Management of arthritic hocks...

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Mongoose11

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What's your best tip? I had another chat with the vet today who told me that I was doing everything right to ensure longevity (as much as I can with an unpredictable condition) but I just wondered what your top tips are?

She's on a good joint supp, devil's alternative, linseed, warmed up well, has 8-10 hours out a day in the winter.

What tricks am I missing and what has made the biggest difference to yours?
 
I also feed turmeric and fresh ground pepper for the anti inflammatory effect. The most effective thing though is regular exercise, I try to never give him more than 1 day off in a row. A good gallop seems to make him regain his zest for life so I give a blast whenever I can.
 
Mine (similar to yours, I think?) has arthritic changes on X ray, has turmeric, linseed and freshly ground black pepper. He is in light work, hacked a few times a week, out lots, made to move in his stable with a treat ball. He gets very little feed, a handful of chaff, nuts in the treat ball. I won't let him jump nor will anyone heavy get on him. He's had a steroid injection in his hock a couple of years ago, been ok since, can look uneven on the right rein, but is never 'lame'. He has shoes on, went lame as hell when I tried taking them off, mostly due to the stony path to the field, I reckon, but I'm not prepared to do anything that makes him worse.
 
Agree with the need for regular exercise. I also had mine on a good joint supplement but then changed the supplement to maxaflex (green lipped muscle joint supplement) the difference in the way she moves has been noticeable.
 
Definitely add turmeric and perhaps boswellia as well, great combo, keep them from getting cold in winter helps as well as keeping them Active. My old boy was diagnosed nearly ten years ago and he's still going strong at 24, has the odd stiff day here and there but not doing bad for 24, still bouncing out hacks and racing against horses ten or more years younger :)

I just don't over do and i made sure he was properly fit for th activities he was doing and take the fittening a bit slower :)
 
I owned a T/B cross Cleveland mare a lot of years ago....DJD of the hocks and used all the normal supplements, was worked lightly on a regular basis.....but, I used to use For Every Living products~ Aloe Heat Lotion on her hocks when very cold and damp.....which she found very beneficial ....would really work it all into the joint and massage it in....you could try Deep Heat, but would test try first to check for any reaction .Hope that might be a helpful tip :)
 
As other have said, keep them moving.

My boy is stiffer if kept in overnight and sometime if its been cold and damp, which seems to effect him more, rather than riding him, we take him for a long walk in hand. I am lucky as we have lots of hills to ride or walk up and down which helps him stretch. Ive tried all the supplements and didnt find them particularly beneficial. I avoid sticky, heavy ground as he seems to dislike this now and is probably causing pain in the joints and also very hard ground.

I also have found a magnetic rug to be beneficial (but also use this to calm the mare when she is in season!). It is suppose to increase blood flow, but I find it has a very calming effect.

I think it just about doing as much as you can with them. They will soon let you know if they are uncomfortable.
 
I used to give my gelding Progressive Earth's Herbs4mobility. It contains devil's claw root, meadowsweet and celery seed, all good for joints, and also clivers and nettle which act as a detox. My boy loved it and it helped keep him sound. I also fed turmeric mixed with olive oil and black pepper.
 
In no particular order:

1. A decent vet who is up to date on research, who appreciates how much you love your horse and is prepared to go the extra mile in order to help your horse back to the level it was at before the spavin through latest research or technigues.

2. Also a good farrier with extensive knowledge who works in conjunction with your vet/physio and

3. A decent joint supplement.

4. Bute can be your best friend as can the various medical techniques such as Tildren and Ethanol Fusion.

5. Also common sense about bringing the horse back into work, not pounding it on hard floors and not jumping out of its comfort zone.

6. The best surface you can feasibly ride on and no great contrast between warm up v competitive surfaces.

7. A horse that has a good temperament, that isn't crazy on turn out and that is happy to be box rested whilst various treatments are carried out on it.

8. Magnetic boots/rug

9. Listening to the horse and picking up instantly on altered stride length and swing through the stride and getting an instant diagnosis of any problems and treating accordingly.
 
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Mine is a light hack due to spavins.
He has been going nicely recently. It's taken a few years but what works for us is reg light hacking (4 ish times a week) being aware of surface etc. Won't ride on wet or boggy or very uneven ground. Don't ride on deep or wet surfaces. Don't lunge more than a walk.
We didn't get on well with tumeric but he gets a decent joint supplement, Devils claw and on the mornings I ride straight from stable he has half a bute before I ride.
He had his shoes off which actually has been amazing from a soundness point of view, much to my initial concerns!
Turned out every day in winter and kept warm.
If he ever feels a bit off then I will turn him away for a couple of days (I.e out 24/7) then I start again!
Good luck
 
My old horse had bad hocks. I found that leg wraps whilst in helped as they would keep up the circulation. He would also stand up banks to take pressure off but his from legs filled as a result. I ended up moving him over the years and he was so much better living out 24/7. The constant moving about kept him much more supple.
 
I really like Applecart14's post which I think sums everything up.

