Struggling to keep old Grade A mare sound.... would love advice please....

[tinkerbelle100]

I am a new user on here and hope some of you can offer some advice / have experience you could share with me.

I have a 20 year old Grade A mare who I have had on loan for about a year. She is a true competition horse and absolutely loves her jumping and going out competing. I have only jumped her quite lightly since I have had her as she had an injury in the field which kept her out of action for 4 months. However, she came back into work really well and I have carefully given her time to get back to fitness. The problem is that even though she is on regular work ( and not taxing work, just hacking and schooling to keep her ticking over, happy and supple - I rarely jump her at home), she keeps going intermittently between 1-3 /10th lame. I then give her a couple of days off and she seems to come right only for it to happen again. Maybe I am putting off the inevitable but she has such a joy for life that she would be utterly miserable retired and out in a field. Unfortunately being a feisty chestnut mare she is not everyone's ride and therefore would not be suitable for a happy hacker life .

I jump her mainly in 1m opens and the 1m amateur classes (having dropped back from the 1.05 / 1.10's last year) as I am aware that I do not want to overstretch her and want to keep her out enjoying herself as much as possible - however, its not the height that is the issue as she would happily pop round a 1.20m. I am just trying to maintain her as best as possible and give her a great quality of life that enables her to continue doing what she loves best. We were at Hickstead last week for 2 days, which she loved and produced excellent clears but today after a day off we are back to the 3/10 lame in trot up again. I only jump one class at each show also so not to push her too much....

She is on 16+, a little oil, and cortaflex and superfen and the odd bute when she is feeling stiff to take the edge off for her. She is out during the night to enable her to wander around and stretch and in during the day. She is also treated by a physio every month.

I would love to just maintain her for as long as possible and let her continue but her intermittent lameness is becoming more common. She is not unhappy in herself in anyway and is simply just feeling the effects of a successful jumping career - as you may have gathered I adore this mare and would love to hear any tips than anyone has used to treat their old competition horses. I have always said that the day she doesn't want to jump anymore or isn't enjoying her work then she will retire - I am hoping that that day doesn't seem to have come yet but her body can't seem to keep up with her happy little head!

Thanks in advance......

 

[wench]

vet?

 

[annunziata]

I would speak to your vet as it will most likely be arthritis so maybe they could inject her joint with cortozone??? This is how we maintained my sisters jumping horse in his 20's. Bar that I would get a good physio maybe jump smaller classes so there is less strain on her joints pop her on some cider vinegar as well

 

[ihatework]

Is it on a particular limb and do you know why she keeps going lame on it?

It may be if she has some form of DJD/arthritis that she may benefit from joint injections.

 

[niamh]

It could be anything from the pedal bone up to a twinge in a shoulder muscle. Impossible to tell from here

Back man to look at her then a vet if he can't find any muscular problem.

Number one cause of lameness in Top show horses is navicular disease of course..but let's not be gloomy

 

[Auslander]

I agree with the 'vet' comments. I have a 15yr old dressage horse, who is stiff behind (lame when flexion tested hard). He has recently had a full workup, incl x-rays and scans of hocks, stifles and suspensories - which has given us a good idea of what's up, and what we need to do to keep him ticking over. He had Tildren and shockwave last week, and will have two more sessions of shockwave before rescanning, is now on a vet prescribed glucosamine supplement, and will have HA injections in his hocks/one of his stifles if the vet feels its necessary.

I bought him (for a token amount) knowing full well that he had issues - I'm a softy at heart. He's sound enough to mess about on in the school, and hack about - but wouldn't stand up to serious work. He's not aware of this though - he thinks he's a demi-god!