Warm up advice for a horse with arthritis?

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nich4

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My horse has arthritis in his hocks. He moves beautifully once warmed up and relaxed. He is nicely forward and relaxed out hacking and I've watched him when turned out and he doesn't look stiff and is happy to run about with the others :) Recently he has started napping in the school, messing about when mounting from the block in the school and taking a while to loosen up. I've had saddle, teeth and back checked and our school work is very basic - transitions, circles, serpentines, loops and stretching no lateral work although he has schooled and competed to elementary.
I have found if I am able to hack him out first even just at walk he feels better in the school. I'm looking for advice on what I should be doing to warm him up in the school if we can't hack out first? I have read that some people find skipping trot work in the warm up can help?
 
I also have a mare with bone spurs on the hocks. She is eventing to OI level. She lives out all the year round, and hardly ever works on a surface. I do all my schooling out hacking on the set a side. I have found using an EMS machine (electro muscle stimulator) seems to help her feel looser under saddle. I would say keep out of the school as much as possible. If my mare was worked for several days on a surface, she started to change leads behind, so I soon kept her away from artificial surfaces.
 
If you have to ride in the school, lots and lots of walking. Starting on a loose rein then taking up a long/low contact and some gentle flexions. Don't pressurise him to really walk on straight away, just keep asking for a little more once you feel him comfortable, then progress to the same thing in trot and canter.

There's a real temptation to get moving up the gaits (that "we need to school" feeling) but letting them warm up gradually does make a difference - both physically and mentally, in the sense that muscles are better prepared to help take the strain and the horse isn't braced for any discomfort associated with schooling.
 
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As above. I've also been using boswellia with my 20yo dressage horse. It works wonders and is BD legal
 
Thank you for the replies so far! In the next few weeks we'll hopefully have access to one of the paddocks for schooling as well as the school so I will see if he's happier with this. He is only 14 and loves to go out for a canter/gallop he evented at the end of last summer (not with me) so is by no means ready to retire but he has come to me on loan because he does need a slower pace. I'll definately give him lot's more time in walk and hack out before schooling as often as possible thank you smja - I think he does need the time to relax mentally just as much as physically.
 
Ah ok thank you I will look into this. He is currently on suppleaze 4:10:10 and did have his hocks injected prior to him coming to me. I was reading about the possible benefits of some herbs. Is this used as an anti inflammatory?
 
When did he have his hocks injected? If he is reacting as you say I would look at treating them again. My oldie was schooling this time last year and would always be better if we moved up the gears fairly rapidly, we also had a big school that meant we could have a good loose canter without doing any turning. Fwiw I also feed boswellia and think it does help but not if things have gone too far if that makes sense.
 
I second the lots of walking before setting off. On particularly cold days I would often walk in hand for say three loops of the arena on each rein then mount up and walk some more.

Milled Flaxseed and Chia seeds are great anti inflammatory too.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I had a few people at the yard say that his napping might be him testing me/being lazy. I didn't feel this was the case at all although I've only had him 2 mths he's such a good boy I felt it was pain related. Put him on lunge to see how he was without my weight on his back and he did try he went forward as asked transitions up and down as asked but wasn't comfortable. I had physio out and she agreed his hocks are bothering him so I'll have the vet. He had them injested in May 2016 so I'm hoping a follow up will help. Does anyone have any experience with the steroid injections? He wasn't with me when they were done so I don't know what he was like before having them and how much difference they made.
 
My old TB had steroid injections and it kept him happy and working for several more years. I'm lucky enough to have a 15 minute circular hack which we used to do in walk and I found it really helpful in getting him warmed up before schooling. I also used to feed Blue chip dynamic, which seemed to work for him.
 
Before I retired my old boy for hock arthritis (he was awesome driven), I just used to walk him in the school - not ridden as that placed considerable pressure to begin with. Have you looked into in-hand equitation? Look up classical in-hand work, straightness training, Philippe karl, Gueriniere etc - will be really useful. You're basically just doing dressage aids in-hand without your weight.

eta... ACV and boswellia was really good. Very good for the tummy too.
 
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Definitely sounds like he could do with a follow up 3-6 months is usual. My oldie had his first (left hock) last April (we didn't do any diagnostics beyond a flexion test and decided to speculatively try the most likely bit of hock with good success. He is about to have both done, possibly should have done it sooner but he's had some other more pressing issues and is 200 miles away so was waiting until I could go see how he was.
 
Apologies if you already do this, but I have found putting over large over reach boots on their back feet when turned out, really makes them pick up their feet. This in turn keeps them a bit more comfortable because they are constantly lifting their back feet, if that makes sense :)
 
That's an interesting idea thank you I have never heard of doing this. I may try it as he's really not picking them up. Physio said his very messy bed in mornings is a sign he's just dragging/shuffling them as he moves around the stable.
 
Thank you, yes I'm hoping that follow up injections will help him. Just trying to get hold of the X-rays from his previous treatment to show my vet. 'I'm keeping everything crossed as I've only had him a couple of months and we haven't really done anything yet :-/
 
Mine has hock arthritis - not yet injected as we're investigating other issues too.

