Coffin joint injections - success?

[sportsmansB]

Hi everyone

My lovely 17yo event horse was on and off lame for a month or so in February. He was super fit (doesn't holiday well so just stays in work).
Almost sound on a straight line but lame on a circle, worse on the hard
I gave him a few quiet weeks and he didn't improve so took him to the vets where we had a full work up including xrays etc.
Vet blocked his front feet one at a time and we was bi-laterally lame, so he injected both coffin joints. Also found evidence of navicular disease but hard to know if that was contributing to lameness or not.
He had the injections 4 weeks ago now. I was told 2 weeks off just walker and paddock but no running about. He always runs about so we went for double walker and some arena time (which turned into chaos but thats just typical of him).
Brought him back into work with a younger, gamer jockey than me (he was super fresh!) and he was sound for the first week. I got on and rode him once he had regained his sanity and apart from tripping a couple of times, which is unusual for him, he felt sound. That was day 7 of work / day 23 post injections.
On day 9 of riding again (so just over 3 weeks post injections) he felt off, and hasn't been right since. Not terribly lame but not sound, and back to being noticeable on trot up.
We are due back to vet for 2nd round of injections next week as vet believes that giving 6 weeks apart at the beginning works the best to make them last

My question is, has anyone had a horse who wasn't sound after the first lot of coffin joint injections but came right after the 2nd lot? Or if they are going to work should they have worked by now?
My vet is on hols this week so I can't call him. He is the top vet in our area, used to ride to 5* himself, and I trust him implicitly so I think we have found the source of the lameness in the coffin joints I just don't know why it isn't better :-(

I bought him a retirement property last year (luckily it has a house on it for me and the dogs too...) so if I have to call it a day with him I will - but he has been loving life and competing so much I do want to give him every chance. He's not great at chilling out, he strongly feels he should be heading for a 4* any day..

Thanks, gin and choc chip shortbread from M&S for anyone who managed to get through that essay

 

[ester]

We didn’t have anything particular on X-rays but blocked to joint, injection seemed to make some difference initially but once back to normal level of walk trot hacking he was off.
We injected again and took his shoes off at the same time. Sound in front ever since (he was 19 then, 29 now was still hunting at 24)

for him I guessed that most of the issue was soft tissue based so once that was rehabbed he was fine.

 

[Birker2020]

Yes my previous horse had four lots of joint injections starting around 2009 and I lost her in 2021 so she didn't do too badly. Some horses can go years in between them my vet said when I queried this.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Loads of research has been done over the past twenty years or so into navicular and rehabilitation. I am no expert, but have an interest in hoof health. If you are going to retire him anyway, the rehab route may be something to consider.

 

[sbloom]

While looking into this do also, and briefly alluded to, look into some kind of barefoot rehab. Age is no barrier to improving the hoof.

 

[sportsmansB]

Thanks all
He doesn't have great feet, one is flatter than the other and he is religiously on biotin to make them grow so they can be shod more evenly
Unfortunately he is an absolute pansy and acts like his foot has been cut off altogether if he is even asked to walk the length of the yard without a shoe.
@ester thats positive about yours, it was when he started doing normal work again that he went backwards

Can horses like this be successfully rehabbed barefoot?
I'll talk to Hugh the vet about it, its not regular over here (northern ireland) but I'd try anything to keep this guy going, I don't know how I'd find another and I don't want to

 

[sbloom]

Thanks all
He doesn't have great feet, one is flatter than the other and he is religiously on biotin to make them grow so they can be shod more evenly
Unfortunately he is an absolute pansy and acts like his foot has been cut off altogether if he is even asked to walk the length of the yard without a shoe.
@ester thats positive about yours, it was when he started doing normal work again that he went backwards

Can horses like this be successfully rehabbed barefoot?
I'll talk to Hugh the vet about it, its not regular over here (northern ireland) but I'd try anything to keep this guy going, I don't know how I'd find another and I don't want to

Absolutely, though be aware that many vets are behind the curve and could be against it when, in fact, it could be the best thing you ever did. You need to read, read and read some more before talking to the vet, imo. And feet like your horse has are the reason he has such issues, biotin isn't going to change the hoof function, horn quality isn't the issue. Hoof boots may help, going away to a proper rehab would be a good option if available, but some of the worst feet can rehab more easily than you think....some can be a long slow haul back to health.

Have a look at Rockley Farm website and page on FB, barefoot rehab, The Equine Documentalist on FB, The Hoof Hub podcast...so many resources out there.

 

[ycbm]

Can horses like this be successfully rehabbed barefoot?

Yes. I have done one who could only be shod one front foot at a time because he was unable to stand on a bare foot for the other one to have a shoe nailed on. His feet were so flat that the highest point of his upside down foot was the frog followed closely by a convex sole.



This was him after the barefoot rehab. Shelford Manor BE Novice.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Totally agree - read, read, research and bring yourself up to date with the current views. Our farriers and vets are clinging to old, outdated methods and it frustrates me!
Pete Ramey's 'Hoof Rehab' pages, Rockley Farm, tons of the Australian barefoot sites, Dr Robert Bowker to name but a few. Working with a barefoot trimmer, I successfully rehabilitated a club foot in my cob. He was 17 when I changed from farrier to trimmer, and the trimmer just said let's give it a go - if it doesn't work then we stop remedial trimming. It worked! Took two years to slowly ring the changes, but now he has four amazing hooves, all the same size with good angles.