Owners of arthritic horses

Tiarella

Tiarella

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How do you manage your arthritic horse? And what level of riding do you do on them?

My little nf pony was diagnosed with arthritis in hocks April time And is quite stiff from loin area down to fetlocks, currently have vet physio working with him to help improve make his back, hindquaters and stifle area stronger to enable to carry himself better. I haven't really done much with him since April as feel mean riding a lame horse but he is getting more stiff so I have starting doing gentle walks with little bits of trot and I trot him up after exercise and seem to have a more sounder horse. Is this just the way it goes?

Does anyone jump their arthritic horse? And compete in dressage novice+
 
Hi just a quick reply as I'm on m phone, feel free to PM me and I'll happily give you more detail.

My boy had had arthritis for 4 years nOw and has got it quite bad in his hocks. It's been managed by various treatments, hyonate injections, tildren and most recently hock injections. Hes on no pain medication and is still sound, he does have some stiff days. It's been about keeping him warm, being on the correct supplements, warming up slowly, physio etc.

He still competes at Elementary level dressage and works medium at home, he jumps for fun and competes at national level within RDA and has started para competitions too.
 
No way would I jump an arthritic horse.
My own boy has had arthritis in his hocks for about 6 years . Now 20 , he is a field ornament , but he s been a wonderful horse and deserves an easy life.Until last year I rode him for gentle hacks , and if he wanted to had a whiz let him do so , even if we cantered only a 150yds or so. Now he doesnt even do that in the field.
having a touch of arthritis myself I know the hot burning pain it gives , and have every sympathy for horses with this condition. I know light exercise eases the stiffness, but if its more painful how is that helping?
If its a bone spavin your horse has he may get better if the bones fuse , but still no jumping , it ll really stress the joints. Keep consulting your vet as the condition does change with time , weather, whether the ground is too hard too soft etc
 
I would not ride a lame horse and do not agree with medications that mask it and then advise to ride it! Other horse owners told me to do this and it was as if my riding was more important than my horse

Mine I tried to keep going(arthritis) just on walks then in hand. He was tripping and went down on front end so that was the last time I rode him.

I tried Devils claw(rubbish and discovered it contains so much sugar..he is good doer). So he is not own 1 bute a day and it works a treat. The only problem I had was his trim so on Saturday farrier coming and I am giving more bute. Otherwise he is a good boy and is happy in himself. Personally I would not put him through injections x rays etc etc (The vet £££ wanted to take him to have loads of tests...horse is about 25ish). Once the pain relief stops working and he is on max dose or he gets unhappy he will be PTS.

But its not easy. Mine is out 24/7 and I think that helps as he is out and about.
He is enjoying his retirement and I have no idea how long it will go on for.
 
My mare stayed supple into her late 20's in relatively light work. She stopped jumping at about 23 as she started to stiffen but was never a big fan. She was still taking off on hacks at 29 but body began to struggle to keep up with brain so I limited her to steady stuff until 31 last year when she fully retired. She's been arthritic for about 10 years. Since she retired she's aged so much.
 
My cob was diagnosed with arthritis in his hocks last year however by the noise his hips click, I think I can generally say his whole back end is arthritic! Vet agreed the best thing was to keep him moving. He suggested injections but I wasn't happy to put him through that at 20 and having only been a happy hacker. If he has a few days off, then he does start to stiffen up. I try not to make him stand for long periods of time when being groomed/bathed/farrier etc as otherwise the first steps walking away he's very sore. He did a 10 mile sponsored ride in April and after an hour walking warm up he felt good enough to bronk, trot and canter full speed up a hill:D

He gets fed linseed and danilon (on a sore/wet/icy days) but if anyone can suggest a supplement that actually works please do share! Tried boswellia, didn't really see much difference and have used devils claw but he lives on fresh air and it has too much sugar. Suggestions on a post card:)
 
indie999 said:
I would not ride a lame horse and do not agree with medications that mask it and then advise to ride it! Other horse owners told me to do this and it was as if my riding was more important than my horse

Mine I tried to keep going(arthritis) just on walks then in hand. He was tripping and went down on front end so that was the last time I rode him.

I tried Devils claw(rubbish and discovered it contains so much sugar..he is good doer). So he is not own 1 bute a day and it works a treat. The only problem I had was his trim so on Saturday farrier coming and I am giving more bute. Otherwise he is a good boy and is happy in himself. Personally I would not put him through injections x rays etc etc (The vet £££ wanted to take him to have loads of tests...horse is about 25ish). Once the pain relief stops working and he is on max dose or he gets unhappy he will be PTS.

