How do you manage your horse with hock arthritis?

[HorseMaid]

Just musing on this one. My friend has a mare, 15hh Connie x tb, 11 yo I think. She's previously been diagnosed with hock arthritis, it was x rayed again last year which showed the joint had nearly fused and she has been used solely as a happy hacker, although doing some lengthy rides and is pretty fit. Vet was happy to sign her off for this level of work although said she would always be mechanically not quite right on that leg. It's a bit of a ticking time bomb but she's always been happy in her work, she lives out 24/7 with my mare and hasn't been on any pain relief or supplements.

We've been for a fun ride today which the horses thought was terribly exciting and they've jogged the whole way as well as canters and gallops. This is a step up in pace to this mare's usual work (although we've been hacking the same distance at a more sedate (orderly!) pace and she was fit enough to do the ride), when we got home and turned them out she looked noticeably lame on the arthritic leg, not hopping but stiff. She's since been given a bute.

If this was your horse how would you approach this? Obviously she will have a few days to chill, and will keep an eye on her - knowing the history should a vet be called to reassess, supplements started, workload reduced, no more fun rides, retirement? She's had her hock injected in the past which didn't do a lot but has got better with time as it's fused. Friend is fully aware that she's probably not a candidate for working into old age (arthritis was diagnosed at age 6 a while before friend got her, she's had her for 3 years) and just wants to be pragmatic in her management of it.

 

[Squeak]

I had one whose hocks fused and he was ridden (a variety of hacking with an odd fun show or jumping when he was feeling good) in to his 20's so there is hope for her.

Definitely give her time off until she feels better and is sounder. If that's not in a couple of days, max a week, I'd probably check with a vet. It sounds like the fun ride was possibly a bit too much for her so I personally would probably avoid in the future. If she was comfortable in her previous level of work then you should be ok to stick at that but just be careful to listen to her if she needs a break from it.

I would probably start her on a supplement too, they wont do any harm and can help.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I still school and hack mine but am careful don't do loads of small circles don't gallop about and I don't jump anymore, his on boswellia and msm and I find he can look stiff in extreme weather and I find a little bit of work everyday keeps him looking better.

 

[Merrymoles]

Mine has a different problem after breaking a piece of bone off his hock. He has had the injection into the hock but the main issue is that the bone fragment wasn't found by the first vet and then, when it was, it was too late to remove it because of scar tissue. He is mechanically lame at trot but not in any pain most of the time and I have had the go ahead from the second vet to ride. My main problem is limiting what he does as he remains as keen as ever. I can tell when he has overdone it as the hock swells a little, a which point he gets a bute.

I find I can manage it fine when he'd ridden, although he would definitely like to go faster than he is currently allowed to, but he does have a tendency to have a good gallop in the field from time to time (and I mean a proper gallop, not a canter round), while throwing some shapes. I would rather not limit the size of the field and am prepared to retire him if he does make it worse while turned out.

I am not prepared, however, to worsen the situation through his ridden work and we are still on the slow build up of work stage at the moment so I can't really help in terms of how much work is too much. At the moment he is being hacked out for about 40 minutes twice a week and doing some walking in-hand and is coping with that fine. I guess I'll know more later in the summer.

I would desperately like to lunge to get a few more pounds off before the grass really comes through but have resisted the temptation because I don't want to blow the hock up with too many circles and he can be a bit of a loony on the lunge so regulating pace is not always simple.

 

[HorseMaid]

Thank you for the replies. She is looking a bit better today, possibly a fun ride was a bit much for her - for reference she's never schooled or jumped, hacking only although has popped the odd small xc jump (not really friend's thing anyway). Will reassess in a few days. Not sure she'd be a great candidate for retirement in a field either, she's had ulcers in the past (caused by hock pain) and needs the odd course of omeprazole if they flare up, but also gets very fat if not worked - so restricting grazing to keep her weight down would probably upset her ulcers - poor little dot has it all against her in a lot of respects which is a shame as she's a good girl!

 

[HorseMaid]

Will suggest supplements!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Mine is now retired (19) with severe arthritis, x rays aren’t pretty, but he’s kept field sound with danilon. When he was still in work, he cantered if he wanted, he prances round like a show pony but can’t have weight on him. Mine’s a h/w cob so possibly a poor example to compare.

Id give the mare several days/a week or two off and re-consider fun rides, they’re probably a bit too exciting.