My daughter's horse had a hock fusion aged 8 due to spavins. He has been great ever since (now 14) but is kept going with bute, light riders, no jumping, work (nearly) every day, plenty of turnout, not allowed to get too fat, and just generally giving him a fun and loving life which I feel makes it worth his while being around even if he is a bit stiff and uncomfy every now and then. We turned him away for a year (more due to having no rider than his arthritis) and he was in a herd on paddock paradise and lots of turmeric, this suited him well but with less ideal turnout situation work and bute are better (on vets advice).
 
I try and keep her as fit as possible, ride regularly and I never leave her shut in a stable for long periods of time if I can help it, she comes out like a cripple otherwise. Basically if she keeps on moving she seems to be ok.
Feed some joint supplement and don't jump anymore (unless it's tiny and she's feeling in the mood). I don't feed her bute yet, but the vet has made a note for me that I can have it if she needs it. I hope it never becomes a regular thing though, so far haven't had to feed her any, apparently the hocks will fuse in the end (whatever that entails)!
 
Son's horse, who is 15, has mild arthritic changes in his hocks. He has one round of steroid injections and Tildren on insurance about 18 months ago. We recently paid for more steroid injections. Horse lives out 24/7 all year round in decent sized paddocks (4 acres +) so keeps moving. He is not on any supplements etc. He is barefoot and will stay that way. He enjoys jumping but hasn't done much recently more because son decided not to re-affiliate to BE rather than hock problems. He is easily managing piaffe, passage and fairly decent canter pirouettes from time to time but is not 'hammered' in the school and does a good mix of on and off road hacking and schooling. He is not asked to trot far on the road. We keep a REALLY careful eye on him as any differences in his hock action due to being uncomfortable is fairly subtle - he is very good at compensating through his back and so starts to feel a little rigid. One apparently experienced trainer said he needed a new saddle when he initially had problems. Fortunately our vet soon diagnosed the problem and he now has a much more sensible trainer!
 
Do you know which joint/joints in the hock are affected? As if it's the low motion lower joints (fusable) vs the high motion joint the prognosis and treatment are quite different.
 
Kezzabell2 said:
my horse has had his hocks fused! is that an option for yours?
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Tobiano said:
I really like Applecart14's post which I think sums everything up.

My daughter's horse had a hock fusion aged 8 due to spavins.
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Did you both have the chemical arthordesis (ethanol fusion) or did you go for the surgical route? I had the ethanol fusion about four years ago and its proved very successful.
 
Celtic Fringe said:
We keep a REALLY careful eye on him as any differences in his hock action due to being uncomfortable is fairly subtle - he is very good at compensating through his back and so starts to feel a little rigid.
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I noticed a very, very slight 'leaving leg behind' type of thing with my horse when my friend was riding him so got the physio to see my horse. She says its very slight, he has a little soreness on his back but I have caught it early and he doesn't have tight hamstrings or any other overcompensation anywhere as I caught it early. She's liasing with the vet and farrier about lateral extensions on his hinds and she isn't sure but thinks theres a possibility that the soreness in the back is altering the gait.

Of course there is the other possibility that the hock has caused the back problem in which case I will have to rethink things: there is a possibility after fusion with ethanol that the nerves regrow although not enough data to support this. I truly hope this isn't the case as there is no where left to go with him, but this treatment has given me many years of extra with him which I'm grateful for and worse case scenario he could still be hacked out so long as he remains pain free. At present he is sound and she has said to carry on with him now she has manipulated him and just avoid any tight circles of less than 20 m diameter. She's coming out later in the month to look at things again. He's also had his saddles both reflocked and I noticed since the reflocking that last week when my friend rode him the altered gait was barely noticeable, you do have to look really hard, its only because i know him that I spotted it, and even then I was "err, is it really there or is it just me looking too hard" type of thing.
 
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applecart14 said:
Did you both have the chemical arthordesis (ethanol fusion) or did you go for the surgical route? I had the ethanol fusion about four years ago and its proved very successful.
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I had ethanol fusion too!

it was done at the beginning of July, then he started suffering with the bone spur in his front hoof, so was lame until a few weeks ago! so the vet hasn't been able to assess him properly to see how successful it has been!

he's now had his shoes removed and is back in work, so I will get the vet out shortly to re-assess but from what I can see he is certainly feeling better!
 
Both my boys have hock arthritis, one is retired and one is a happy hacker with the odd 30 min lesson in the school. They are both 15 years old. I don't think I have handled the treatment of the retired one all that well, certainly come in for a lot of criticism about it anyway, and it's probably not that interesting, so I won't go into all that we tried and didn't try etc.

As a rule, as much turn out as possible, regular exercise (if ridden) good trimming/farrier support, knowledgeable vet, a good joint supplement that has ingredients which actually work, know what "good" movement looks like in your horse so you know when they're having a tough day and don't be afraid to use medication such as bute and danilon to support them as needed.
 