But its not easy. Mine is out 24/7 and I think that helps as he is out and about.
He is enjoying his retirement and I have no idea how long it will go on for.
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Keeping the horse as active as you can for as long as you can is imo doing whats best for your horse, arthritis is a funny thing, some days they feel better than others, ive got 2 a 14 yo gelding retired from 10 due to arthritis needing daily danilon, he had more changes and was stiffer than my mare.
I rode my mare for a further 2 yrs on Danilon after her arthritis made her lame unless on every 2nd day analgesia, she'd had hyonate and tildren which alleviated it for a year or so, but she loved her work, all this was with my vets agreement, letting her be the judge of what she was willing to do.
She became a light hacking and polework horse, when her lameness needed daily analgesia, on her good days she was great, her sore days, she got extra pain relief and was left in the field for a couple of days, then ridden/ worked in hand if on a good day, she let me know.
She's retired completely now for the last 4 yrs as her danilon was needed daily to keep her comfortable, she still has regular days where she takes off up the field at a good old pace bucking and winding up the others, when she isnt able to do this and looks weary and tired, thats when i'll say goodbye shes 29 this year and is still looking good.
 
should of explained in more detail, the pony has only just turned 8 so has quite a long life ahead of him. so id rather him not be a field ornament or retired as he loves work. Before being diagnosed he was schooling at novice/elem level and jumping. He is on nothing at the moment, just wears magnetic boots and gets walked/long reined in the morning with physio elastic round bum and then hacked in the evening to keep him moving. Obviously i want to do all I can to keep him happy and by being in light work he seems the happiest. When he is in no work at all, his ears are constantly flat back and is very grumpy, but a happy little chappy when he gets to do work and please.
 
How do you know if you have an arthritic horse on injections/medication when they are wearing off? Is it when they exhibit pain when ridden or is it managed by the vet by giving a regular dosage. I cringe at the thought of an arthritic horse being ridden and showing pain then the vet being called to administer another injection. Please enlighten me...
 
Como said:
How do you know if you have an arthritic horse on injections/medication when they are wearing off? Is it when they exhibit pain when ridden or is it managed by the vet by giving a regular dosage. I cringe at the thought of an arthritic horse being ridden and showing pain then the vet being called to administer another injection. Please enlighten me...
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I havent had mine injected so wouldnt know with him, but horses at work have hock injections yearly and they just become more stiff before the injections are due.

Im trying to go down the supplement,magnetic etc route as ideally dont want anything to mask the pain.
 
The horse is stiff and cannot move freely, he is likely to be in pain, adding pressure to the joints through riding doesn't seem nice to me. I'm off to see my arthritic horse now, stiffness is alleviated by him being turned out 24/7 all year and a supplement called equistro. I would not ride him, but would encourage being walked out in hand to keep them moving as this does help. I have a problem with people doing anything adverse to a horse that is in pain, even low level pain that arthritis does start out as. Each to their own I guess, but dressage and jumping in an arthritic horse! Arghhh. I do know of a horse with severe arthritis in their upper neck, injections and still being ridden, again dressage and jumping, makes me shudder at the thought. Got to go and groom the pony now xxx
 
Como said:
The horse is stiff and cannot move freely, he is likely to be in pain, adding pressure to the joints through riding doesn't seem nice to me. I'm off to see my arthritic horse now, stiffness is alleviated by him being turned out 24/7 all year and a supplement called equistro. I would not ride him, but would encourage being walked out in hand to keep them moving as this does help. I have a problem with people doing anything adverse to a horse that is in pain, even low level pain that arthritis does start out as. Each to their own I guess, but dressage and jumping in an arthritic horse! Arghhh. I do know of a horse with severe arthritis in their upper neck, injections and still being ridden, again dressage and jumping, makes me shudder at the thought. Got to go and groom the pony now xxx
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I dont really have an opinion to be honest, which is why I posted this in the first place. But my boy seems to be in more pain and unhappy when he is just turned out and brought back in and stood still. Doing bits of work that seem to improve his soundness after work and keeps him happy (no more mood swings or ears flat back) imo is not a bad thing as long as he is happy and not getting worse. Humans who suffer arthritis dont just sit in a chair all day letting it get worse, they have to do exercises and move about to free and improve the pain.
 
