Swollen Hocks

I have a 25-year-old gelding who has swollen hocks that our vet thinks are from a very old injury. They don't bother him and he's barely ridden, although he does get a lot of attention.

Recently, I've noticed that he slowly backs up until he's touching something, then just stops and leans back against whatever it is. For example, if I'm out in the pasture with my ATV, he'll back up until he's essentially sitting on the tailgate. If I'm working in the pen, he'll back up to the panel where I'm standing. If I'm grooming or saddling one of my other horses, he'll back up and place his rear in the other horse's face as if telling him/her not to fidget! He does it slowly and almost with precision. His manner is calm and lazy, like he's trying to find a good place to nap. Truly odd, but funny, too! What's going on?

- Cindy

Cindy, the first thing that comes to mind is that your gelding is trying to take pressure off of his back legs. I would strongly suggest a thorough vet exam, including radiographs. You may also want to talk to your vet about a short course of pain medication to see if this decreases the behavior.

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