Turn away a horse with athritis?

[Hanovarian Mare]

Does anyone have experience with horses turned out all year with athritic conditions? Would you recommend / not recommend?

My horse (19 yo warmblood) had spavin quite badly on both legs and had an op 2 years ago and is now semi-retired. He is turned out all day, because I feel having him move around as much is important, but comes in at night. He gets one bute a day, less makes him unsound.

Someone suggested that when the day comes when I want to retire him completely, I should just turn him away to live in a field with mates 24/7 summer or winter. Must say, my horse is not used to it, and just being wet or just being cold are things horses can deal with, but I am sure that when horses get cold and wet and have athritis - they would not find it so great.

Has anyone tried and did this work, or am I just overprotective?

Thanks

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

We have a horse on the yard who is about 30 who is seriously arthritic and she lives on a hill and is blooming. She looks pretty stiff but keeps active and she's out without a rug on at all. Her owner has said if it rains solidly for days she will bring her in once in a while just to get dry but other than that she just leaves her. Horses do adapt pretty well and so I'm sure you wouldn't need to worry.

 

[YorkshireLass]

I have a retired TB who live out all year with no rugs and shes perfectly happy! I have 2 large field shelters and she doesn't use them, she prefers to stand behind the hedge or down in the dip.

It would depend upon the land, ie how much natural shelter.

If you aclimatised the horse to living out all would be well I am sure.

A stabled horse can not move about to keep warm. Stabling can be much colder for a horse than one that is turned out in a field with decent natural shelter.

 

[Blizzard]

Lance is nearly 19, warmblood, lives out 24/7/365 and is only in light work, does hardly anything over winter, the odd hack.

he copes fine and its much better for them to be out if they can, stops them getting stiff standing in.

 

[mickey]

I think your horse will probably benefit from walking about (hence being turned out) as much as poss.
The only thing that I wonder about is whether the cold at night (and thus being outside at night) might worsen the stiffness?
Also I guess it depends if your horse is generally happy out all the time or what he seems to be happiest with.

 

[emma_lg]

I think it really depends on your horse about 24/7 turnout with arthritis.
I have a 19yr old tb mare who is now fully retired due to arthritis..she was out at night during summer which she loved and in during the day and I thought this would be great but...she got waterlogged feet and came up lame - due to her feet she had compensated by walking differently which in turn acted up her arthritis. She has shoes on fronts and no shoes behind - she was affected in all feet but backs obviously more so. The diagnosis was to move to Spain! which I was quite keen on!!! But instead we had to 'dry' her out..give her some bute to help her out and change her turnout regime. So she went out during the day for shorter time and in at night.
Where I have her stabled is fantastic ground...doesnt even get very muddy in winter but still her little thoroughbred feet just didnt get chance to dry out and couldnt cope.
She is much happier now...but we have put her on one bute every other day which just helps her out.
Whereas her pal who she goes out with is Welsh/Arab and is 30yrs old with arthritis and on bute every day..and its when the ground is slippy/wet that she sometimes catches one of her front knees and has to take it easy, apart from that very fine and healthy.
I think in consultation with your vet and how you know your horse is the best way to come to a turnout routine...trial and error is another one!

 

[Hanovarian Mare]

Thanks for your views.

I guess I would have to continue with the bute to start with anyway to see how it goes. He will be pleased because he loves his food. Mine is just very prone to thrush as well. Stable is dry, but the fields are often muddy. Not a good combination. Returns with the same certainty each winter like Xmas... grrrrr

 

[ISHmad]

One of our horses is arthritic. She was becoming noticeably stiffer over the last week or so as the weather got so much colder at night. I am a great believer in having horses out 24/7 wherever possible, but in her case the extreme cold at night was not helping her. So she is back in at nights now, with a lovely thick bed and Thermatex leg wraps to keep her legs warm as she can't move around as much. Already she is less stiff and much brighter in herself. The others are all still out thankfully but it is definitely winter as far as this little lady is concerned and she voted with her hooves about what is most comfortable for her.

 

[Happytohack]

As others have said, it really depends on the horse, your land, natural shelter etc. I have a 17.3 with arthritis - if he is out 24/7 he is noticeably stiffer as he does not walk about all night but just stands in the cold and gets stiff. He is fine if he is in at night and out in the day - he comes in to a nice warm bed and lays down and rests and isn't stiff in the mornings. He is not on any bute if he is kept this way.

 

[EquestrianFairy]

My cob mare has bad arthritis and is normally out 24/7 but recently i have noticed she is becoming very stiff and ive been advised to up her bute so now a stable at night is being brought into the equation: She LOVES her stable and sometimes i have difficulty getting her out of there!

Really is each to there own, although my stable is like two foal boxes put together (Pathetically huge) so shes got plenty of space to move about in if needed.

 

[henryhorn]

We have probably had around twenty retire with us with arthritic type conditions, and there is bad news and good news.
The bad is every single pure warmblood we have had struggles compared to the others, so much so that I ended up saying I wouldn't take anymore.
The couple we have now have adapted over time and although they lose a little weight they come through winter ok with very good high necked rugs.
I have found that varying terrain is the best cure for arthritis, horses that arrive lame virtually all end up sound or as near as damn it after six months, the reason being I think the ground forces them to move their joints all the time.
The effect doesn't last for ever, there are a couple now who after five years are lame again, but not so bad you would put them to sleep.
None by the way get any bute at all.
If you have enough land and time and money to feed him hard feed he will survive fine, but a shelter is essential, ours have two big barns that always have haylage inside and that ensures they are under cover a good part of their day.
As for adapting yes they do, we have an Adalusian who originally struggled and who is now fine, a part lippizana and a big warmblood who didn't thrive last year but I expect to this year as he adapts.
One of the biggest problems is the newly retired horse doesn't often understand how much of the day it has to eat to keep itself warm and fat. I reckon 12 hours is about right, simply standing eating haylage if that's all that's provided. Once they learn this they cope ok weight wise.
As for cold and rain it doesn't bother them provided they have a good rug or two.
They don't like rain plus wind but then neither does any horse!
We no longer take new horses but there is a place locally my vet recommends, there are also a couple of places in Wales I think.
Hope this helps, pm me if you like..