With my gelding he wasnt able to cope with inclines on hacking and small circles in schooling, his head would come up on walking uphill even on analgesia in all other ways he was fine, he was stiff on walking for first few minutes, then was fine until he came to even a gentle incline.That was enough for me to retire him, he'd had tildren, hyonate and daily analgesia, ok until he hit even a small incline which youll get on any hack and he deserved more than wandering around a school. He has been a field ornament for the last 5 yrs on a billiard table of a field with his mates.
My older mare then 22 became stiff with shortened steps which initially walked off, then she was fine, as this became more often and longer to walk off she was started on danilon every 2nd day and was fine, sound on analgesia doing her regular work but id stopped her jumping. After a few years we upped her danilon to daily when she became stiff at the start of work episodes again this kept her sound for another couple of years, but when she again became stiff in the start of her work i retired her at 24, shes still a bit stiff on turnout in the morning for a few minutes, then in off like a rocket cantering and bucking up the field.
Im happy im doing my best for my guys, i have arthritis in a knee, and some days its sore other days its fine i'll take pain relief on the sore days but without doubt it starts off stiff, not sore but stiff until im moving and then its fine for me to get on with my day, including walking, riding and working.
I wouldnt like to think id be sat in a chair and not allowed to do any walking, riding because of my knee, when its worked, its better than if i do nothing, but i aknowledge some days i need analgesia to let me lead a normal daily life.
 
Yes, my big horse has arthritis everywhere! :( He has ringbone in both forelegs (articular, high and low IIRC) and coffin joint arthritis in his near fore, plus bilateral hock spavins. He's 17.

Medications: over the last couple of years he's had all of the expensive treatments there are... Adequan (he does well on this and gets a course of it every few months), Tildren twice (first time amazing, second time no improvement and it wears off quickly IME). His hocks have been medicated with steroids three times. First time was when the spavins were diagnosed, second time was about 10 months later and third time was about a month ago, which was nearly 2 years after the second time. The hocks meds make a massive difference to him. I also feed linseed meal and he gets Danilon daily (1 or 2 sachets.. he's a big horse.. 17hh IDxTB).

Shoeing: had lateral extensions behind for a while, horrid things and the horse moves far better without them. I changed to a remedial farrier about 18 months ago who shod him with Natural Balance shoes in front. They were a revelation! He's now in just wide webbed rolled toes (similar to NB but without the brand name) which farrier makes himself. He can't be shod with standard toe clip shoes, he gets very stiff and short in front.

Management / work: As much turnout as possible although he does struggle on hard ground so has to come in for part of every day when the ground is hard. He needs to be worked; both farrier and vet have said this. He hunted 7 or 8 days last season and will hopefully manage a couple of days next season too. Yes he has stiff days and he takes a little time to warm up now when working but he enjoys his work. The Danilon makes it easier for him to work, and he's far better when he is in work. I can't be doing with this "I won't work a horse with arthritis" attitude you get from some people. The horse is 17, 18 in 6 months, has had a busy, hard working life (he was 13 when I got him so it's not just down to what I've done with him) so he is never going to be 100% sound. For me it's about knowing the difference between stiff and uncomfortable. Occasionally he has days when he feels stiff and doesn't work through it. On those days we just pootle around the block. Thankfully most days he's raring to go. I have a sharer for him so I don't often ride him now (have a baby horse too)... I hacked him on Saturday and he took off with me three times across a field then jogged all the way home, squeaking and trying to buck. To me that is not a horse who's ready for retirement!! He has more energy than my 6yo. He is schooled lightly once a week, hacks twice (sometimes three times, if I ride him) and I also work him in hand once a week. His sharer hacks him for up to a couple of hours each time and she also does fun rides. He jumps out hunting and on fun rides but no bigger than 2ft6 and only if the ground is good/soft. Never on hard ground.

I gave him a month off when the hunting season finished and he was more unsound/stiff at the end of that month that when the season finished. He needs to be worked and once he does retire, I suspect he'll go down hill very quickly. It took me a while to get over the idea of working a "lame" horse but when he is in work, he's a lot less lame. He's worked 3-4 days a week now instead of the 6 days last summer so I do take into account his age/arthritis but he isn't ready for life as a field ornament yet.
 
Hello I'm prob going ot get yelled at but really don't care :D

My mare is 21, at 16 i got her a lameness work up as she didn't feel right and lo and behold it was DJD/Arthritis in her hocks. I had them injected as vet said at the look of her xrays it would either help or not but in a years time it wouldn't so i thought we had nothing to lose.

