Good with the bad

About three weeks ago I rode my TB mare and while she did well enough in the round pen, we have hd issues getting just a walk down the driveway. Since she's barefoot and there's some decently size rocks, she had a step or two that hurt. I figured she may have gotten a stone bruise and when we got back to the barn I hosed her legs off, gave her some bute and put her away.  Nothing major, right?

Spoiler- Things haven't gotten any better. Totally sucks! But unlike my ex, when my horse is lame and hurting, I do what I can and when I can do no more, I take them to a vet.

So after soaking her foot and digging around in the sole with a hoof knife and hoping it was just another damned abscess, having her trimmed and hoping the farrier might find something and open it up.... and she's still lame, I made another appointment for her. I swear she is becoming one of those vet Dream Horses.  The tech that came out today asked "Oh is this the one with the knee again?" Yes. Yes it is. Thanks! Argh

I was getting xrays of her left front hoof. Seemed like it would or could be either founder or the beginning of navicular. At this point I was feeling like if it were either one, the most humane thing would be to put her down. I was at that point not too long ago when she came in from turnout with her 'good' knee swollen to the size of her bad one. That time too, I had decided going in- if her good knee was going to be like her 'bad knee', there was no point in putting things off and letting her suffer.

I'm also beginning to think this mare likes being at the vet clinic for some strange reason. The three times we've been there, she just stands quietly and looks around, twitches an ear this direction and that. Sometimes she even looks like she's about to doze off.  While at home and when hauling to different arenas to ride- she can often get so worked up about being in new place that it's obnoxious and annoying.

After hearing the rundown of everything that has happened and hoping it was an abscess or could be a stone bruise, figure it could be this or that and hoping it's neither one.... he put the hoof testers on her. Nadda. No reaction whatsoever. He agreed that rads would be the only way to find out what's going on inside.

Five pics later... No rotation of the coffin bone- not foundered, no degeneration- not navicular, no real issues to speak of until he got to the last one. Of course she's complicated. She couldn't be a one shot and done, there's your answer now go home, kind of horse. Nope, not her. So while it wasn't either of the two I figured (Yes, thankfully I was wrong!) she still has issues going on with that leg.

No rotation here, latral view,

No signs of navicular but her bones in the fetlock joint aren't exactly straight but he said that was likely from when she was growing up or maybe even born that way. Who knows?!?!?!?! 

This was the pic that explains it. On the top of the short pastern bone towards the back there's what looks like a chip and up towards the middle of the large pastern bone there's a darker spot that is of interest too. I have sought out a second opinion and I will gladly let everyone know when I get the results of that one.

For now she is on stall rest and maintanence levels of pain meds. Oh happy joy. She is not thrilled. Not at all.