Should a horse with bone spavin jump?

[Wagtail]

My new horse was kicked on his hock in the field last year. When it was xrayed it showed a bone chip and also some marked changes to the lower bones of the hock. This was mirrored in his other hock (minus the bone fragment). He was operated on and has recovered nicely and I am schooling him fo around 45 minutes every other day. I used to show jump but not bothered any more so hadn't intended to jump him. However, yesterday during a play session with my mare he did a series of bucks and rears, then a huge leap. I hve never in my life with horses seen a horse leap so high at liberty. He could have cleared a 6 foot oxer. Anyway, that got me thinking. Should I jump him? It's no a big deal if I don't, I just hate to see talent going to waste.

 

[touchstone]

I'd have a chat with your vet as he is the one who knows your horse and the situation best.

Personally I wouldn't be comfortable jumping big fences, but possibly smaller ones providing the horse was okay and not suffering afterwards, on the advice of the vet; but then I tend to be quite cautious anyway!

Worth remembering that leaping about at liberty is a different kettle of fish to carrying a rider too.

 

[Wagtail]

I'd have a chat with your vet as he is the one who knows your horse and the situation best.

Personally I wouldn't be comfortable jumping big fences, but possibly smaller ones providing the horse was okay and not suffering afterwards, on the advice of the vet; but then I tend to be quite cautious anyway!

Worth remembering that leaping about at liberty is a different kettle of fish to carrying a rider too.

Yes, hauling my ten stone over fences would not be quite so easy! It is just it is the highest leap I have seen a horse do at liberty (in 30 years). I don't want to do anything to risk his hocks though. I will try to speak with the specialist who operated on him. He did say that h expected him to return to 'full athletic soundness'.

 

[soulfull]

pidgeon's horse has had treatment twice and still started BE this year and jumps 3ft 3in all the time. But she had the ok from vet

 

[cptrayes]

If he's sound and happy to do it and not made unsound by it, why wouldn't you? There are plenty of horses doing high level work with fused spavins. Why pay a vet £100 callout and advice, just listen carefully to your horse, he'll tell you.

 

[AmyMay]

If he can cope with 45 mins of school work several times a week - then I can't see popping the odd fence would hurt at all.

My horse had a bone spavin and couldn't work in the school full stop - so your boy seems to be coping pretty well by the sounds of it.

 

[Wagtail]

Thank you. He is doing really well at walk and trot. I am now trying to sort out his unbalanced canter. If he can do lots of canter work and take weight back on his hocks with no detrimental effects then I may introduce some pole work and small jumps and see how he goes.

 

[AmyMay]

I am now trying to sort out his unbalanced canter.

Unless he is genuinly unbalanced - and was before the bone spavin and kick - this could actually be a sign that he's struggling.

This was one of the key indicators for me and my horse - hence withdrawing from all schooling and training sessions in the school (or anywhere actually).

 

[Birker2020]

My new horse was kicked on his hock in the field last year. When it was xrayed it showed a bone chip and also some marked changes to the lower bones of the hock. This was mirrored in his other hock (minus the bone fragment). He was operated on and has recovered nicely and I am schooling him fo around 45 minutes every other day. I used to show jump but not bothered any more so hadn't intended to jump him. However, yesterday during a play session with my mare he did a series of bucks and rears, then a huge leap. I hve never in my life with horses seen a horse leap so high at liberty. He could have cleared a 6 foot oxer. Anyway, that got me thinking. Should I jump him? It's no a big deal if I don't, I just hate to see talent going to waste.

I jump my horse with bone spavin. He had three lots of tildren and intra articular injections, box rest, and controlled exercise to get back to fitness. I do one day events, show jumping and unaff elem dressage with him and he's fine although I do pick my surfaces and do give him bute equivalent when I compete him. Like a previous poster says just because a horse can jump high at liberty, or even one high fence high whilst ridden doesn't mean it will be suitable for jumping large show jumping tracks with fillers, related distances and jump offs. Completely irrelevant to be honest.

 

[Wagtail]

Unless he is genuinly unbalanced - and was before the bone spavin and kick - this could actually be a sign that he's struggling.

This was one of the key indicators for me and my horse - hence withdrawing from all schooling and training sessions in the school (or anywhere actually).

His main problem is with lateral bend in canter. I have worked through the same problem in walk and trot and he is now working really comfortably and easily on both reins. In canter he is getting better all the time and does some really nice work ridden. It is on the lunge where we have most of the problems with him bending to the outside and therefore being unbalanced. Yes, his canter was terrible and unbalanced before the kick, but obviously it COULD be due to the spavin as he would have had those when I bought him. However, the fact that his trot was terrible too and has been sorted out with schooling makes me think the same will happen with his canter. So far the improvement has been vast.

 

[Wagtail]

I jump my horse with bone spavin. He had three lots of tildren and intra articular injections, box rest, and controlled exercise to get back to fitness. I do one day events, show jumping and unaff elem dressage with him and he's fine although I do pick my surfaces and do give him bute equivalent when I compete him. Like a previous poster says just because a horse can jump high at liberty, or even one high fence high whilst ridden doesn't mean it will be suitable for jumping large show jumping tracks with fillers, related distances and jump offs. Completely irrelevant to be honest.

Very true!