Rockley - Arthritis

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catherine22

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Has anyone's horse been to rockley farm with arthritis issues - pastern arthritis (currently active and horse is lame), bilateral coffin joint djd and hock spavins?

He has been barefoot since the start of this year but is still struggling, he's lame because of the pastern arthritis and xrays today show he only has 5mm of sole. I can see barefoot helping because of the reduction in shock but as arthritis is degenerative (and his seems to be happening quickly) I'm not sure how long term things will be if I can't get him sound
 
Hi, I am going through the same with my horse, hoping to send him for a MRI soon, I hope others can help you better but when I researched it going barefoot made no difference to this type of arthritis, personally I have decided to try the shod route but my research showed that it made no difference either, just a case of time will tell. If you can afford or the insurance will pay you have nothing to lose by sending him. Out of interest has the vet injected the joint or given you any supplements?
 
He's been injected previously (coffin joints and hocks) but it made very little difference and vet has said there is no point doing it again as we're only patching him up and theres only so many patches you can stick on, same with joint supplements. He seems to be so advanced with it all they won't make any difference. I'm just not sure if its worth uprooting him, and paying out (insurance will only pay some of rockley) for everything to be the same
 
I totally know what you mean and I have been having the same argument with myself over the MRI tbh (he is very needle phobic) but I have come to the conclusion I need a diagnosis (only suspected as he couldn't do the nerve blocks that would 100% confirm as the horse lost the plot) and where he is going are aware of his issue and we have a plan of action to try and get this done. My vet has told me that he feels he should be PTS but is happy for me to try a few things for a little while if he isn't suffering to badly. Have you contacted Rockley's I have heard they are very good at advice if you have photos etc. She should be able to let you know if they can help. Is his arthritis a conformational fault? I ask as they feel my horse has developed it because the bones in his leg aren't straight.
 
Not sure if Rockley is the place for your horse but Nic is very knowledgeable and helpful, she is the best person to answer this question.07725 555 245.
 
We've got it all confirmed (my horse loves his vet!) mine is in pain, as being on bute makes no difference and he's not even field sound atm due to the mud - hopefully. Hes going into a mud free paddock for a month as a last resort, because if he doesn't come sound then, its unlikely he ever will :-(
His conformation is very upright which doesn't help. I will email Nic and see what experiences she's had with these issues
 
Same mine is on 3 a day and not sound :( he isn't out as other things have occurred stopping him going out but he is suppose to be going out tomorrow, I do hope he is no worse in the evening :(
 
I have had several referrals with this problem, when thin sole are present I often recommend boots with frog pressure pads when travelling over any conflicting surfaces.
I am sure you understand that your horse’s unsoundness is coming from concussional impact being absorbed by the imperfect joints.
Self balance can play a large part in getting a horse more comfortable and helping it to compromise for any imperfections.
But please be aware when things are breaking down within a joint it is not always possible for the animal to find a way of compromising without discomfort.
I don’t think you have given the age of the horse, but if it is in the autumn of it’s years then it is very much harder to get an improvement within the joint, it is often possible to improve the sole, digital cushion and wall, this will strengthen the capsule that is supporting the troubled leg, and can often lead to more comfort and a longer happier life.
Good luck:
 
My personal gut feeling is that if the pain source of pain is the arthritis and his foot balance etc is already good then the benefits of going somewhere like Rockley would perhaps be limited. If the thin sole is a major contributing factor though and his feet aren't in great shape at the moment then improving them may help him be able to cope better with the other stuff (whether this would lead to an acceptable reduction in the level of pain is anyone's guess). Difficult one to call as arthritis isn't curable and won't go away but tweaks in management can make a big difference sometimes (other times they can do precisely nothing)
 
Thanks all, hf- hes 13 and to make it worse all legs are affected to some degree Boulty - that's exactly my worry. I can throw time and money at this problem but ultimately I'm not going to fix it and probably I'm not even going to help it. I have emailed Nic at Rockley to get her advice/experiences so I'll see what she comes back with
 
I went to a talk once by Pete Ramey - barefoot hoof specialist from the USA - who gave us a warning. In his early days of "barefoot" he would buy up lame animals very cheaply and then re-hab them and get them sound again and working and happy. Except for one mare. He said he must have put her through months of hell, as he was trying everything he knew to get her sound - he was convinced she would get better - but it was her bone that was affected and she could never recover and in the end she was PTS.

This isn't to say that there is nothing to help your horse, only that not everything can be cured.
 
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