Arthritis ??

[alfamundo]

So basically, I bought an old pony I used to ride a few months back after going through several abusive homes. Didn't get her vetted as it was very much a 'you can have her back or she's going to the sales' scenario. She was £250, and if she's unrideable, she's still got a home for life.

She's 14hh, welsh D, 15 year old (coming on 16 in April). I had a lot of issues to deal with once I got her back, and to be honest all her dangerous ones have been resolved. She was always quirky, even before the abusive homes. But when getting her back, she was bucking and bolting, something she never used to do. Anyways, the bolting etc has been resolved after a month or so and she's gradually listening more and more and taking less time to settle when ridden. She's been allowed to run around with her head in the air and basically do what ever she wanted.

She's been through a lot, and when riding her you litually have to solve one issue at a time. She had a very beefed neck underneath from her previous homes, which is what I'm now working on so that one that muscle begins to strech and loosen, she'll eventually be able to carry herself.

Anyways, I'm starting to think she may have a touch of arthritus in her hocks ? She's always willing, and very keen to go fast jump etc, but I'm not convinced it isn't there! I've linked a video, and I know she's not being ridden very forward (which might impact how she moves), but again, it's a long road with this little mare and I can't ask her to do everything at once until she's become more established.

Anywways, let me know what you guys think. She's on a months break at the moment and is out 24/7. I've put her on Cortaflex and will bring her back into work end of Jan and see how she is. I honestly think she's more stiff though from being out of work, but I might just be searching for something that's not there ??

Thanks guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir1lNeOEZJg&feature=youtu.be

 

[culteuchar]

You obviously know what you doing and I haven't watched the video as I get a crap signal. I would have thought you would have seen any signs of lameness on a lunge on hard ground, is there any swelling or does the horse feel lopsided or strange when you trot. Does she lie down a lot. An awful lot of horses are a little bit stiff but still do well, I had one that got two or three butes a week if she was ridden a lot and she went on for years.

 

[alfamundo]

There's no swelling, I rarely see her lying down, she always has a roll after having her tea and when she's taken into the field after being ridden, or even just having a fuss on the yard. She's a lot weaker on one rein than the other, but every horse has a better rein, and it is getting better the more work I do on it. I'm just about ready to take her onto learning about more impulsion when I ask for it, rather than just running faster (previous owners had no clue what they were doing) and getting her to work from behind. I just know that if, she does have arthritis, it's going to be more difficult for her, and I don't want to push her into pain, and she is so willing, I'm not sure she'd say no. She's never shown any real signs of lameness, just when I sit and watch videos of her I can never 100% tell if she's ever so slighty off

 

[culteuchar]

I wouldnt worry about what she might have she was obviously just used to hack out [bit like myself now] and hasnt done much in the way of schooling and is not supple. Just take it steady and i think she will be fine there isnt much you can do if they get arthritis in any case but the best thing for it is to keep moving and not get stiff. I would also add very few horse are absolutely perfect my daughter works in the racing industry and her fiance is/was a race jockey and they tell me a lot of these horses have stiffness and other issues but can still win races and go onto other careers when they are done racing. Just because you

 

[flowerlady]

Have watched the video which is very hard to Judge as you are out of the picture 75% of the time and it's sideways on. Would be better if you can get someone to video you. Sorry it doesn't sound very helpful also having the yellow legs bands on two legs is off putting although I would say that the pony seems to move OK. Not sure if you have a black brushing boot on the other back leg? as that one if any seems a little weak.

 

[alfamundo]

Hi sorry - yeah hopefully they will be people to video me once I bring her back into work - and they're her hi vis brushing boots - we were going for a little hack afterwards (hence the hi vis exercise sheet as weel ;D). Yeah, I've slowed the video down when I watch it on youtube. and that's what is making me think it's arthritis, as she seems a little weak behind in one leg inparticular.

 

[old hand]

have a horse with bone spavins, there was no swelling to start with. i did feel a weakness from on top that did not show from the floor. However, it levelled with work ( in each session). he did get worse when work was backed off. he is now sound and they have fused. I watched him very carefully to make sure he was never worse the following morning after work and built up to loose jumping which seemed to help, in fact, once in hard work they settled very quickly. his are jack spavins and prognosis was 10% likely to come sound. I do not do tight circles but have started lateral work now they are fused. He is a show jumper, do not do road work ( too dangerous round our way) but would not with him anyway. he is turned out a lot, in overnight in winter with bandages on. farrier has shortened his toes and dumped them and he is now landing heel first and have put him on equilibrium shoes in front to speed up the breakover. He is now moving as one horse.he was as sound as a pound when he went away to be competed and his feet were excellant. He came back with underun heels front and rear and a medio lateral imbalance in his off feet off half an inch. i would check farriery first and don't panic , it really only took two correct shoeings to get him back in balance and the work did the rest. yes he has a jack spavin the size of walnut on his off hind and a tiny one on his near hind but thanks to my farrier and vet he is saved. He has had no bute ( it damages the joints) and no injections. i hate medication and know3 of no horse or person that is able to cope without it once it is used. have serious joint damage myself and caused more with copious amounts of NSAIDs. the only thing that helped me was correct posture and hard work. I would have retired him on bute if he had not improved but decided to give correct work a try. read the Science of Motion it is complicated but true. Good luck and continue as you are , get his centre of balance in the middle and he should improve.

 

[applecart14]

My advice would be to a lameness workup done on her to see what is wrong. They will be better to diagnose the problem correctly and formulate the correct treatment before the situation gets any worse. If she is not tracking up and continually changes hind legs whilst cantering, and sparks fly off her back shoes when she is trotted in hand/ridden on concrete in a straight line then I would say she most probably has got some degree of spavin as these were all common with my horse.

Having had my horses diagnosed with spavin after a year of owning him at age 8 it came as a huge shock and I was very upset by the diagnosis. However following three lots of Tildren which staved the problem for a while I opted for fusion with ethanol. This is a very effective and fairy cheap solution and appears to have worked in my horses case. Of course no one knows how long it will work for, as the ethanol kills the nerve endings which cause the pain in the hock making the horse feel little or no pain. My horse (after initial stiffness wears off) works very well on the lunge and tracks up well. I try and ride him more from behind to encourage him to track up but I find it quite difficult (I have a very weak back due to pre existing injury and I am also very unfit) and find it hard work.

You have to watch the surfaces you ride on with spavin horses, avoiding hard ground or anything too much the other way too. I hardly ever trot on the roads, and if I do its always uphill for very short distances. I tend to lunge on large circles and lately have done quite a bit of raised pole work.

In order to encourage propreoception (raise the bodys awareness of where limbs are placed) you could try reading this link. I used to do some of the exercises with a curb chain around my horses foot to encourage him to move in a different way but this was after he'd been treated for spavin and it was a form of rehab that my physio suggested.

therapist.http://www.equinetherapeuticsolutions.com/neuromuscular-retraining.html

If you get a lameness evaluation done at least it will put your mind at rest.