So had hocks injected, was on adiquan(SP?) injections for six months and a month after injections was brought back slowly (well we tried slowy after the first ride the bloody cow bag went hooned off round the school as walking for 15 minutes only was not her idea of coming back into work:cool::rolleyes:) Vet said don't jump her as she would find it hard, also for the first year or so don't ask her to work from behind as this would put more pressure on hocks so we did lots of hacking, walk(jog), trot, canter and gallop. She also does long distance rides.

for the first 15/20 mins she is always short behind untill she warms up and losens up then she is fine. she isn't on any painkillers unless she hoons around on hard ground being an idiot, its very cold/icey/snowy or its raining when i notice she is achey. also she has them when she has to be in for long periods i.e worming.
She does have magnet boots and uses them when i think she needs them.

My mare gets more stiff and sore if i don't ride her so i do. she will let me know when it gets too much.....but while she still wants to race the exracer round the feilds (she is 14.3 welsh he is 16.2 tb:cool:) i will still be riding her.

hope this helps

p.s as to the jumping take it slow, my mare hadn't jumped since her injections but last year my sister hacked her round RAF Halton and popped her over the little log by the plane as its tiny, 2'3ish, but she decided that it was 3'f and jumped it accordingly:rolleyes::D
 
Thankyou, chestnut cob and slightly confused. Its nice to see positives in horses with arthritis.

Its so nice to see my boy happy at the moment with the bits of work he is doing, he is too young and just goes all depressed and moody when not in work so i think i will just do whats best for him. Most people/vets/physios do say keep them moving as much as possible so just out of interest of those who have retired their arthritic horses has the condition become worse and is the horse more stiff and are they happier/more depressed?
 
my old boy was diagnosed with arthritis about 4 years agois now 26years old and he had injections in his legs at the time but has never had any since, isnt on any pain relief unless he has bad days and i give him a big dose of glucosamine everyday summer and winter. and ive found this works a treat so might be worth a try for yours.. He lives out in summer and in during winter, rubber matting in winter has really helped.

He has been on semi retirement since been diagnosed and i have to say im more of the opinion light work does help with stiffness and not only physical well being but i think mentally aswell. I know so many horses who are retired and left in field and they go down hill very quickly, i think you need to find a happy medium between making sure their comfortable but still working them to a point which gives them a job. he gets hacked out betwen 2-3 times a week only walk occasional trot when feeling good.

i would never put him on a bute a day as personally as i think the side affects of this when on for considerable length of time eg liver failure outweighs the possitives it provides. This is just an opinion and im sure some people wont agree but only going on past experiences of seeing horses with liver failure caused by prolonged bute usage and would never want to put mine through that. ive heard danilon is much better and think id be more enclined to go down this route.

I think you the owner should decide whats for best for him work wise if its too much hel tell you if not let him enjoy it and you. I dont think you should discard riding just because of arthritis though..

you wouldnt discard your grandma from a shopping spree round town just because she has arthritis youd just plan it better and have more breaks..

just my opinion.. good luck with him and enjoy
 
smelly_horse said:
Thankyou, chestnut cob and slightly confused. Its nice to see positives in horses with arthritis.

Its so nice to see my boy happy at the moment with the bits of work he is doing, he is too young and just goes all depressed and moody when not in work so i think i will just do whats best for him. Most people/vets/physios do say keep them moving as much as possible so just out of interest of those who have retired their arthritic horses has the condition become worse and is the horse more stiff and are they happier/more depressed?
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I tried to retire mine last year.. he hated it and was thoroughly depressed. He also doesn't like 24/7 turnout, he likes to come in, be fussed (even though he can be a miserable git at times!!), he likes his routine. I think it's about the right sort of work. The yard I was at last year had crap hacking which was all on roads and very dull. When I moved yards (to current place) I upped his work because the hacking is fab... miles of off road bridleways, fields, tracks, woods, all sorts. He loves it and would hack all day now. He also didn't enjoy his holiday after hunting this year that much. Was quite happy for a couple of weeks but then he started to get fed up. I aimed to give him 6 weeks or more off but brought him back into work after 4 weeks and he was much happier. He stiffened up a lot in that month off so I'd say yes, the condition did get worse.

I think you just have to find the right type of work for him. It took me a while to work out what he can and can't do. My sharer has him sussed too, which helps.. he does a great impression of "I'm so lame I can't be schooled" but in fact he's just bone idle in the arena because he'll "school" all day long on a hack including lateral work!! ;)

ETA I've just seen the post above about liver failure. I asked my vet about this.. he told me that at 17, my horse's bad joints will see him off long before the Danilon side effects!
 
