Weak Hind End in Horses

When a horse suffers from a weak hind end, thier strength and co-ordination are compromised. Depending on which rear leg is most affected, the horse will shift its weight to the opposite diagonal front leg in order to maintain balance, as it takes a minimum of three points on a plane to be stable. Think of a table or chair with one leg shorter than the rest. You can rock the table from one diagonal leg to the next, and three legs will always be on the ground. Just the same, horses with a weak hind leg will compensate by shifting more weight onto the opposite front leg - thereby stressing that front leg far more than usual. This front leg will often show lameness or tendon problems and often that hoof will be a flatter slew-like hoof and the other front hoof will be more erect and clubby.

Racing, jumping, eventing and dressage demand a lot from the hind end of a horse. Weakness in the hind will limit performance and can also be dangerous to the rider if a horse goes down.

We have found in cases of excessive intestinal permeability (or ‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’), the first affected hind leg is most often the right rear - possibly because the cecum lies on the right side and has the thinnest walls within the digestive tract, making it the most susceptible. If the problem is not corrected (via change in nutrition, cleaner water and/or elimination of chemical exposures), the condition will progress to both hind legs over time.

A horse may stomp its hind legs as they hit the ground - for instance while casually walking down an aisle or fence line - trying to feel the ground, as the condition causes a type of numbness rather than pain. You can hear the difference in footfalls as they walk down a cement aisle - and it can appear the horse has a hard time sensing where the ground is in relationship to its hoof.

If a condition involving a weak hind end is allowed to progress, a horse can develop stringhalt or hiking of one or both hind legs. This has been shown to be best corrected with Nutrient Buffer® HG, Nutrient Buffer® liquid, and an Equine Plus® Feed protocol.

It does NOT have to be the end of the world when you see neurological symptoms originating from the hind end.

Articles on Hind Gut

Read more about the importance of hind gut health for horses and how to deal with hind gut problems when they occur.

Weak Hind End

If your horse has a weak hind end which is unrelated to physical injury, and if the horse has a long history of stomach ulcers, then there is a chance that one or more, opportunistic infections has caused the problem. Nutrient Buffer® H/G is designed to do for the hind gut what the original Nutrient Buffer® liquid does for the stomach. The two products combined are a complete buffering and probiotics restoration system for the equine digestive tract.

Performance

When you spend a lot of money on great genetics in your horse, the last thing you need is to successfully treat a stomach ulcer only to neglect the most likely resulting problem in the intestinal tract (hind gut).

EPM:

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

Nutrient Buffer® H/G will provide special nutritional support for the immune system, basal metabolism, free radical scavengers for natural anti-inflammatory action and buffering for the digestive system.

Heal Lower Gastric Ulcers in Horses

We approach healing hind gut ulcers by addressing the underlaying cause of the problem. Neutralizing excess acidity is the first step to helping the hind gut heal, so that the cells lining the hind gut can begin absorbing nutrition again, and additional probiotics are also need to release optimal nutrients from fecal matter.

Improve Gastro Intestinal Health

If your horse has a weak hind end that's unrelated to physical injury, and if the horse has a long history of stomach ulcers, then there is a chance that opportunistic infection has caused the problem. Nutrient Buffer® H/G is designed to do for the hind gut what the original Nutrient Buffer® liquid does for the stomach. The two products combined are a complete buffering system for the equine digestive tract.

Ingredients

The original U.S. Patented digestive supplement. 100% USP grade ingredients, drug-free, with over 20 years of success and reliability.

Research

Equine Ulcers & Colic in Horses

Weak Hind End in Horses