older horse arthritis

H

hunteress

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 September 2001
Messages
879
Visit site
my horse is 16 years now i have never kept them for this long before always sold on about 7yrs ive had him since 4years he's my forever horse and i will never sell him he has a very strong character . he started being a little short in front the farrier and vet said it was bruised he had a course of bute and we are now hacking again he has Mctimoney every 3 months he is hunted twice a week in the season but not hammered !! although he we have upped the gear a little ie; canter work sometimes when we start to trot he evades this and go's short again i give him a kick and growl and he's fine is this just getting out of work !!! he's a lightweight cob what would you do scan xray ets as of his age or just bute him actually its the kinder bute a little more expensive but better for the tummy . Tell me your story's and medication you did and used.
 
I don't think many horses will have the ability to fake lameness in order to get out of work, even if they could you would have to ask yourself why a happy horse that has a fun life should decide to do so.

You basically have two options, either bute him up and keep going not knowing what it is causing the lameness until he breaks or get the vet out to examine him fully, nerve blocks probably then scans or xrays depending on what shows up, and give a proper diagnosis which may or may not be treatable but should be manageable, it may even be that bute is the recommended treatment but I would want to know what was going on so I could make an informed decision rather than medicating without knowing what is wrong.
 
be positive said:
I don't think many horses will have the ability to fake lameness in order to get out of work, even if they could you would have to ask yourself why a happy horse that has a fun life should decide to do so.
.
Click to expand...

I agree with be positive.I agreee with Be Positive that horses cannot fake lameness as they do not have the same thought patterns as us so cannot get out of work by faking lameness. I do think bridle lameness is a very real thing as I've experienced it myself. I also know that if my horse has ever been in pain he's told me quick enough by depositing me on the ground or refusing fences or not going forwards and I've had him examined within a few days.
Your best bet is to get a lameness work up done on your horse so the vet will be able to pin point the problem and then offer you an appropriate coure of treatment. My horse was diagnosed with this, and xrays when he had arthritis in his hocks. He had various treatments which worked for a time, before they stopped being effective, and then in about 2012/2013 his hocks were fused with ethanol which was very effective. He was back jumping within a few months, and hasn't looked back. He also was diagnosed with coffin joint arthritis which has been treated by injection 3 times in over 11 1/2 years so I am guessing that although the arthritis was showing on the xray it was just a coincidence as the vet has since admitted it would be very unusual for a horse to go four to five years between treatments!

Bute is very effective and I've heard of a 18hh shire on quarter of a sachet a day remaining sound and my friends horse was on a sachet every day for over ten years before he was put down at the age of 28 so I wouldn't worry to much about organ damage, my vet has stated that old age normally catches them before the effects of bute will.



If he is going short in trot but okay in canter then its probably because he's using a different muscle group. My physio once told me that many horses that prefer canter to trot is because trot is more painful for them. Arthritis is not the end of the world, so long as you keep them in regular work, reduce their weight and increase their turnout.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sometimes short in front means they are sore in front as the backs are not working properly, so the fronts are doing all the work which is tiring, shortening stride to compensate is a common symptom of this.

Your description immediately makes my gut think Ohh I wonder how his hocks are feeling? I'd get the vet to do a check up, you may be surprised which legs are the poorly ones if any, or indeed he could just have bruised himself - I think I'd want to know for sure though especially as he is your forever horse. You could save yourself and your horse some problems if you sort the niggle out now, it could save your boy from getting worse without intervention. Good luck, let us know how he is.
 
Thank you so much for all your reply's I did think bridle lameness the vet has been but I think I'll go a little further down the line farrier is very good as well he helps my boy with how he shoes him now he's getting older and he has very strong feet . Sometimes we are too sensitive arn't we I ride every step with him x
 
hunteress said:
Thank you so much for all your reply's I did think bridle lameness the vet has been but I think I'll go a little further down the line farrier is very good as well he helps my boy with how he shoes him now he's getting older and he has very strong feet . Sometimes we are too sensitive arn't we I ride every step with him x
Click to expand...

Ummmmm not quite sure how to read your last post so do forgive me if I've got it wrong! :)

The vet has been out.....fine, and done what? Full lameness workup, including blocks?

Glad you have a good farrier and they can do much to help.....no toe clips for instance in front as well as the obvious medial-lateral balancing and ensuring toe is not too long etc etc.

I personally don't think we can be too sensitive when riding.....so many people do not have any degree of feel.....so unsure what you are getting at here.

In my opinion, for what little it is worth, it is unlikely that a horse that you have owned for 12 years is suddenly going to go bridle lame on you UNLESS you have a) dramatically changed your style of riding or b) horse has a (latent) physical or (possibly) psychological problem - the latter due to remembered pain.

Just a few things to consider and just, as I say, my humble thoughts....
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that I am blunt too but find it difficult to put down in words he has always been a little sensitive anyway about work ,hacking as I suppose he finds it boring compared to hunting as he is a 100 % hunt horse he has got a very strong character and will pull wool if I let him ,but I love him for that he is a very intelligent horse I do have feel for my horses and my dogs too he is insured and comes from a five * home I just wondered how other people coped and got on with older horses when you meet with arthritis ,stiffer when older etc I know a lot of it is common sense ! He is otherwise fit and looking shiny good and also for a cob not too fat going into autumn hunting thanks for you
gunnergundog said:
Ummmmm not quite sure how to read your last post so do forgive me if I've got it wrong! :)

The vet has been out.....fine, and done what? Full lameness workup, including blocks?

