Lame mare blues

Somehow I ended up being offered a lesson on Sunday, and for half what the past lessons cost. Sign me up! The lesson was with the Canadian guy I didn't care for last summer, but I kept being told that I should try him for dressage so I figured why not. I got up nice and early on Sunday and got to the mare ready.  Her footsteps sounded odd in the aisle way, but there was snow/nice and it was 17 degrees so I didn't pay attention to it, probably ice in her hoof.  I groomed her and she was resting her right hind but I didn't pay attention to it, she is just resting.  I hopped on to warm up and she felt off, but the footing was frozen so I didn't pay attention to it.  

I chatted with the instructor and told him our plans and he had us start trotting.  Immediately she felt more off, I asked if he saw anything in her hind and he said maybe the right hind, she was slightly short.  He had me canter to the left, to really open her up and get her moving. She certainly felt off but he didn't see anything so we changed direction.  To the right it felt like I had a flat tire and I stopped her immediately.  It felt like she was not using her leg at all and she was not right.  Three of us looked at her, felt her leg, poked her leg and watched her on the lunge and none of us could find anything obvious.

Slowmo video, with some redhead sass

We went with the best guess of abscess brewing and gave her some bute and threw her back outside.  There is no swelling/heat/tenderness anywhere in the leg, from the hip down.  Her hoof is minutely warm, something you have to really feel for, so we are not sure.  I gave her bute both am and pm today and she showed no improvement, she is moving the same if not worse than she did yesterday.

Walking/trotting in slow mo

Here are some videos, I thought she was stepping toe first and not putting her heel down on Sunday, video tonight shows that isn't quite true.  She is stepping flat and sliding her leg forward instead of stepping straight down.  I am now not quite sure it is an abscess, I am giving her off until Wednesday and then going to talk to the vet.  Any thoughts?  Does anyone see anything since I am bad with hind end lameness?

The plus side is the instructor didn't charge me for the lesson and he will be coming back out in a few weeks.  I was very disappointed in the lack of lesson and the setback in riding, but one day at a time.  Let's get her sound and then we can ride and then we can take a lesson again.