Event Horse with Hock Arthritis - Any Advice??

mitters

mitters

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I was wondering if anyone has had any experience of horses with arthritis in their lower hocks?

My horse went lame last June, and to cut a long story short the vet found he has arthritis in the lower hocks. He had injections into the joints and he is now sound again (touch wood). He is on Cortflex HA and Buteless (Devils Claw) and wears Bioflow magnetic boots 24 hours a day. He is working really well on the flat and over poles, and even though i have been increasing his work to get him fit, he seems to be fine.

I am hoping to continue eventing at PN level this season but i'm not sure if this is a good idea or not? Has anyone had or known a horse with lower hock arthritis who has continued to event and been ok? I am guessing it will be a bit of trial and error with how much he will be capable of doing.

Any advise and suggestions will be much appreciated. Thank You
 
Hey, my event horse was diagnosed with arthritis last summer, he has arthritis in all his legs so diffrent from yours but i have given him the winter off to see if helps him as he was struggling with work not lame just very stiff.
After he was diagnosed i gave him a month of and brought back into work but didnt improve so he is having the winter off and hopefully when warmer weather comes will try some light work then. I never went down teh route of injections though.
i think ur right its trial and error, when i found out i was devasted and thought the end of the world but trainer/vets etc were all very positive. You seem to be doing all the correct things and im sure he will tell you if not coping. My only advice is eventing can be hard on any horse, pick your ground and going so as not to add extra strain and stress on him. listen to what he is telling you. Good luck.
 
I have a friend who is eventing a horse at 4* who has hock arthritis. She manages it carefully with our vet, injecting when necessary, picks the ground she runs on, saves him for the big occasions and treats every event as a bonus. It depends on degree etc but if you are proactive in your management there is no reason why he shouldn't return to doing some eventing. Good luck
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I'd agree management is key. Yes, lots of horse continue to compete with arthritis - I think you'd be hard pressed to find an older competition horse with no wear and tear - but I think the ones that KEEP competing have people playing close attention to their welfare and giving them what they need (it may not be the same for every horse, even ones with similar problems), not just waving it off.

On the upside, regular exercise is good for arthritis so long as the balance and management is there. So many competition horses have spavins there is lots of experience and knowledge to draw from.
 
Thanks everyone for your comments, i am feeling much more positive now! I am doing everything i can think of to help him so fingers crossed! I'll just have to be carefull not to over do it and be picky with the ground i run him on. I'm sure he'll tell me if he's not happy!
 
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