Candidate for hock injections?

[Vimto22]

Hi! Really appreciate any advice. Is it worth chatting to my vet about if hock injections if my mare is heavier on the forehand causing her to have too much muscle on the front and back end looks sunken in sometimes even though she’s a good weight. She’s on a joint supplement, has an old above the hock bump injury prob hunting injury years before I got her (vet says calcified)

Didn’t know if this was a bit over the top as she’s sound and is cow hocked so more strain I think? Does have regular physio with some soreness in the area. Does rest one hind leg often. Drifts a little jumping in the school (but no where else!)
many thanks ?

 

[Abacus]

I think I’d get a vet assessment to see if she has arthritis and whether they believe injections would help. You don’t describe lameness so it’s possible that he way she goes is a result of schooling rather than a hock problem. The horses of mine that have had arthritis were noticeably lame - which appeared to be in one leg but when x-rayed had issues in both, with one being more severe.

 

[SpeedyPony]

It's worth asking the vet- I'd say get x-rays first though, before injecting, that way you'll know a)if it is the hocks and b)how bad they are/have something to compare to down the line.

 

[sbloom]

A thorough work up, it's impossible to say whether hock injections would be worthwhile unless you know it's the hocks. However, I would also suggest that your main issues is posture and compensatory movement patterns, it is the being on the forehand, the crookedness, that impacts the hocks, suspensories, SI, KS and even front feet. Definitely get a vet workup, but start to read up around equine posture, topline syndrome (some great stuff on Equitopia Center, join for a month at only a fiver or so and watch a ton of stuff), thoracic sling and compensatory movement patterns.

This, IMO, is a big part of what's going on and is basically the cause, the hocks or whatever being a symptom that may of course need fising, but if you don't fix the posture then you'll just get other problems. Rehab that only looks at fittening/strengthening and doesn't try to change the way of going (apart from trying to ride straighter etc which seldom truly addresses the problem) isn't going to be sufficient, and putting a crooked horse on a water treadmill is going to cause more harm than good.

Seeing it as a result of schooling isn't always that helpful - we ride the way we ride, the horse has to carry us so it's harder to fix these issues from on board, plus the saddle needs to REALLY allow them to move 0 fix from the ground first, help the horse move better all the time, develop the musculature, THEN they can carry us with much less compromise to their own bodies.