bone spavin

[Sags_Deer]

can anyone tell me more about it please and if you can carry on working your horse with it successfully. One of my friends horses may have it so im trying to find out more info for her. ive read a bit in my books but first hand experience is good please. thank you.

 

[ann-jen]

My pony was diagnosed with this following x-rays over 15 years ago. Its basically a form of degenerative joint disease in the small joints of the hock. Now these joints don't move very much anyway so the basis of the treatment we had was to get them to fuse together. We did this by continuing to ride her on bute. It worked very well, but she was quite an elderly horse already at this point and already retired from competing and so she coped absolutely fine hacking and light schooling but I'm not sure if the same could be said if she was in full work. Saying that she lived until she was in her 30's before her arthritis (in other joints) became a real nightmare for her and she eventually went to sleep. She continued to be ridden 3 times a week until she was 23 and was diagnosed with spavin at 15.

 

[TequilaMist]

I used to have a clydesdale x tb that was diagnosed with it.Initially it had progressed farther in one hock but it is usually bilateral.Treatment was much the same as ann-jen work on bute til fuses.We even got placings in a local dressage show and knew a few people whos horses had it were jumping big tracks.It doesn't nescessary(sp?) mean end of competeing but obviously would hinder in dressage if you advanced through the levels but think it does depend on what part of that bit is affected.Vet would be able to tell your friend better fromn x-rays.
Someone on here explained it well in a previous thread re bone spavins as to what happens and the bones involved
One thing that did happen to her during this time was that sher went unsound on the front.A instructor at yard said this can happen as referred from problems at back.Don't know if this is true but it did get better on its own so may well be true

 

[luckilotti]

one of mine has it. when he was younger - in his teens we still did a lot of what a normal horse can do - he wasnt on bute but i found sharks cartlige (spelling is wrong i know!) really helped him. he was ridden up until summer 2005 when i retired him aged 23. i feel the main reason i had to retire him was the fact that i went to the USA for 6 months and he wasnt ridden at all in this time. he lived out to keep moving but i think no ridden work affected him. i basically gave him 3 attempts at being ridden when i returned over a period of a month and a half, each time i took him for a little hack - part way - he would feel 'wrong' and i felt he wasnt right hence retired him - in his eyes - he is still a youngster and still jumps in and out of the indoor school!!
to me - a horse with bone spavin just needs the owner to know the situation, be considerate to it and there is no reason why they cant continue to have lots of fun!

ps - we used to show in just riding club stuff and found very often we were placed and the judge didnt notice the spavin!!! (how - i dont know as to me, its VERY obvious but hey ho!)

 

[ClaireH78]

My horse has it and again was ridden until it fused. I went through a 13 week fittening period on the roads which included trotting towards the end. My horse came back fitter and stronger. He is also sound. He wins local level dressage Prelim and Novice and works Elementary at home. He jumps (although I hate show-jumping) we have also done cross countries and hacking out on the farm popping any jumps we wish.

He is 11 years old.

So spavin isn't the end of the world!! Just good management until it fuses and then just be aware that its there.

 

[aran]

if the arthritis is in the lower hock joints then the prognosis is fair, if it is in the upper joint then prognosis is poor. this is because the lower joints have a small range of motion and so the horse can cope without them. therefore if you can get the joints to fuse then the horse will become pain free. this can be done with chemicals/by surgery/ or by time (but not always).

you need xrays and nerve blocks to determine whether spavin is the problem - then you can try to deal with it. once the bones have fused then the joints no longer exist - this means that the horse will have no pain but you don't ever get back the leg movement then you would have had with working joints - as such some dressage movements and big, wide jumps may be pushing it a bit.

as far as supplements go - you want the joint to fuse therefore you dont want to help the cartilage therefore save the money.

what has her vet advised?

 

[debbielinder]

my horse has it and after cortisone (think thats how you spell it) injections and two weeks worth of bute and an excercise regime my vet gave me she was back in full work. she is on a joint suppliment that i get through my vet its just like corteflex. tho my vet did say my horse only had a mild case of bone spavin i know a girl who had a horse that had a sever case and that was retired as she was only 6