Riding on low levels of painkillers - your experiences?

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Ziggy_

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As some of you may know I have a LOU mare, who due to bone spavin is quite stiff, especially in winter. Its noticeable at the start of a ride, and after about 10/15 mins walking she loosens up nicely. At the moment, apart from a slow warm up, we have the go ahead to do whatever activities we want and jump, school, hack etc, within reason - I don't work her on hard ground and she's on a joint supplement.

Anyway, year on year I notice her getting stiffer and stiffer, and I'm pondering the future. I suspect that eventually she will have to live out all year round as she'll get too stiff otherwise, and its very likely her work will be restricted too.

I was wondering if anyone uses low doses of bute or danilon or similar to keep their horse in work?

I've always been very hesitant about using any sort of pain relief, thinking it... unethical? (Not sure if thats' the word I want!) But knowing that my mare loves her work and wouldn't cope with retirement (I turned her away last winter and she hated it) - would it be a feasible option? Do you think its fair on the horse?

She is 12. I intend to keep her for life, I will not consider selling/loaning as a companion, breeding or having her PTS, other than on humane grounds. Nothing against those who do, I just love my big ginger pet whether I can ride her or not.

At present this is all purely theoretical; aside from some morning stiffness she's a sound happy horse at the moment and I'm hoping we've got a good few years left before I'm faced with making a decision, but I'd like to be prepared. If anyone has been in a similar situation, and could let me know the ins and outs, costs, etc, I'd love to hear from them. Alternatively if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them too.
 
If the horse is happiest in work I wouldn't be too worried about using a small amount of bute every day. My old PC horse back in the days of bran mash and thatching had bute every day as he was a little arthritic. He carried on till his late twenties and would have been unhappy sitting in the field as he was a horse that thrived on work.
 
Would not worry me at all, providing it had been oked by a vet etc. I ride a horse who has arthritis in the coffin joint and is sound on 1 bute per day + joint supplement. He is happy in work. Another that I know is only used for occasional hacking now and is on 1 bute every other day, she too is perfectly happy with this
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Have you tried Devils Claw? A friend of mine has started using it on her 18yr large cob. He became extremely still and pottery due to arthritus. It has made a huge difference to him. Just an idea.
 
I would maybe try some joint supplements to help but I would also advise maybe getting a physio/chiro in to give her a good work over. My old pony was very similar to yours in how he started stiff etc he then got very bad following a xc fall. We had a very good physio out and, after two sessions he was better than he'd been for years.

When they have bone spavin, due to them compensating for the stiffness in their hocks they can cause stiffness in other areas so a good massage session can help relieve them. I wouldn't like to put them on bute - mine was on one a day for a couple of years and it caused him severe liver problems and he never really recovered. He was much better when off the painkillers and after he'd been seen by the physio.
 
As long as the vet says she is ok to ride, then using Danilon is no difference to an arthritic person taking a painkiller to go out for a walk or a job, or like me, I need a strong pain killer so I can muck out due to a degenerative disc.
 
Near us is a 30 year old, who is on 1 bute a day due to arthritis. Her owner was telling me there's nothing she likes more than to go for a hack and have a tiny bit of a canter once a week or so, she seems to really enjoy it even if it does make her a little more stiff the next day.
 
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