What to do about this defect???

DSLD-ESPA discussion of 22 y/o Arab broodmare with dropped fetlocks. Owner would like to ride this mare. Other horses with this condition are discussed and some owners provide photos. Click here for thread

Another Case of DE

From the Horse.com Forum
13 y/o Peruvian Paso
http://forum.horse.com/tm.asp?m=767749&mpage=1

I am wondering if anyone has experience with dsld horses. I have a Peruvian Paso mare that is around 13 years old and has been having some issues. She started about 5 years ago and then stabilized with a barefoot natural trim. It seems as if things have been progressing and she is having more troubles walking with her hinds- very dropped fetlocks and tight muscles, walking wide, ect. I have the vet coming out today, but wondering if anyone had any other ideas.

Answers...

I don't have anything else new to post about, so here's a link to a Question posted on Yahoo Answers from the young owner of an Arab cross asking people to look at pictures of her gelding and tell her if her horse has DSLD. I tried to post an answer (even though the question is a couple of months old); however, Yahoo won't let me post or even vote. Don't know why. So if you have a Yahoo account, please try to post an answer directing the owner over to the DSLD-Equine forum for answers. And don't be too shocked at some of the answers posted in response to her question.

High Suspensory Ligament Injuries in Horses

Interesting article on suspensory ligament injuries. Note the last sentence in the quote below. I wonder if any of the nonresponsive horses were examined for DSLD/ESPA according to Dr Mero's protocols.

High Suspensory Ligament Injuries in Horses: "While shock wave therapy is able to help most of the non-resolving cases, there are specifically difficult situations. First, older horses seem not to respond as well to therapy and in my experience seem prone to re-injury. Second, horses with hind limb high suspensory injuries are often career threatening. While the horse can return to a reasonable degree of athleticism it is often at a lower level than where they were at the time of injury. And finally, horses with progressive chronic dropping of the fetlock are often not responsive to therapy."

Getting rid of DSLD-ESPA (horses that is)

Hmmm, a couple more links:

http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/about/contact.htm

http://www.topix.net/forum/city/eubank-ky/T0D2905NHMTM83DHU/p2 (scroll down to last post)

Could this be a trend? Note on the equine rescue website it states:

Crimson was donated after developing Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis (DSLD).

And here's a quote from the second link:
The breeders in Peru would cull horses that had any defects by shooting them. They would not sell them or even give them away because they did not want these faults in either gait, confirmation, or temperament passed down. Breeders in this country get rid of their culls in a different way, they sell them to some unsuspecting person. At one time I thought the Peruvian Pasos were probably the safest horse to buy. I have changed my mind completely though since DSLD is very common in the Peruvians now.