Glad you have a good farrier and they can do much to help.....no toe clips for instance in front as well as the obvious medial-lateral balancing and ensuring toe is not too long etc etc.

I personally don't think we can be too sensitive when riding.....so many people do not have any degree of feel.....so unsure what you are getting at here.

In my opinion, for what little it is worth, it is unlikely that a horse that you have owned for 12 years is suddenly going to go bridle lame on you UNLESS you have a) dramatically changed your style of riding or b) horse has a (latent) physical or (possibly) psychological problem - the latter due to remembered pain.

Just a few things to consider and just, as I say, my humble thoughts....
Click to expand...
 
gunnergundog said:
I personally don't think we can be too sensitive when riding.....so many people do not have any degree of feel.....so unsure what you are getting at here.

QUOTE]

Hi Gunnerdog

My interpretation of what the OP meant was that when you think there is something wrong with your horse you feel every step it takes ten times more than you would if you didn't think anything was wrong. Therefore you tend to notice things that you never noticed before, the way of going of your horse was probably the same but in your mind it feels differently because you suspect a problem. Sometimes you can look for things that aren't there or look to hard for something in your mind and every slight trip, miss step or slight waver has you going overboard and diagnosing every thing under the sun.

I get where she is coming from. :)
Now when my horse recovers from an injury I try not to monitor literally every step, instead I go by willingness to work (which is different to 'my mates have gone out in the field and I can't be bothered to school tonight so will give you minimal effort') and if there is any heat/swelling in any limb and find that this is a good scale to work to.
Click to expand...
 
Also suggest a proper work up with your vet. My 18yr old has recently been diagnosed with arthritis & had a course of cartrophen jabs. It has made a huge difference.
 
OP - there is a thread in the hunting pages about hunting a hrose with navicular which discusses this a bit.

my own two are both 21 this year, and are both hunting still (well, will be when we get to the season!) about once a week, like yours they're not hammered though. The key is managing it when you know what the problem is. Tom has spavin, sidebone and generally arthritic changes. Ron has 'general wear and tear' from 18 years hunting. They are both given the Hack-Up bespoke joint supplement (works out better value than most joint supplements, and has made a huge difference to them), and Tom gets bute as and when he needs some to be comfortable.

If he gets to the stage where he needs bute after every days' hunting then we'll retire him from it. Our vet is in full support of this attitude, saying he'd rather see a busy happy horse getting some pain relief than a bored, stiff horse in the field.
 
My 20 year old was diagnosed with arthritis in the coffin joints of both front feet just over two years ago - started to notice him becoming a bit short & eventually went lame, he was in full work (5/6 days a week & competed every other weekend). I was totally devastated at the time, he had never blocks & X-rays to determine the lameness. He had the joints injected which didn't make any difference, looking back I would not have bothered with it now, it was only on the advice of the vet. We tried all kinds of joint supplements & pads & corrective shoeing to make him more comfortable but that actually made him worse. He had a course of cartrofen injections afterwards which were great & lasted about three months but it's costly to keep on top of & I felt like I was masking the pain so I decided to try & manage it myself. I adjusted his workload, don't jump him big or on hard ground & added turmeric & aloe Vera to his diet. He now looks & feels fantastic! He's still in work several times a week, does pleasure rides & beach holidays (where he's ridden twice a day for 3 days), rallies & fun days & still jumps round a small course of SJ & XC. I give him the odd danilon when/if I think he needs it but other than that, he's still having the time of his life, as am I :-)
 
hunteress said:
Thank you so much for all your reply's I did think bridle lameness the vet has been but I think I'll go a little further down the line farrier is very good as well he helps my boy with how he shoes him now he's getting older and he has very strong feet . Sometimes we are too sensitive arn't we I ride every step with him x
Click to expand...

This jumped out at me. Shoeing shouldn't need to be adjusted with age if the feet are healthy. So I'd be investigating bi-lateral front foot pain in the first instance with my vet.
 
L11GHH said:
My 20 year old was diagnosed with arthritis in the coffin joints of both front feet just over two years ago - started to notice him becoming a bit short & eventually went lame, he was in full work (5/6 days a week & competed every other weekend). I was totally devastated at the time, he had never blocks & X-rays to determine the lameness. He had the joints injected which didn't make any difference, looking back I would not have bothered with it now, it was only on the advice of the vet. We tried all kinds of joint supplements & pads & corrective shoeing to make him more comfortable but that actually made him worse. He had a course of cartrofen injections afterwards which were great & lasted about three months but it's costly to keep on top of & I felt like I was masking the pain so I decided to try & manage it myself. I adjusted his workload, don't jump him big or on hard ground & added turmeric & aloe Vera to his diet. He now looks & feels fantastic! He's still in work several times a week, does pleasure rides & beach holidays (where he's ridden twice a day for 3 days), rallies & fun days & still jumps round a small course of SJ & XC. I give him the odd danilon when/if I think he needs it but other than that, he's still having the time of his life, as am I :-)
Click to expand...

Good on you, glad to hear that you didn't give up on him. Sometimes adjusting the workload and keeping them ticking over is a much better option than retiring them or putting them to sleep. My boys going great, so glad I didn't take the advice of those that said pts :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top