Thats great news, i was lead to believe that danilon side effects are much less than that of bute and this would be something i will consider for my boy when i feel the time is right.. at 26 now i think we should be okay then.. thanks for that.. :) totally agree with finding the right level of work for you and your horse, and mine too get grumpy when not doing anything at all..
 
Injections / medication to a certain joint is fine but I would give him something like Flex or such which is a non drug supplement . Nobute or such is very good.

I would keep gentle exercising the pony. Gentle exercise will help him.

Physio and gentle massage will also help
 
wildcard said:
Thats great news, i was lead to believe that danilon side effects are much less than that of bute and this would be something i will consider for my boy when i feel the time is right.. at 26 now i think we should be okay then.. thanks for that.. :) totally agree with finding the right level of work for you and your horse, and mine too get grumpy when not doing anything at all..
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The other thing I would say is that there are (put simply) two choices... you can bute the horse so he is comfortable and possibly able to work. Or you can not bute him then he is uncomfortable and chucked in a field (still uncomfortable, probably). The bute might shorten his life but at least the shorter life will be comfortable. In my horse's case, maybe buting him does mean some pain is masked and he is worked harder than he would if he didn't get bute. And I do understand that this will shorten his working life. But I would much prefer he had a shorter, pain free working life (or life in general) than a longer, uncomfortable in and out of work life. There's no choice there for me.
 
As with every other thread on these forums, and as with every other persons opinion on a yard, you will have a wide range of responses. I do think it's a great pity some of them are worded so judgementally. My boy had bone spavin diagnosed at 12 - had the injections, and has not looked back. We too were advised to cut down on circles and jumping which i did. I have read all of these responses and what stood out for me was the OP saying they were relieved that the was a positive note perhaps. Of course there is! Please dont give up on your horse because of this diagnosis. As many of these responses have said, it is a case of working out the best management for your individual horse, and sticking to it. My boy is now 23 - we hack out 3/4 times per week unless the ground is very hard. I have arthritis myself but if you told me i couldnt go shopping or riding because of the diagnosis i would be horrified! I have good days and bad days and so do our horses. The skill with the equine management is getting to know what conditions (ground and weather) are advantageous and which are not. The problem for us owners is not the arthritis itself but the fact that the horse has to work out a way to communicate to us that this is a good/ bad day.
 
Rosie had arthritis in her fetlocks and in hindsight probably had it for many years before a different vet did some different tests after yet another bout of random lameness. Just before I took her back here it had gone to a coffin joint in one hind and a hock in the other. She was kept in a good level of work and out with a herd so plenty of movement in the field, but she really struggled in winter. She came back up to Norfolk to 'retire' with me and mainly through cost implications she got cut right back and was only fed hay/straw (fast fibre for vits/mins), had her shoes taken off. Within weeks I noticed a difference in riding, her windgalls also flared up less. She was kept on this diet (no sugar at all, very rare treats for christmas and birthdays) and she was being shown at county level and schooling at home to medium. We went from being off several times a year because of not being right or lame, to only having 2, maybe 3 bouts of lameness over the 4 years she was up here - one of which was an abcess. If she felt or looked a bit stiff she was given danilon once a day, but for no more than about 3 days at a time.

BEcause of other health issues she was then retired completely (maybe odd walk around the farm) and by then end, despite being out 24/7 you could really see her slow up. She went from bombing over the hill to greet you, to walking in that funny gaited walk that stiff/uncomfortable horses do.

However, she was at least 25 when she went.

There was a horse on the yard that had arthritis in his hocks and he had the injections, physio, even had one hock fused. He spent more time lame than being ridden, but I do feel that some of that was more due to over molly-coddling and being kept with too much weight on so added pressure to his joints. But he did start to 'come right' with careful work, and was even jumping 2'6 without any issues. I think he would've carried on being a good all-round horse for a happy hacker and low-level competing, however he had a DDFT injury from doing cartwheels in the field and it was felt with the arthritis as well the prognosis wasn't great so was pts :(
 
Forgot to say - I used stable chaps overnight during the winter when Rosie was in. Also, it isn't always the traditional cold wet/damp conditions that make things more painful, both Rosie and my mum (who has arthiritis in her hands) found hot, dry days bad.
 
cornbrodolly said:
No way would I jump an arthritic horse.
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You'd be hard pushed finding any working horse over the age of about 10 which doesn't show arthritic changes somewhere, arthritis is actually pretty much a natural process. Writing them off immediately as companions does no good whatsoever IMO.

