Do you put boots on your arthritic horses?

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southerncomfort

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Hi all,

My little 25 year old mare's arthritis has worsened slightly recently. She is never noticeably lame but struggles having her feet trimmed and is stiff if she has been standing for a while.

I'm about to get her started on Boswellia and turmeric (have Danilon as a back up if needed), but wondering about ridden work.

She is mostly a lead rein pony. I'm going to ask smallest daughter to lead her pony for 10 mins before getting on to make sure she is warmed up properly and not stiff, however I'm wondering whether to put boots or leg wraps on her. I've always shied away from boots for hacking in case they warmed the tendons too much but wonder if they would benefit my little pony?

Any thoughts/advice welcomed. :) Never had an oldie with arthritis before so I'm on a steep learning curve.
 
I think if your pony doesn't normally wear boots then I wouldn't bother. I would just give a joint supplement and continue with exercise, starting off slowly until she has warmed up a bit. If she is still sore when getting her feet trimmed, maybe give her a danilon before the farrier comes, that used to help my old pony.
 
I would recommend that you try it and see what happens. I had an old chap where putting on boots really seemed to help and an elderly mare where it did no good at all!
 
I use 'Back on Track' boots for my 2 arthritic guys- One has knee boots and the other has back leg boots….. they wear them at night in the stable as they are standing still and its colder at night- they really do seem to have made a difference…. I don't exercise in them though.

My big mare who is now 27 has really bad arthritis in her knees but she is still gently exercised every day (on vets advice) as it helps keep her supple and her muscles in good condition- without the exercise she would really stiffen up….. I use a horse walker but if she would just plod round the field I would ride her- however she still thinks she is a 2 year old and wants to gallop round the field and will buck/prance and generally carry on- its easier to not ride and then she is happy!
 
I hack my boy out using schooling wraps, they have really helped him as he doesn't seem to trip up anywhere near as much.
I would also go with giving them a danilon before the farrier comes, I used to put one in his feed the night before which I think helped.
 
southerncomfort said:
Hi all,

My little 25 year old mare's arthritis has worsened slightly recently. She is never noticeably lame but struggles having her feet trimmed and is stiff if she has been standing for a while.

I'm about to get her started on Boswellia and turmeric (have Danilon as a back up if needed), but wondering about ridden work.

She is mostly a lead rein pony. I'm going to ask smallest daughter to lead her pony for 10 mins before getting on to make sure she is warmed up properly and not stiff, however I'm wondering whether to put boots or leg wraps on her. I've always shied away from boots for hacking in case they warmed the tendons too much but wonder if they would benefit my little pony?

Any thoughts/advice welcomed. :) Never had an oldie with arthritis before so I'm on a steep learning curve.
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I would not if never worn before, however I would put leg wraps on in winter over night to keep them warm and would consider magnetic boots and make sure she had cider vinegar - flexi joint

There are alternatives here from previous posters~>and under (A) http://horse-care-and-advice.weebly.com/j.html
 
Mine wears magnetic brushing boots whilst schooling and hacking but I have to say I've not noticed a huge difference with them.
 
Interesting exchange about the magnetic boots. I tried ordinary boots on my mare when her arthritis started to become noticeable and it made no detectable difference (as I wrote above). However much later when she was badly affected I was lent a pair of magnetic boots and quite honestly she seemed a bit better. It may have been the warmth, but I would certainly consider trying magnetic stuff again
 
glinda said:
I use 'Back on Track' boots for my 2 arthritic guys- One has knee boots and the other has back leg boots….. they wear them at night in the stable as they are standing still and its colder at night- they really do seem to have made a difference…. I don't exercise in them though.
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Another vote for Back on Track - they are worth the money - I even wear the human stuff they make and I can feel the benefit both in myself and my horse
 
Just an observation re booting at night while stabled - arthritics generally do much better with all round turnout to keep the joints moving. One vet I know uses overnight stabling as part of the diagnostic as it stiffens them so much!
 
Thanks again for all the replies. Much appreciated.

I found a pair of brushing boots in the garage and thought I'd give them a go but as suspected they didn't help much at all.

Going to look in to both magnetic boots and the Back on Track boots which sound good.

My old girl is usually out 24/7 but as she has cushings she sometimes needs to be part stabled for a break from the grass although usually I go with a muzzle. It's a tough balancing act with these oldies sometimes. She is my first veteran and I'd wrap her up in cotton wool if I could! :)
 
Nudibranch said:
Just an observation re booting at night while stabled - arthritics generally do much better with all round turnout to keep the joints moving. One vet I know uses overnight stabling as part of the diagnostic as it stiffens them so much!
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A very valid point- 24/7 turnout would be better for the arthritic as long as the affected joints were kept warm BUT mine can't have 24/7 turnout so have to be stabled at night- hence the 'back on track boots' which really have helped- If I could get them my other one with arthritis in his stifles would be wearing them also but its a bit hard to bandage stifles !!!
 
glinda said:
A very valid point- 24/7 turnout would be better for the arthritic as long as the affected joints were kept warm BUT mine can't have 24/7 turnout so have to be stabled at night- hence the 'back on track boots' which really have helped- If I could get them my other one with arthritis in his stifles would be wearing them also but its a bit hard to bandage stifles !!!
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Mine wears the boots in the winter when in at night.

Glinda have you considered using a BoT rug on your other horse? On my horse it covers him over the stifles, as it is quite deep (on a mw TB), so it might help...
 
My horse has worn bioflow boots every single day I have owned him (nearly ten years now).

He has them on overnight and they are taken off every morning. He has then on alternate fores and hindlegs.
They are really good and very effective. The new design is not very good and don't last long so I have gone for the leg wraps instead whcih are just as good.

They keep his puffy legs down and prevent stiffness. I definetly notice a differenece when he doesn't have them on.
 
I think magnetic boots make a difference. I have also tried them overnight on my own arms (!!) because I get repetitive strain from my job in my wrist - I have no idea how they work but the warmth and whatever they do have made it all better. I also have a BoT rug. I have been told to keep my horse warm - he has arthritis in his neck and fetlocks.
 
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