Arthritis - any experiences?

[Scheherezade]

I think my young horse may have arthritis, but he hasn't been in hard work or over workd, if anything he is underworked as I have had exams for most of this year.

He has a bone scan booked in for a months time, but I am worried it is arthritis, as he is sore in his RH pelvis.

He is only 1/10 lame according to the vet, worsened when ridden as it has given him a sore back. Is he going to be unrideable forever, even as a light hack? Does anyone maintain a horse with arthritis on cortaflex or another similar product in light work?

 

[rockysmum]

My oldie (33) in kept in light work on Cortaflex but he does not have arthrtis in a particular place, he had never had any injuries more like all of his joints because of his age. I'm not explaining this very well but you know what I mean.

I find keeping him moving and warm to be the answer. He is stabled at night but always goes out during the day. He's pretty nuts even now so runs around the field plenty.

I never let him get cold or wet, he's always rugged when it rains. In winter he wears heavyweights and leg warmers at night, I have just bought some turnout socks to keep his legs warm when in the field but I dont know how these will work.

I am prepared to give him bute if necessary, as my vets says, at his age what is there to lose. But I only gave him it before the farriers last winter.

I'm sorry but I have no experience of how a young horse would be though

Good luck for the scan, I hope it turns out to be something less permanent.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

How old is your horse? Just wondering if it will turn out to be spavin... My mare developed spavin aged 6ish and initially she wasn't actually showing as lame in the hocks - she had awful back pain from compensating.

Even at her worst she still passed flexion tests. She was worse when she was unfit.

The good news is that she's doing really well now (aged 8) and is holding up to low level dressage and lots of hacking very well. I don't jump her, but I think that is more because I'm a chicken than because she can't!

She had cortizone injections, physio and wedges in her hind shoes but I have to say that she started improving when I took her shoes off (she had badly misshapen front feet which in hindsight probably hurt and made her overload her back legs) and gently built up her fitness. It took a year of gently building her up to regain her former levels of ability.

Gentle fittening and time seems to be the most important factor as far as I can tell.

I hope this helps and I hope your horse gets better soon.

 

[Scheherezade]

Thank you both

He's 4, and prior to this, was ridden for 20 minutes 3 times a week, or for a hour hack in walk and a small trot.

I hadn't thought of spavin, the vet hasn't suggested anything so far. I was worried for arthritis as another young horse at my yard got it, but he was severely overworked (4hour long hacks, galloping and jumping, my horse hasn't even started jumping yet, we had only just introduced trotting poles).

Thank you, you have helped me feel better, he is my baby and the sweetest most well behaved horse.

 

[Couloir]

My old pony had DREADFUL arthritis in his knee, with an enormous lump on one side where the joint had chrystallised. We managed to bring him back out of retirement and keep him in seriously hard work, (competing and hunting at least once a week) and he stayed completely sound for the next 3 years.
We used :
No-Bute
Rhus Tox (this is an amazing pill you can get in chemists for gout, it's cheap, and stops chrystals forming in the joints, if we ran out of this for more than a few days, he would start getting sore again, this is my miracle cure!)
Cider Vinegar