Mine showed some arthritic changes on his hocks aged 12, and continued to work and compete (eventing, team chasing, dressage, you name it!) until a field injury at 20 resulted in his retirement. He never had a lame day and never needed any treatment whatsoever..

Personally I don't agree with giving systemic NSAIDs and continuing to ride, certainly not competition work or jumping.

Mine now lives out 24/7 as much as possible, although prefers to come in during extreme weather conditions. I try and ensure he is kept warm, and will have thermatex wraps on if he is stabled. He also walks in hand daily; if he had not injured his tendon last year he would still be in ridden work.

Arthritis does not have a 'one size fits all' solution :)
 
Arthritis does not have a 'one size fits all' solution :)[/QUOTE]

totally agree with this, you have to do whatever best for each individual horse and listen to what your horse is telling you
 
My pony was retired last year because of suspensory ligament damage and arthritis. The vet said she could not be ridden again because of the suspensory ligament damage but had it just been arthritis if would have said ride. She is out 24/7 and has days when she bombs around with the others and days when she cannot keep up and stays still while the others gallop around. She also has days when she is clearly feeling it.

I think plenty of sympathetic exercise is good. A lot of turnout is good. Keeping them warm enough is important too. I would not jump an arthritic horse nor spend too much time on circles or going across hills. Ridden exercise is fine provided you manage the pain.

Ultimately the owner sees the horse every day and will develop sensitivity towards good and bad days. It helps to get someone who knows the horse but does not see them too often to give you feedback too so you are aware of a more general decline.

There is plenty to be positive about as horses like humans with arthritis benefit from lots of exercise it is just that it comes with extra considerations.
 
chestnut cob said:
I tried to retire mine last year.. he hated it and was thoroughly depressed. He also doesn't like 24/7 turnout, he likes to come in, be fussed (even though he can be a miserable git at times!!), he likes his routine. I think it's about the right sort of work. The yard I was at last year had crap hacking which was all on roads and very dull. When I moved yards (to current place) I upped his work because the hacking is fab... miles of off road bridleways, fields, tracks, woods, all sorts. He loves it and would hack all day now. He also didn't enjoy his holiday after hunting this year that much. Was quite happy for a couple of weeks but then he started to get fed up. I aimed to give him 6 weeks or more off but brought him back into work after 4 weeks and he was much happier. He stiffened up a lot in that month off so I'd say yes, the condition did get worse.

I think you just have to find the right type of work for him. It took me a while to work out what he can and can't do. My sharer has him sussed too, which helps.. he does a great impression of "I'm so lame I can't be schooled" but in fact he's just bone idle in the arena because he'll "school" all day long on a hack including lateral work!! ;)

ETA I've just seen the post above about liver failure. I asked my vet about this.. he told me that at 17, my horse's bad joints will see him off long before the Danilon side effects!
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Agree with this, you do whats right for your horse, some are miserable in retirement and need to do some sort of work, i am a firm believer that the horse will let you know, both mine have been on danilon for years, and i have lft bloods done every other year, all are fine
 
I sadly had my 27 year old mare put down in April after she broke her very arthritic hock in the field, she'd been retired for 8 weeks.
She competed BSJA her whole life and started to stiffen up a little when she was about 20. We put her onto superflex which made a huge and amazing difference, I certainly wasn't expecting it to and thought we were at the point where she needed bute or danilon. Horse was still very keen to work and very happy being ridden and was never actually lame, we could just tell as we'd had her so long that she didn't have the range of movement she'd had in her youth. At 23 we stopped jumping her as even though she was still keen and willing her action over a fence looked stiff so we decided for her that she needed to stop as she would have kept going forever! She was then hacked out gently for the remaining years, about 4-5 times a week. If she ever had a few days off in a row she'd be miserable and would become more stiff and she mugged anyone who went into the paddock with a headcollar for any of the other horses! We retired her in February this year when she started to become unsound on that hock. We had it xrayed and it showed advanced arthritic changes. Up to this point, as I said, even though she was 'stiff' she was never lame. On good friday I went to feed her and her hock was huge, we had her put down straight away. She was still bright and happy and ate her tea! It affects them all so differently, some just get on with it and some don't cope so well. This little mare coped remarkably well and it still amazes me that she didn't go lame until the very end.
 
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