Do these show bad arthritis?

[Blueysmum]

Horse injected in August but notes don’t mention arthritis. Has started to be come abit stiff again in back end but not on legs, not tracking properly in Trot.

These were from july, is the arthritis that bad that she would need topping up already?

 

[rabatsa]

I have found that the horses do not always follow the x-rays. I think pain thresholds are so different that what would have one crippled would have another mildly lame, or even not showing any lameness at all.

 

[Mimsyborogrove]

I kept an eventer sound with six monthly hock injections. It is common to have these on a minimum of six monthly courses going forwards for competition horses

 

[misst]

From a human point of view xrays can show quite severe arthritis as an incidental finding and the person may be pretty pain free. Another person can have severe pain with relatively normal looking xrays.
They are a picture of the joint which may explain symptoms or rule out causes rather than a cut and dried diagnostic tool, except in the case of severe injury or fractures. They don't show soft tissue which may be aggravating the symptoms so maybe more investigation is needed sometimes.