What does 'field sound' mean to you?

ruscara

ruscara

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My boy is 24, happy and cheeky, but has arthritis and is becoming quite lame. He's on one bute a day and the vet can't say exactly where he's lame without nerve blocks etc. He walks out well and happily to the field (out at night, in during the day) and generally seems fit and well. But he is quite lame in trot and in canter when his friends have a hoolie.
I am interested to see what you would say was 'field sound'.
 
Pain free for general field life. This can mean on drugs but long term field soundness I'd expect to see a happy horse naturally. We had a shire/welsh mix who was 10/10th lame on hard ground, on 2 bute a day, had a report from his new owners who say hes in the field, happy as larry with their broodie only on occasional painkillers
 
I've never quite understood this phrase. Surely a horse is either sound or lame, be it under saddle or in the field?

I guess, if I'm not being pedantic, I'd imagine it to be a horse that isn't in work as it is unsound, but it's not lame/in pain enough to need euthanising on humane grounds. A horse who can "retire" into the field without the need of oodles of medication and still get about, albeit in a doddery fashion.

I guess, to some people, field sound might mean a horse with other issues. Say a head shaker or one with KS. Horse looks fine in the field, but once under saddle it's clear they have soundness issues of some description.
 
I would say a horse who has an acceptable quality of life when turned out but not sound enough for ridden work and not so unsound as to require total box rest.
 
I agree with Nailed as to the definition.
In your case I would try magnet boots, they worked miracles on our WelshDxTB, who went from hobbling on 2 bute per day to trotting in sound as a pound after wearing them for 12 hrs (they were definitely the next to last resort, she only had until the end of the week)
I would also consider leaving him out 24/7 to avoid his stiffening up if at all possible.
 
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I would say a horse who has an acceptable quality of life when turned out but not sound enough for ridden work and not so unsound as to require total box rest.

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I'd agree with this
 
The whole yard is in during the day and out all night in the summer, because the fields have no shade/shelter from sun and flies.
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To me it means the horse is sound in the field (with or without bute/similar) but if you tried to ride it, you would make it lame even with light work. It's a bit of a tricky one to define though, especially when it concerns your own horse!
 
It's interesting, isn't it, how we see a horse with a stiff back and a limp as in immediate need of doctoring, wheras we ourselves, as we get older, accept the odd creak and groan, and many old horsemen and women hobble like a dutch horse in france, as my father used to say and he's dead now so too late to ask him what he was on about!
I suppose it's because we can't ask them how much it hurts?
Not an answer to your question, just trying to think of the human equivalent .... retirement sound, perhaps?.... and thinking we wouldn't expect any recognisable level of 'soundness'!!!
 
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It's interesting, isn't it, how we see a horse with a stiff back and a limp as in immediate need of doctoring, wheras we ourselves, as we get older, accept the odd creak and groan, and many old horsemen and women hobble like a dutch horse in france, as my father used to say and he's dead now so too late to ask him what he was on about!
I suppose it's because we can't ask them how much it hurts?


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Exactly!!!
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I was thinking this yesterday - I reckon Marius is actually in far less pain than I am on a daily basis, but I am worried sick that I 'ought' to be doing something about him (what?) whereas nobody does anything about me!!
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And does anyone know how 'old' Marius is at 24, human equavalent?

Thank you for your replies, everyone.
I believe it's about quality of life, and I will know when he is in too much discomfort. I just feel guilty that he is in pain at all!
 
Having a "field sound" horse to me it means they are sound in the field and have a good quality of life but are not fit for ridden work.

My girl is on one danolin a day. My vet said if that ever needs increased it's time because if it's taking that amount of medication just to keep her field sound then her body has had enough (at the time she was on 2 danolin a day as had lost her shoes and was nippy on her feet with an increased digital pulse. All back to "normal" now).

She has navic and arthritis but is sound in all paces in the field although I wouldn't put her under saddle. To me lame = pain so if my mare went lame/unsound on one danolin a day then she would no longer be considered "field sound".
 
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It's interesting, isn't it, how we see a horse with a stiff back and a limp as in immediate need of doctoring, wheras we ourselves, as we get older, accept the odd creak and groan, and many old horsemen and women hobble like a dutch horse in france, as my father used to say and he's dead now so too late to ask him what he was on about!
I suppose it's because we can't ask them how much it hurts?
Not an answer to your question, just trying to think of the human equivalent .... retirement sound, perhaps?.... and thinking we wouldn't expect any recognisable level of 'soundness'!!!

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Have to agree with this and it certainly made me smile
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It's interesting, isn't it, how we see a horse with a stiff back and a limp as in immediate need of doctoring, wheras we ourselves, as we get older, accept the odd creak and groan, and many old horsemen and women hobble like a dutch horse in france, as my father used to say and he's dead now so too late to ask him what he was on about!
I suppose it's because we can't ask them how much it hurts?
Not an answer to your question, just trying to think of the human equivalent .... retirement sound, perhaps?.... and thinking we wouldn't expect any recognisable level of 'soundness'!!!

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On a similar topic I have come back this morning from holding an arthritic mare for the farrier. This mare belongs to an elderly neighbour, who is crippled with arthritis and in constant pain, cannot walk without a frame etc. The mare was her husbands, he passed away last year. Although the mare is only slightly unsound at the moment I know she will probably struggle this winter, and if she was mine I would probably have her pts later in the year. However, how on earth do I suggest this to a person who is suffering from the same condition and in far more pain, I feel it would be like suggesting she should be put down
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A unsound horse doesn't have to be lame. Unsound to me is anything which makes it not suitable for work. An old but treated injury, respirational problems or even a sarcoid in a dodgy place! A field sound horse is one that's not able to cope with the demands of rdidden work and has a good quailty of life without pain while turned out.
 
Field sound to me suggests a horse that cannot be worked.

The 'sound' part is a bit misleading I think in that how many of us are actually sound, as we refer to horses. Since I broke my ankle aged 17 I've never been 100% 'right' but continue to do everything I used to just maybe not as perfectly as before. I guess if I'd wanted to be a top althete it would have affected my performance but for my day to day life it makes no difference.

For a horse, I gess our only way of knowing is by their behaviour and I'd say that as long as he is displaying normal behaviour then he is happy enough and therefore field sound.
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I would say a horse who has an acceptable quality of life when turned out but not sound enough for ridden work and not so unsound as to require total box rest.

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I think this is a good definition. To me its not about how physically sound the horse is, but how well they are coping mentally and emotionally with any issues.

I certainly don't want to be PTS because I get a fair few aches and pains which don't stop me being happy with my life, so I don't see why a horse shouldn't be the same. If those aches and pains stop that horse from leading a reasonably happy natural life in retirement, then certainly that is the time to call it a day, but before that, I don't see they have to be completely hop, skip and jumping round the field.
 
QR and thanks to everyone - Doublethyme and Honeypots you have said what I hoped to hear, and this has put my mind at rest. Thank you
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I've never quite understood this phrase. Surely a horse is either sound or lame, be it under saddle or in the field?

I guess, if I'm not being pedantic, I'd imagine it to be a horse that isn't in work as it is unsound, but it's not lame/in pain enough to need euthanising on humane grounds. A horse who can "retire" into the field without the need of oodles of medication and still get about, albeit in a doddery fashion.


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This is the standard definition of field sound - although doddery might not be in the veterinary description lol
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I would say a horse who has an acceptable quality of life when turned out but not sound enough for ridden work and not so unsound as to require total box rest.

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I'd agree with this

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me too
 
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