Our trainer told us there was exersizes to strengthen??
And does backing your horse alot strengthen the back??

Thanks,
Cindy

The exercises that we recommend are lots of long trotting in a nice deep footing, collecting your horse and backing, working your horse up and down hills, and if they will allow it dragging a log or a tire. This can be done with you in the saddle or on the ground. Most exercises should be done at a walk or a trot, not a canter/lope. Stifles that lock or slip are due to that particular muscle being out of shape. The tendon gets laxed and slips locking over to one side of the patella. If this happens the best thing you can do to unlock it, is back the horse up. Making them walk forward to unlock it can be painful .Not saying the horse is out of shape just that particular area. It is seen alot in performance horse that are given time off for one reason or another. You want to try and do a couple of these exercises for 20-30 minutes a minimum of 2-3 days a week. For this to work you need to be consistant with the exercise program and in 90% of horses this will fix the problem.

Normally it is seen pretty regularlly in mini's. They are a little harder to exercise. But teaching them to drive is the best.

You can give them estrogen injections which will tighten the tendons (affects the whole body).

We had a mini that had a stifle that locked quite often and she was to young to pull a cart so we did the injections on her and then lounged her up and down some dirt hills.

Most of the time it is seen in Mini's and in Drafts.

But like I said in full size horse if you are dilagent about the exercise program you should see a difference in a month or so.

Hope this helps.