Arthrititis in coffin joint. Heart v head - what to do? ....

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MelT

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Looking for a bit of advice - I have 'shared' a horse for the past 4 years who had an accident out hacking before Xmas which resulted in him being on box rest for a few weeks. He injured his off hind and was bandaged up by the vet for weeks until the wound healed. Anyway, long story short, a few weeks after his accident he went lame on his near fore. He's had X-rays of both front feet and more recently MRI scans to both. Both have showed nothing other than slight arthritic change to the coffin joint on the near fore. No damage to his DDFT or ligaments/soft tissue etc. He's been shod with heart bar shoes and his toes have been brought right back which has helped but he's still ever so slightly lame. He's not in work at the moment just stabled/turned out as normal.
He's a big lad standing at 17hh and is a chunky warmblood x Friesian. He's having investigation work this week which will entail him having a local anaesthetic into the coffin joint of the affected leg. If this makes him sound, he'll go back to the vets for cortisone injections into the joint. My dilemma is that the owner of the horse will do everything possible to try and get Scotch back to soundness/work. If he comes sound, he wants to sell him (he was planning to sell him this year before the accident). Do I buy him and run the risk of him going lame again as I don't know if he will go lame again in a few months or stay sound? He's only 9 this year so potentially has many years ahead of him. I have a wonderful, very experienced farrier and a good vet that I can work with.
I already have a 'field ornament' in my retired 31 year old welsh cob so keeping another expensive pet isn't really an option as I would like something I can ride. I love this gentle giant and trust him with my life. I can take him anywhere and he's very obliging. I really click with him and he's a quirky character but one I get on with very well.
Has anyone had any experience of coffin joint arthritis where horses have gone on to make a recovery to full work? Full work for me would be hacking/fun rides and a few local shows - nothing too strenuous! Any advice or help is appreciated.
 
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No arthritis will only get worse and each time you inject cortisone it tends to work less well than the last. Vet held off injecting my oldie this year to save it for when we need it more...
 
Would I buy a 9 year old horse with arthritic changes already causing lameness, no, would I sell it, probably also no as it is not really fair to put the horse on the open market, selling declaring the issue will put off the majority of purchasers, selling without declaring is dishonest.

I would consider "gifting" it to a long term sharer for a token as to my mind he has no true value with this condition, so to my mind it would depend on the money concerned, how much I liked the horse, how suitable it is and whether I could afford to treat him as and when required and face up to the fact that he will probably need retiring sooner rather than later, buying any horse is a gamble you need to make a list of pros and cons then make your decision but it may depend on how realistic the owner is on his value now.

As for his future soundness that is also a gamble, he may be fine after the injections, he may go lame in a few months and deteriorate quickly.
 
For what you want to do then no.

I purchased a horse with mild coffin joint arthritis, and for not a small sum, but she was an established competition horse and I'd had a year to trial her, so I knew the cost of maintaining her (which was pretty average in the grand scheme of running a comp horse).

For a pleasure horse the cost of running it the cons would outweigh the pros
 
Thank you all for the replies. My cob is retired due to arthritis in his knees but he's comfortable on low dose of danilon and turmeric etc but he costs me enough in vet bills! My heart is saying have Scotch but my head is saying think very carefully about it/no. My farrier thinks I'm crazy for even contemplating it but said he'd work with me to see what could be done but he wants to see the x-rays first. I love this horse to bits and he's my old horse's best friend too. If I had my own place I'd have him in a heart beat but I have to take into account livery fees etc as well as the costs involved in keeping him comfortable. Why do things like this always seem to happen to the good ones? :(
 
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If you want to take the risk of having a field ornament within a year then go ahead follow your heart and buy him but if you want a horse that you have a chance of riding for more than a year follow your head and walk away
 
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