Riding a horse w/ bone spavin...

tasel

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Ok, so apparently exercise is good for a horse with bone spavin. Many people are told to just ride their horse through it. But how do you cope?

My mare doesn't seem to mind too much being ridden (otherwise, she would be kicking and screaming!!!). I also only do walk and trot as canter is just a no-go area at the moment. Walk seems fine... BUT trot is not so great. I can feel her near hind being higher (because she lands toe first), and also the rhythm is not your usual 2-time trot rhythm because she wants to get onto the other foot as quickly as possible...

Do you just ignore this??? I am feeling so bad and am also slightly self-conscious if other people see me riding her and think I am treating my horse badly, if all I am doing is do as the vet says...
 

cellie

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She probably needs some pain relief.If you dont want to use danilon or bute you could try natural product boswellia from natural horse of ebay.It might take edge or dull ache of her pain.My horse had spavin and was so lame he had surgery but there are other options.
 

indi4

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Have you spoken to your farrier about her spavins, as corrective shoeing can help loads with spavins, as certain shoe's can help support the hocks more.
 

Peacelily

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Is she better on grass?

my little pony had a spavin and he did fine - not saying that this is deffinite but it can be ok,

hope it works out
 

tasel

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She's the same everywhere really... school or not.

Will talk to farrier once shoeing has to be done again. This is really worrying me quite a bit. Hoping it doesn't turn out to be PSD... bone spavin seems to be the lesser of two evils!
 

DuckToller

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I know what you mean about feeling awful. Our little outgrown pony has a suspected spavin, and he is prone to laminitis. I am finding it hard to balance the needs of the spavin (ie out as much as possible) versus the evils of laminitis (in as much as possible!).

A friend's daughter rides him and he was quite lame in trot to start so we did lots of walk. Then after about 10 minutes he was virtually sound, but I feel so awful making him do any work. Off to vets Weds for x ray to get better idea of what's happening.
 

summertoots

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I know how you feel, but don't loose heart. My lad was diagnosed with spavin last year. He had an odd action rather than hoping lame. x-rays showed us it was starting to fuse so we kept him going quietly, got his shoes changed, he went on to eggbars, but wedges are used for spavin as well. I didn't use any drugs, I was very aware as to where I worked him. no deep surfaces, slippy ground or steep ground. By mid summer he was fused and sound so I picked him up again to see what we can do.
A few months later we were back doing dressage, out at clinics and hacking "normaly" for a 30 something person (me not him, he is ten)
A year on and I am doing more with him that ever, I ride him every day, unless the weather realy forces my hand, and he feels fantastic. I still have to be aware that he needs good ground. The school has to be freshly harrowed or he finds it deep (mainly due to the fact we have mad eventers as friends who jump on our surface) when working on grass I will pull out if the going is not right for him, and I dont jump him much now, he gets to pop the odd log now and then but it is a rare thing.
I think I am just trying to say it's not all doom and gloom, I often ride in front of some top trainers and judges and not one of them has spotted a problem, he is very admired and I feel I am so lucky to have such a wonderful horse in my life, spavin or no spavin I wouldn't swap him for any other.
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chestnut cob

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Has your vet seen her or talked to you about treating the spavin?

My boy was diagnosed with spavin in both hocks last Monday. He had both injected with steroid, is having Adequan jabs, a joint supplement and Metacam for the next couple of weeks. Vet also wanted him to have an oesteopath out a couple of times and then physio, as sore hocks made his back sore. I was back on board on Sunday (vet's advice). We have to hack gently for a week, introduce cantering in straight lines in the next week and then crack on as normal. My boy feels great, bigger trot than before (we are not supposed to be trotting... I found this out when he took off down the road
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).

It's definitely worth asking your vet about medicating. My vet wasn't at all worried about my boy having spavin, he said lots of horses have it and still lead a normal life.
 

tasel

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She's already had two courses of Cortisone and also, she's been on Bute the last two weeks which made no difference whatsoever. Vet will come again today, and will see what else can be done.
 
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