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Kezzabell2 said:
I had ethanol fusion too!

it was done at the beginning of July, then he started suffering with the bone spur in his front hoof, so was lame until a few weeks ago! so the vet hasn't been able to assess him properly to see how successful it has been!

he's now had his shoes removed and is back in work, so I will get the vet out shortly to re-assess but from what I can see he is certainly feeling better!
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Ha my boy had a bone spur on his near fore hoof too. Xrays showed moderate to severe athritis but touch wood three injections of steroid over almost twelve years seems to have done the trick, although I'm not convinced his lameness stemmed from the spur as he had a splint at the time!

Theres quite a few papers and information on the subject now, its becoming more common to offer this treatment. Obviously it depends on which part of the joint is affected as to what treatment is offered. Totally agree with Skint1 about the bute/danillon, my vet told me to put Bailey on half a sachet a day and to go out and enjoy him, take him competing, or leave him in the field retired in which case he'd be out within a few months to put him down when he broke down (the key is to keep them ticking over).

It was a no brainer and worked for us.
 
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My horse has just been diagnosed with advanced arthritic changes in her left hock - it has already fused. Have found this thread very helpful, any other experiences or tips much appreciated.

She has had the injection and vet has said to put her on a supplement in spring so we're clear on the effects of the injection in isolation. Would be interested to know what you're feeding - are you just adding a supplement, and if so which one? Or are you also feeding a specific diet such as topspec joint balancer?
 
A tip if you're looking at magnetic boots (which I incidentally think are a good idea) I researched them recently and decided to go with Equilibrium stable chaps - mainly because you don't have to build up use gradually and they can be left on overnight (and washable). I first looked at Speedgate (which is my local saddlery) and OMG they were £ 80 per pair - I then found them for £ 65.00 and then £ 62.00. Lucky for me they were out of stock, so I looked on Equestrian Clearance and they are £ 38.99 per pair and in stock !! I bought them Equestrian Clearance, they arrived really fast and they're great.
 
applecart14 said:
Ha my boy had a bone spur on his near fore hoof too. Xrays showed moderate to severe athritis but touch wood three injections of steroid over almost twelve years seems to have done the trick, although I'm not convinced his lameness stemmed from the spur as he had a splint at the time!

Theres quite a few papers and information on the subject now, its becoming more common to offer this treatment. Obviously it depends on which part of the joint is affected as to what treatment is offered. Totally agree with Skint1 about the bute/danillon, my vet told me to put Bailey on half a sachet a day and to go out and enjoy him, take him competing, or leave him in the field retired in which case he'd be out within a few months to put him down when he broke down (the key is to keep them ticking over).

It was a no brainer and worked for us.
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Oh wow thats really interesting that your horse had similar issues to mine!! they also look quite similar hehe!!

I dont think the bone spur in his coffin joint was the cause of my boys front end lameness either, he also has pedal osteitis and that was made worse with remedial shoeing, which was trying to correct the angle of his pedal bone! but now that he's had his shoes removed hes walking better, not landing toe first anymore and can doesn't seem to be lame at all! with shoes on he was 6/10th lame
 
Two of mine have mild changes .
They have had steroid injections into the joint and a drug similar to Tildren I can't remember it's name .
Fatty will do one day week hunting from now on not two ,unlike many people I am continuing to lunge and do a lot of raised pole work with them to keep the joints bending .
Both are still out apart from coming in for feeding and preparation for exercise although Fatty will have to come in a while he's not really onto being out at night in winter the other will stay out .
They are getting joint supp and Fattys is on turmeric they have small lateral extensions on their shoes .
They will get a second tildren type dose in the next fortnight .
Although neither was lame and had only slight reaction to flexions the medication has made a marked difference particularly to Fatty .
Both are high mileage horses in their mid teens .
 
Supplement wise I use flexi joint and some Devils claw mixed in with a small handful of fibre. No other feed or supplements.
I tried tumeric recently but didn't get on well. Within 2 days he went really slow and grumpy and his back end felt a bit odd when I rode. I kept with it for 5 days with the same results so stopped feeding it and within a few days was back to his normal chirpy self. I know this goes against the grain as a lot seem to feed it with success. Was thinking of trying again but not sure?
 
Having them out 24/7, or as much as possible, especially in the winter as the cold naturally makes things worse for them. Just rug appropriately obviously, and the constant movement keeps the joints mobile. Remember, box rest is a diagnostic for arthritis! My previous vet turned his arthritic mare out full time after working with my two oldies, and said it made a noticeable difference.
 
Emmangel said:
A tip if you're looking at magnetic boots (which I incidentally think are a good idea) I researched them recently and decided to go with Equilibrium stable chaps - mainly because you don't have to build up use gradually and they can be left on overnight (and washable). I first looked at Speedgate (which is my local saddlery) and OMG they were £ 80 per pair - I then found them for £ 65.00 and then £ 62.00. Lucky for me they were out of stock, so I looked on Equestrian Clearance and they are £ 38.99 per pair and in stock !! I bought them Equestrian Clearance, they arrived really fast and they're great.
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Great spot! Thanks for sharing :)

Did yours have hock arthritis? Mine is in the hocks (already fused) but she gets stiff in that hind leg, thinking of buying a pair but not sure if they'll help if it's in the hock?

Looks like they only have Cob size- how is the fit? Mine is 15.3hh/16hh but has thick legs...
 
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