Arthritis in hocks

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kellyb

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Hi, Im looking for some advice from more experieneced than myself please!

We had a pony on loan for my 12 year old daughter. Although we have helped looked after other ponies previously, this was our first pony. After having her for 6 months we have had to make the very sad decision to send her back. We persevered for that time with many problems, none of which showed themselves before we agreed to take her on. Problems varied from biting to bolting and a serious food agression issue. Obviously this was not what we hoped for in our first pony and needless to say our daughter is heartbroken though deep down I think she realised that it had to happen.
We do not regret getting the pony because in the 6 months time we have learned so much!

We are now trying to find another pony. As we dont have much experience with buying a pony a loan feels much safer to us but there are not many Full loan ponies available that dont have "issues" that require a very experienced rider. Our daughter has been having lessons for 4 years and though quite confident most of the loan ponies are too large for her or require more experience and of course the last thing we want is to get into the situation we just were.

We have found a pony that is for sale for a very reasonable price. We have not seen him in person yet or even contacted the owner but according to her the pony is everything we would want....a very safe ride, a confidence giver, gentle , no vices etc but his price reflects the fact that he has "mild arthritis in his hocks".

My initial reaction, is to not even consider him because of the awful time we have had with our other pony but because he sounds like just what we want in every other way I am wondering if I should consider him anyway. He is only 6 years though so does this necessarily mean that the condition will get much worse with time, high vet bills, lameness or am I being overly negative and fearful?

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help.
 
The perfect child's pony is very hard to find and rarely for sale. The problem with a lot of these ads is that the animals always sound perfect. If the pony is as good as they say, I can see why you are tempted with this pony but it would worry me that the animal is only 6. Arthritis is a degenerative disease but it progresses at different rates. It will cost you more, a lot more, to keep this animal comfortable. We had an arthritic veteran who was still in light work and I probably spent another 60 a month on supplments, and that excludes vets bills and one off items like magentic boots, hoof boots etc. But we were happy to do it as we had owned her for years and felt it was the least we could do for her. Will you feel the same about an animal you do not know? Also, you will find it hard to sell her on when your daughter outgrows her. Or you might end up with an animal that is only field sound and you either keep her for the rest of her days or you make the decision to put her to sleep. That is a heartbreaker.

On the plus side, a true confidence giver for a child is worth its weight in gold. My old girl was teaching my kids to ride even though she was a 15h cob, because I could trust her so much with them. She was a rare as hen's teeth and there were a few people on my yard who would have taken her off my hands, arthritis or not.

If you are prepared to wait, why not get your daughter involved at her local riding school or PC branch? Let her continue her lessons and the more horsey people she gets to know, the more chance you have of getting a loan pony or a decent pony at a reasonable price. Lots of the kids on our yard are loaning ponies teenagers have grown out of but that the family are reluctant to sell. My daughter's pony is on permanent loan as she is a veteran with sweet itch and is very much a one person animal, yet my YO can't bear to put her down while she has so much to offer and is to scared to sell her because of her health problems and quirks. Yet she is a safe, steady animal who is teaching my kids lots. It does happen but you have to be very patient. I hope this essay helps!
 
Thank you Indiat. It seems like it would be a trade off (providing the pony is truly as wonderful as she says!) between the arthritis issue and the safe pony/confidence giver issues which is a very good point you made. While searching for advice from people who have experience with ponies with arthritis I have found that is varies greatly as to what might happen. Some people have had excellent overall experiences just using supplements and regular excercise and others have had very difficult and expensive times.

This pony is a cob too (as was yours).

We have had the "feelers" out for some time with regards to finding a loan pony but with no luck. I think that as you say, it could end up in a heartbreaking situation and we really do want to avoid that. I will try to stop thinking about him!

Thanks again
 
I wouldnt, mild arthritis turns into full blown arthritis at some point whether its sooner or later. If he was older in his teens been there done it pony then maybe as you expect the costs associated, but at 6 Id be worried. I have a 15yr old with hock arthritis, although hes been treated successfully he still cant do a lot of things.
 
No worries! I know its hard to wait when you have a child who is so desperate for their own animal but the one thing I would say is that there is no accounting for chemistry when it comes to putting together a good partnership. For instance, if I had to write an honest ad for my daughter's pony it would read, "Quirky Exmoor, not a people pleaser, only likes one to one contact. Will try to bite small rider when tacking and mounting up and very forward going so needs a capable, confident little jockey. Has sweetitch and COPD, age indeterminate, anything between 20 or 30. Bombproof most days but does have the odd spooky day when she is a right royal pain. While quiet and willing in hand with a confident child, will dangle an unconfident one by the wrist. Perfect lead rein pony NEVER bolts, bucks or rears, good with farrier and to load and wash. Hates most other equines." In the current market she is worthless, with the sweetitch you would be lucky to give her away and as a mother would you ring up about her, even if she was free to a good home? And yet she and my daughter have bonded wonderfully. The right pony will come along although they may be nothing like what you thought you wanted!
 
The advice is MOST appreciated. Thank you both. Loved that write up about your daughters pony, the "dangling" part had me laughing out loud!
 
Personally I would steer clear of a 6yo with arthritis.

I have a 15yo with it and although he's going well now, I'm aware that at some point it will get worse and the medication will stop working. I would accept it in an older horse but not in something so young.

You could have x-rays done if/when the horse is vetted but then you will need to declare everything to your insurance company, meaning that they will exclude the condition and you'd have to pay for any treatment yourself.
 
I would not touch a 6yo. Mine was diagnosed at 11 and was a write off pretty much and I was very fed up that he got it so young. At 6yo they have not even really begun their working lives. The only way I would buy it would be dirt cheap and take a risk as selling will be a nightmare when your kids grow out of it.
 
Hi

My advice would be don't consider it. There will be the perfect pony out there for your daughter that wont have this problem.

My boy was diagnosed with bilateral arthritis in his hocks last week. He's only 11. Today he's had injections in both legs and an intravenous drip of Tildren. As well as this he's on bute twice a day as well as cortavet. Not only is it all expensive (luckily he's insured!) but quite distressing - even though he was as good as gold I still hate seeing him sedated and having to go through it. If you can avoid it for you and your daughter I would.

The trouble with arthritis is that although it may be mild at the moment, it may only take a small amount of trauma to the joint to aggravate it and then you can have a very lame horse for some time (as I have found out!). Plus presumably you'll want to sell on at some point... very difficult with an arthritic, young pony!

I'm sure you will find the perfect pony in time!

R :)
 
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