Vetting an Older Horse with Known Osteroarthritis?

[cdunc09]

Hi everyone!

I am looking at a 16 year old Oldenburg gelding and interested in getting him vetted soon. The owners gave me X-rays (from 2022) and it shows that he does have osteoarthritis in both front legs. Hes currently only getting 1/2 a tablet of pain medication when hes being ridden (I'm assuming like Equioxx or something along those lines, but need to double check). I understand at 16, arthritis is common, but I'm really only looking for a horse for casual riding, hacking, and maybe 1-2 lessons per week maximum. No jumping or hard work. Do you think this could be manageable for him? I'd be interested in keeping up with a pain medication and possibly getting him on an injection like Adequan as well. The vet I might go with for the vetting mentioned that if he passed the clinical exam, he would suggest another set of x-rays to check if its gotten worse, but considering I dont plan to do hard work with him and hes also fairly inexpensive Im wondering if more X-rays are necessary.

What do you think based on his old X-rays?

 

[bonny]

Not your question but why buy an older horse with known problems ? It’s unlikely you will be riding him for long and there are younger, sounder horses for sale if you want a horse for hacking.

 

[AmyMay]

Not your question but why buy an older horse with known problems ? It’s unlikely you will be riding him for long and there are younger, sounder horses for sale if you want a horse for hacking.

Really good point.

 

[ycbm]

It's pretty extensive and forelegs lameness is harder for a horse to cope with because it carries a lot more of its weight on the front legs. I wouldn't bet on having many years of riding.
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[cdunc09]

It's pretty extensive and forelegs lameness is harder for a horse to cope with because it carries a lot more of its weight on the front legs. I wouldn't bet on having many years of riding.
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Thank you! Hes a sweet horse and i like him overall, but I wasnt sure if the extent of the arthritis is already too far gone and thought I get a few more opinions before paying to get him vetted.

 

[MuddyMonster]

On the other hand, do you have the budget and experience for a youngster?

There aren't many school master age horses that wouldn't have issues of you went looking for them.

If you like him otherwise & think he'd suit you, I'd certainly look to get him vetted and discuss it with the vet as to expected ridden time left with him.

It doesn't sound like you want to do lots with him so it may well suit him having a quieter life.

 

[cdunc09]

On the other hand, do you have the budget and experience for a youngster?

There aren't many school master age horses that wouldn't have issues of you went looking for them.

If you like him otherwise & think he'd suit you, I'd certainly look to get him vetted and discuss it with the vet as to expected ridden time left with him.

It doesn't sound like you want to do lots with him so it may well suit him having a quieter life.

I definitely prefer a school master age horse as I'm coming back into riding after about 10 years off. I'll try to discuss with the vet as you suggested and see what he says about his longevity. Thanks for the help!

 

[Glitter's fun]

Where I'm coming from :-
I once bought a 20 year old schoolmistress because i needed to learn something she was good at. I knew when I bought her that she had some arthritis & was 'coming down' to me for a quieter life. The vet knew what i wanted her for & passed her for that. Edited to add, she was not on any medication & only unsound after heavy work.
She was absolutely the right horse at the right time & I have no regrets.

However I do have questions :-
What part of your head will you put this horse in? Would you be ok with having him pts in a couple of years?
Can you afford to keep him as a field-sound companion after he has done his work for you and still get another to ride?
Do you absolutely need a tall warmblood? (If you want longevity that's not where I'd start looking)
Can you afford for him to be uninsurable for many things?
How much work had he been doing when you tried him? Does he have the temperament for semi-retirement or does he get sharper when he's bored??

 

[spacefaer]

Since you mention Equioxx, I'm guessing you're in the States?

Has he had any joint medication ie steroid injections or arthramid previously ? If he has and they've ceased to be effective, then it's a less positive situation than if he's never had them as they can be very effective in prolonging a horse's comfortable working life. But if he's had them and they've worn off, it gives you fewer avenues..

Is he currently sound? (I'm guessing not without pain medication?)
Is he currently in work and if so, is he doing at least the work you'd be wanting from him? If he's not in work, I'd be wary of buying him and bringing him back into work - not knowing whether he'd stand up to it.

If you're buying him because he's cheap/ affordable, have you factored the extra costs of maintenance? Pain relief, injections, vets input., ant dietary supplements.......

 

[maya2008]

You can get Equioxx in the UK. We were given it briefly to help get our Shetland back into enough work to keep her sound. Works well but not cheap!

A friend of mine, bought an ex polo pony for £1 five years ago. Didn’t vet, arthritis was known, horse was going lame intermittently. In a lighter workload, on turmeric and boswellia, horse is still in hacking work with the odd light schooling session. That horse was the best thing she ever did for her daughter, has given her all the confidence in the world and made a nervous rider very happy. Well worth the maintenance required.

I would perhaps be less sure of a horse already on medication. Joint injections fine, but pain relief daily is a slippery slope and I would have a good discussion with your vet and x-rays.

 

[Melody Grey]

I’m admittedly late to the thread, so you may have already decided how/ if to proceed.

I’m not sure I’d bother vetting a horse already on pain medication- to me it would only be worth token value in monetary terms, probably less than the cost of the vetting itself.

Whether the horse has another, practical worth is another question. If you can’t face the fact that working life may be limited or be prepared to make some hard decisions in the not too distant future, I’d pass on this one.

If you do decide to vet, you may end up uncovering more insurance exclusions. Definitely get access to the vet records so you know what you’re dealing with….. and if you can’t, pass.