She doesn't tolerate my weight on her back at the moment so until the investigations are complete she's doing groundwork in the school. Lots of pole work is loosening her up brilliantly. I work her around the whole school so she's not on tight circles and the first 10 mins are always spent in walk.
 
Thanks SEL this sounds like a really good idea as long as he's happy on the school surface. Do you long line her or just walk her on lunge line around the outside of school? I'd like to try this as we're still coming across some spots of muddy ground out hacking so I'd like to have something else I can do with him if it's too wet!
 
nich4 I am a big fan of straightness training too, I only stopped when Frank got another problem which meant we really didn't want to be encouraging him to take weight behind- his front end is the non broken bit so at 24 I'd prefer he used his forehand! I do think that correct work within reason has kept him going as long as he has (he hunted and dressaged last winter) - I say within reason as I think lots of hacking helps too, I think a balance is best, enough school work to keep up good musculature (in hand or ridden) and lots of straight line hacking to keep everything moving but nothing under too much pressure.
Fingers crossed injecting will be as successful for you as it was for us, the main problem with it is that with every round you do tend to get less time out of them.
 
thank you :) I had a dabble with straightness training with a previous loan horse on the advice of a physio. Which exercises would you recommend for him?
 
PorkChop said:
Apologies if you already do this, but I have found putting over large over reach boots on their back feet when turned out, really makes them pick up their feet. This in turn keeps them a bit more comfortable because they are constantly lifting their back feet, if that makes sense :)
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That is a really interesting idea. I have a large, long, older horse. I am puzzled as to why overreach boots behind would make them pick feet up better. Do they need to be so large touch the floor to work?

Thanks
 
wingedhorse said:
That is a really interesting idea. I have a large, long, older horse. I am puzzled as to why overreach boots behind would make them pick feet up better. Do they need to be so large touch the floor to work?

Thanks
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Well I suppose it would only work if they were a bit reactive to it, but my three all really lift their feet up with them on, like they would over raised poles.

I use cheapy over reach boots, ones that are a bit stiffer. If they were really soft and not oversized then I expect it might not work as well. I put XL ones on horses that would usually take a medium.
 
He could be but as he has already been diagnosed and treated previously I think he should get the benefit of the doubt for a vet visit.
 
*UPDATE*
Thank you for all the advice. I've now had him on Boswellia as well as his joint supp for a few weeks and there's a very marked difference. He's not dragging his hind feet anywhere near as much, his bed in the morning isn't as messy (apparently a sign he's shuffling around and not picking his feet up) he turns easily in gateways etc and he's running around in his field again (though this has a lot to do with spring grass!) he's also wearing magnetic bands on his hinds when turned out as well as in the stable which I think help. we've just started back in the school after lots of hacking and after a couple of attempts at napping we seem to be past it and he's going really well! I know a lot of people don't believe in magnetic therapy or herbs BUT I know the bands reduce filling in his back legs after he's been stabled as I've tried him without and since wearing them turned out as well the clicking in his hocks has gone completely. I bought myself a cheap bracelet to try after seeing they help keep his legs down and it seems to have helped with a neck injury which I haven't suffered with since I bought the magnetic bracelet it was a bioflow one at £10 so worth a try! I might have to give boswellia a go although I don't know about the smell!
 
Great to hear he's improved. Keep up the good work. I'm unsure of the magnetic therapy myself, but I do wear magnetic hematite bracelets myself and I do feel slightly better for it. Maybe its psychosomatic, but hey whatever works!
 
Thank you :) I'm usually sceptical of anything without some science behind it but something is working for him (and me!) it might be complete coincidence but I don't care :D I'm just happy I can get back to enjoying him.
 
nich4 said:
*UPDATE*
Thank you for all the advice. I've now had him on Boswellia as well as his joint supp for a few weeks and there's a very marked difference. He's not dragging his hind feet anywhere near as much, his bed in the morning isn't as messy (apparently a sign he's shuffling around and not picking his feet up) he turns easily in gateways etc and he's running around in his field again (though this has a lot to do with spring grass!) he's also wearing magnetic bands on his hinds when turned out as well as in the stable which I think help. we've just started back in the school after lots of hacking and after a couple of attempts at napping we seem to be past it and he's going really well! I know a lot of people don't believe in magnetic therapy or herbs BUT I know the bands reduce filling in his back legs after he's been stabled as I've tried him without and since wearing them turned out as well the clicking in his hocks has gone completely. I bought myself a cheap bracelet to try after seeing they help keep his legs down and it seems to have helped with a neck injury which I haven't suffered with since I bought the magnetic bracelet it was a bioflow one at £10 so worth a try! I might have to give boswellia a go although I don't know about the smell!
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Where did you get your Boswelia from if you don't mind me asking? My boy has mild arthritis in both hocks and has had the steroid injections but just shopping around for different joint supplements :)
 
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