Arthritis - advice needed?

[LisaB35]

Hi,
My horse was diagnosed with arthritis about 4 weeks ago in his RF pastern and LF fetlock, he has had a course of 4 cartrophen injections which my vet said they have been getting great results with. Also, x-rays showed the pedal bones were out of alignment which had aggravated the arthritis. When he was diagnosed he was only showing lame on a circle in trot. He has finished the course of injections last thursday and has to have the vet to do an assesment and he will advise me on riding etc. Anyway out of curiousity today, I trotted him on a circle, not lunged just with me leading him, which is a little tight, but he is still lame. However, he is sound in trot in the field and on the tarmac, i.e. hard surface, in a straight line, which he was before the injections. Yesterday, when I turned him out he was so excited he took his feet off the floor, bucked and cantered up the field, so obviously isn't too bothered by it!!

I am a bit gutted and don't know what to do, do I just wait till the vet comes to assess him and see what he says, maybe he will be ok on the lunge when the vet does it?

Also, and this is my main question really, I first discovered this lameness on a circle about 2 years ago, but when I asked people they just said it was stiffness cause it was awkward for him to do circles being a clydesdale and he has always been more awkward to turn than a TB, so I just accepted that, and continued riding him and he was always fine. Could it be that if there was a problem there, he has got used to going this way on a circle and his muscles have tightened and maybe they need to be released by some form of chiropractic or physiotherapy? Also, the equine podiatrist is coming today to start to correct his pedal bone alignment so that will help, so maybe I am jumping the gun a bit here and panicking too soon?

What do you guys think? I am getting all stressed/worried again and I dont know what to do

 

[BigRed]

You don't say how old this horse is. I would be asking myself whether I was asking too much of the horse. I had an old horse who began to show unsound on a circle but was right as rain in straight lines. Answer - stop dressage and finish the last few years of her life hacking. Why do you need to work on circles ?

I don't know about Equine Podistrists. I would not be at all keen for someone other than a registered farrier to work on my horses feet.

 

[LisaB35]

[ QUOTE ]
You don't say how old this horse is. I would be asking myself whether I was asking too much of the horse. I had an old horse who began to show unsound on a circle but was right as rain in straight lines. Answer - stop dressage and finish the last few years of her life hacking. Why do you need to work on circles ?

I don't know about Equine Podistrists. I would not be at all keen for someone other than a registered farrier to work on my horses feet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't ride him on circles, he is just hacked, he is just showing lame on circles. He is about 16. My Equine Podiatrist is fully trained and qualified in barefoot hoofcare and knows a more about the anatomy, physiology and blood vessels of a horses hoof than a lot of so-called professionals. My vet is pro-barefoot and says the last thing an arthritic horse needs is steel on their hooves adding concussion and that this is the best way to go.

 

[BigRed]

If I owned a 16 year old horse who was arthritic like you have described, I would take the many treatments available to make him more comfortable and accept old age has come earlier for him and give him a lighter workload. You can't fix arthritis and you have to accept this.

I have no problem with horses going barefoot, if I could get away with it for my horse, I would, without a shadow of a doubt because it is much more natural than hammering on shoes each month, but I am afraid I am very much against unqualified unregistered barefoot trimmers. Anything a barefoot trimmer can do, a properly qualified registered farrier can do better.

 

[fatpiggy]

Traditional heavy breeds often had short lifespans because, inevitably, their legs packed up. Apparently, a shire and and a shetland have exactly the same bone density. My mare was diagnosed with advanced arthritis in her knees about 5 years ago. First I knew about it was when she kept snatching her right hoof out of my hand when I was picking out. She also started stumbling quite badly not long after. I put her on Bute-X from Global Herbs, and have to say that the results were outstanding - safe to canter about in the field within 1 week. These days she is on antiinflammatories and is 98% sound, although very short striding and has spectacular bone spurs particularly on her right knee. I retired her for other reasons last year. I would definitely go with the barefoot idea - a shoe magnifies the concussive effect of tarmac a zillion times, plus mine can't bend her knees long enough for a farrier either. I rasp her feet myself and use a small traffic cone as a tripod. I know that if she asks to put her foot down while I am working, she isn't being naughty, and always allows me to pick it back up again. I usually rasp over a couple of days, then leave it for a month.