joint alone. It relies on coordinated muscular control of the pelvis, hip, stifle and hock.

In a young horse that is underdeveloped or weak through the topline and hindquarters, you can see:

Poor muscle development → reduced dynamic stability → altered limb mechanics → increased movement of structures around the stifle.

The horse may not have enough strength and coordination to consistently control the movement of the hindlimb. One mechanism that can produce a noticeable pop is altered movement of the patella over the trochlea, particularly involving the medial patellar ligament and the horse’s reciprocal/stay apparatus. In some horses, this can be associated with upward fixation of the patella (UFP), although a pop does not automatically mean UFP.

A young horse is still developing physically & neurologically. If a horse is weak through his body, I’d be looking at the entire kinetic chain rather than simply asking:

“What’s wrong with his stifle?”

I’d want to assess:

Pelvis → hip → quadriceps/hamstrings → stifle → hock → hoof

The goal is to progressively develop whole-body strength and coordination — particularly the core, pelvic stabilisers and hindlimb musculature

If you notice similar ‘popping’ mechanism in your horse, do not panic, it does not automatically mean there is something terribly wrong! It may simply be a little amber light on the dashboard, indicating the body is not working as efficiently as it could, with the correct measures in place 🟠