Gentle suppling exercises for an arthritic horse?

S

sfward

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Hi everyone
My 5 year old is back in work after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her hocks recently. She has only just started ridden work in the last couple of days, and still feels a little iffy so I'm going very gently with her, sticking to walk with a tiny bit of trot. As it is still dark I'm limited to the school for now, can anyone suggest some good suppling exercises which I can do in walk that won't put undue pressure on her hind legs? She is very stiff to the left and finds it difficult to bend this way, meaning that she gets very heavy in the left hand. I have been doing plenty of flexions with the rein and carrot stretches every day in the stable, other than this and the usual circles, serpentines etc is there anything else I could try? Not sure if lateral work is an option at the mo...
thanks!
S
 
Have you tried doing stretches with her before you start riding? Stretching legs gently forward and back and getting her to stretch her neck downward and to the sides helps across her back. We used to have a horse who used to get very stiff (he had been operated on and had a pin in his right hind fetlock when he was a foal due to a twisted leg), and we really found that by stretching him before ridden work he was then much more able to carry out simple circles and such like to supple him up during riding.
Most of all be patient - it took a long time with our old boy.
 
Would suggest that you try only going in straight lines and avoid circles as circles will only put more stress on the joints and aggrovate the condition.

Also suggest adding linseed and formula feet to your horses daily feed .
 
I dont really have any suggestions for ridden exercises, I think what you are allready doing is pretty sensible. My only word of caution would be the stretches suggested by hberrywell. The neck stretches sound good, but I would be cautious about stretching arthritic legs. The reason I say this is that my horse was diagnosed with arthritis at a very young age like the OPs horse. He is much older now and when I bring him in from the field he is fine, but when I lead him out of his stable 20 mins later all tacked up he is v stiff. I think that picking out his feet is acting like a mini flexion test and aggravating his joints. But I wholeheartedly agree with just being patient and allowing them time to warm up.
 
how about very slight spiralling in and out on a big circle, say from 20m to 17m and back out. also, shoulder-fore, just the suggestion of bending through the ribcage. once she can do it down the long sides, do it down the centre line, few steps bent one way, straighten, few steps bent the other way. this should be mentally stimulating without being too tough on her physically, hopefully.
 
Yes i would be wary of stretching legs and would generally leave this to the professionals. Have you tied however, masaging the hamstrings before doing work, in order to warm up and increase blood flow to that area? My horse has v tight hamstrings and I was advised by a physio that daily massaging would help relax them. Just a thought seeing as if uncomfortable in his hind legs he may also tense higher up.

basically, you just rub (pretty firmly) the top of the leg, down from his bum - you can actually feel the hamstring. I find massaiging down with finger and thumb on each side and squeezing downwarsd (as you would with any massaghe) and also a few rubs with your hand as a fist just helps warm up the area and then when riding you may find he's looser and this may help him to be more able to bend when asked.

It's just a thought and as far as I'm aware you can't do any harm by massaging
 
Hi donadea
As you know I have same problems.Have you given magnetic boots any thought they do one for hocks I bought one for my horse when he did his ligament.The vet recommended it and when I spoke to him wednesday he thought it might be a good idea to start using it again as it improves circulation.They dont stay on terribly well but you could try it 30 mins before you ride it might improve circulation if she is stiff.
 
Just reading through the thread don't want to take the focus away from suppling exercises but I have an arthritic 7 y/o gelding and he has been funny about me picking out his feet, he only has it in 1 front pastern and tends to 'snatch' his feet away when I'm picking them out, even though I do it as quickly as I can. He also slams his front feet down sometimes which is horrible to see.
I'm not rough with him at all, and I have only had him for 4 weeks, before that he hadn't been handled much for 4 months. He is getting better, but I'm worried now that I've been causing him paim by picking his feet out, I didn't mean to be doing mini flexion tests every time, I just wanted to pick his feet out after riding and coming in from the field. He is sound at the moment and doing well on his supplement.
 
Although he could be stiff it is important that you pick his feet out.If he hasnt been handled much over the last few months he will improve just stick with it and be firm but kind.He will have to hold his leg when the farrier comes watch what the farrier does with him and see if he reacts the same way.
 
I've had the farrier out and he stands perfectly well for him. He's getting used to me doing his feet I do them at the same time in his routine and he has started to lift them for me (after I've done the 1st one he knows whats going on and lifts them). So I think he's ok really, he gets lots of praise when he lifts it for me and I can finish without him snatching his foot away; if he does snatch it I pick it up again pretty much straight away so he knows that he has to have his feet picked out, and he is definately getting better.
 
i used to ride a 32 yr old arab who has arthritis in in back leg after he had a tendon operation, i did a lot of transitions for the suppling of muscles and didnt do any sharp circles stretching the horse before you ride and also letting them go on a long lunge helps as they can stretch before you get on, hacking really is the best thing though,hope this helpedxx
 
Hi, thanks everyone, definitely a couple of things to try! Interesting about the picking feet out thing, Missie is not great either, and has been a complete cow for the farrier the last couple of times, which I put down to her finding it painful to pick her legs up and flex the hocks... Poor horse
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She is not doing too well this week I think because of the horrible cold foggy weather, hopefully she will be better next week so I can try out some of the suggestions
x
 
Is Missie stabled at night? I asked for some recomendations on here a little while ago about ways to keep Sams hocks warm at night in his stable on frosty nights. I dislocated my elbow years ago and that really aches in the cold, so I figured his hocks probably hurt too. I bought some 'Boomers Hock socks (http://www.kmeliteproducts.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=band006) and he has been much less stiff in the mornings. Its just a thought as you mentioned the weather.
Had dreadful problems with finding them round his fetlocks in the mornings at first, but solved it by attaching all 3 velcro straps to the bit of velcro that sits above the hock on the boot (makes sense I hope, if you see the pic!!
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) Hope this info is of some help. As I said Sam was diagnosed v young and he is 20 now and still going strong, so good luck with your mare
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Thanks, she's actually living out at the moment, but thanks for the recommendation I'll have a look. I hope her living out isn't making things worse, but she was ok last week, and she is so much happier out, and easier for me...
 
I just ordered a pair of ebay I was thinking of selling them after the next couple of weeks as he shouldnt need them anymore.Not sure if they will be big enough for your horse Ollie is a tb so he is a bit finer .I didnt buy a particular make.I could lend them to you if you want to give them a try if you can wait for two weeks.
 
Oh great that would be fantastic if you don't mind! I'm sure they'll fit, Missie is a TB too and only 15.2.
thanks very much! no problem waiting 2 weeks, if you just PM me when you're ready?
 
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