 

[spotty_pony]

My Appy (22 this year) was diagnosed with hock arthritis aged 13. I have both hocks injected with steroid once every two years and *touch woods* I am lucky that this seems to work really well for him. He is currently on no bute and supplements. He hunted until he was 19 but stopped hunting due to an unrelated injury. He still enjoys a bit of autumn hunting and the ofd hunt ride but mostly we just hack now. I did stop all show jumping, dressage and lungeing with him when he first got diagnosed though as I was told it would prolong his ridden life. He jumped a lot out hunting in straight lines with no problems and will still pop a fence now. I monitor his weight regularly too as too much weight on the joints would be a bad thing.

 

[Pippity]

My 8yo gets plenty of turnout, is in a 12x18 stable, and I'm extremely careful about her weight. I'd quite like 24/7 turnout but a) that would involve finding my own field, b) it would make it even harder to keep her weight under control, and c) she REALLY likes her stable in winter! Her work is mostly hacking with only one schooling session a week, which is a lesson with an instructor who has plenty of experience of arthritic cobs - her own is currently competing at Advanced Medium. It's coming up on a year since mine had her hocks injected and she's currently showing 1/10th lame on one hind, so she's getting them injected again tomorrow.

Work-wise, my vet's advice is the more hacking, the better, but I'm okay doing little bits of other things. (My idea of dressage is an online intro every other month. My jumping ambitions are a 30cm crosspole class.)

For your friend's horse, I think I'd avoid fun rides in future but wouldn't lessen her workload otherwise. As you know what caused the flare-up, I wouldn't bother with getting the vet to re-assess. I would consider starting on boswellia, though. I was extremely sceptical, but after a few rides where I commented on how forward and powerful Blue was feeling, I finally twigged that this was a week or so after starting on boswellia!

All that said, I'm very aware that she's unlikely to live up to my previous hopes, which were for her to stay in ridden work until her late teens/early 20s, and to be both my first and last horse. She's a chunky HW cob, so her hocks have a lot to carry even if she isn't in work.

You may find your friend's mare improves once her hock fuses completely. A friend had her pony's hock fused by the vet, and he came back bouncing sound and full of life.

 

[tatty_v]

My boy is 21 and has annual steroid injections for his hock OA. We were putting HY50 in as well but his hocks are gradually fusing so couldn’t get that in last time (I panicked at this but OH has explained it is a good thing!)

I have dialled down his work, so just hacking and light schooling with a little bit of jumping now and then when we’re both feeling up to it. He seems to be doing well on this ?

I’d be interested if anyone has had any success with hock boots/wraps (magnetic or otherwise). I’ve been thinking about them as a potential addition to our routine in the winter but they’re quite pricey...

 

[TotalMadgeness]

My boy has had hock arthritis from a young age now rising 12. He is managed via osphos twice a year, devils claw in his feeds and keeping weight off. He is loose schooled not lunged, hacked in walk and ridden a few times a week in the school with lots of walk to warm up, some careful lateral work and not too many circles. No trotting poles or jumps anymore. Physio once a month.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

My boy was diagnosed with spavin at about 6. He had a year off then x-rays showed it was nearly fused and he came back into work including jumping. Was still sound when I lost him at 23 due to an unrelated gut issue. Apart from catching a toe if you tried to do collected work it never bothered him.

 

[Michen]

Mine is rising 9 and has it, worse in one leg. He jogs often when out hacking and is a complete t** in the field. He is in nearly full work, jumping (small), hacking, fast work and is in the best form he's ever been in. He also does in hand pole work once weekly, sometimes twice.

He has had injections 8/9 months ago and not needed since. I feed him boswellia and he has lots of turnout. He also has a long warm up for schooling and cool down. I try to avoid too many circles.

I think in 8 months he has had the odd *bad* day, where he's felt not quite right but that could just be a general off day who knows. He's never been noticeably lame though, it's only post flexion and it trots out.

Would something like no bute/boswellia help the mare?

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I’d be interested if anyone has had any success with hock boots/wraps (magnetic or otherwise). I’ve been thinking about them as a potential addition to our routine in the winter but they’re quite pricey...

I find the Back on Track hock wraps to warm the hocks up before exercise can be useful on a cold day. Other than that I use stable wraps (just the thin quilted ones from equilibrium) in the winter overnight which seem to help. Mine can get tight in his back due to his hocks so I use a magnetic rug occasionally!

 

[HorseMaid]

Super suggestions and very reassuring at the same time, I will suggest boswellia to friend, mare has actually seemed back to normal today which is great. Loving hearing about the ones that have kept going into their twenties!