Said no horse owner ever...

"Let me just pay for that extra vet bill with all this extra cash I have laying around" -Said no horse owner ever!

EVER.EVER.EVER! This FB post about sums up my night. After a super nice, much needed, escape from reality with my brother and some cousins with no cell signal I come home all relaxed, ready to ride my adorable pony. I get on and walk around everything is fine and dandy. Pick up the trot... perfect just what I wanted to come home to, a lame horse. It seems like its the same thing as last time (more concerning) so I kept working him to see if it would get worse/better. Nope. No change. Just a very slight weirdness to his gait that someone who doesn't know him might say he was just fine. Okay... so that brings me back to the possibility of it being OCD still. The biggest reason against it being that is his age. Normally it is in young horses (it is much worse if found when they are really young from what I have read). Everything else seems like it could be it.

"Lameness sometimes may be very mild, with a stiff action and shortened stride being observed, rather than the horse having a prominent lameness."

"The most common signs of OCD will be painful movement or swelling and pain in the joints that moves from leg to leg and seems to be more problematic at times and then disappear, only to come back at a later time. This waxing and waning of the pain may or may not be more pronounced with additional exercise"

Up until just the last 2 weeks he has been fine besides the popping of his stifle which has not led to any lameness at all. It says it can be brought out more by a heavier work load, which at first I didnt think of because it hasnt varied much overall. However, he has started jumping more which would put more stress back there. I am going to go check him tomorrow and put him on the lunge line to see what he looks like. I think I will call our vet and see what she thinks I should do. We may end up getting xrays just to confirm either way. It would make me feel better at least!