H&H news item, owners justified about joint illness---discuss

[DD]

I think it proves that a lot of horses are being worked too young and/or too hard and/or with too heavy a rider.

 

[Shay]

I think it proves the study was paid for by a joint supplement supplier - sorry!

 

[ycbm]

I think it proves that a lot of horses are being worked too young and/or too hard and/or with too heavy a rider.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/owners-joint-disease-fears-justified-survey-finds-678286


It doesn't prove anything because you have no base line data from the days when you think horses weren't worked too young/hard/by too heavy a rider.

It may simply mean that because horses were supposed to be the size of large dogs and were bred larger by man to make them more useful, that they have been made fragile as a result.

 

[Leo Walker]

3/4s of all owners use joint supplements?? I'd like to see proof of that!

 

[be positive]

They didn't survey me, I have 7 here at the moment, previously more and many in harder work, from memory joint issues have never been a problem with any of them, certainly not at a young age, none have had joint supplements although the racehorse had previously been injected in various places, there is far more to worry about when owning horses than whether their joints are a potential problem, my old boy is a bit arthritic now but at 28 it is to be expected.

Like so much so called research it is based on a survey of a few owners with the questions and answers probably loaded towards the company paying for it so the results can help them sell more of their products, I don't think it proves anything.

 

[catkin]

as BP says it's not research, it's a small-scale survey which proves nothing except perhaps a snap-shot opinion on a few (possibly loaded) questions by a few people (possibly self-selecting so not a realistic sample).

There's also a counter-argument that appropriate work strengthens the body's structures - ie physiotherapy principles, fittening regimes, rehab etc etc

I'd take it with a pinch of salt and observe the horses in your own care to see what they need, each is likely to be different.

 

[eggs]

Of the 18 horses I have owned over the years only 1 has had a joint issue and he had his hocks injected and was back in work after 3 days off. Maybe I have just been lucky as according to the stats in that survey 11 of them should have had a problem although I rather think it is more to do with the survey questions being skewed to get the answers they wanted.

 

[Morgan123]

A symptom of all the massively overweight horses whose joints are under too much pressure?

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I think it proves that a lot of horses are being worked too young and/or too hard and/or with too heavy a rider.

Well, yes, lots are, but it's news to me that we're allowed to frame this as being anything other than normal and wholly acceptable.

 

[DirectorFury]

I'd reeeeeally like to see
a) a copy of the survey
b) their participant recruitment
and c) the actual data.

 

[splashgirl45]

also dont forget horses are being kept to a greater age now. when i was young ,in the dark ages, once a horse couldnt do the job it was bought for, it was PTS... we now either keep our horses in semi retirement , light hacking etc or completely retire them.

 

[Annagain]

I went to a mining museum the other day. The life expectancy of the pit ponies was 14 at most. That might be a bit more extreme as their lungs were affected in the same way as miners' lungs were but it goes to show how horses years ago probably didn't live long enough to develop joint issues.

 

[Leandy]

Amazing how many of these "news" items seem to emanate from people with a vested interest. I can't be the only one to notice how many of the horse/rider has nasty accident stories seem then to go on to discuss the benefits of insurance ...

 

[ester]

I'd reeeeeally like to see
a) a copy of the survey
b) their participant recruitment
and c) the actual data.

This,
More or less did a good piece of surveys after the % of holocaust deniers was reported as rather large