Ok young horse gurus.... I have a question.

I've got a 2 yo wb just short of 16hh. He has not had any crazy growth spurts.

The other day whole lifting up his left hind to pick out his hoof, I noticed that he really had to shift his weight to the right, and "spring" his leg up, and a loud clunking noise accompanied the movement (for sure in the stifle area). eeek. Asked again, and the same thing.

Tried it yesterday (with fingers crossed it did not happen again)... but the same thing occurred. The right hind comes up smoothly... no clunking on that side.

He is not sore at all, trots/canters totally sound. No heat/swelling/tenderness in the stifle area.

Are wierd occurances such as this to be expected in growing youngsters, as they grow? .... or should I be concerned (AND contacting a vet)?

Any shared experiences/words of wisdom appreciated!!! Thanks!

Stifles are a big issue with young horses. If you have any concerns, call the vet! It can cause lots of grief later on. Ultrasounds can be your best friend. Chiro helps too.

24 hour turnout is often recommended. You want the horse moving around as much as possible. MSM also helps.

Do not lunge!(at least until the horse has some sort of fitness) Walk, walk and more walking. Long straight lines, long slow hills. Stifles take a long time to strengthen.

Is your guy bum high? I've been told that stiffle locking is quite normal in young horses and in most cases should pass on its own so I'd say give it some time and keep an eye on him.

My friend's 2-yo filly used to lock her stiffles for a while. She grew out of it. I wasn't as lucky with one of my past horses. For treatment, I second 24x7 turnout, MSN/gluco, conditioning as mentioned by TheBandit and special trimming/shoeing (short toe/high heel). We tried hormone injections and internal blistering as well.

Super ~ thanks for the input, fellow bb'ers!

I had not planned on starting this guy til about 4 years of age. He's out as much as possible, and IS a bit bum high... I'll keep this under close watch.

I'd better buy some good walking shoes!!!