What to do? Young horse, now just light work.

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Newlands

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My just turned 8 year old has been off since Christmas. The subchondral bone plate in his fetlock has collapsed and he has arthritic changes around the injury. On the 1st of February he came home from a week at the vets. He went for an ocd operation but the surgeon thought it was something else so he had an mri which showed the problem and it isn’t anything that can be operated on. So, they injected the fetlock and we brought him home.

4 weeks ago my vet came to see him and he was 3/10ths lame, vet impressed and said at next review we could see about bringing him back into work. The vet that he was sent to said he could become a light hack. My vet is back tomorrow and I’m still so confused. I’ve never been so grumpy or run down in my life.

A huge part of me is thinking what is the point in injecting him to see what we can get away with. My vet has said he is rideable but that it is something that will get worse. I’ve never felt like such a selfish brat in my life. I want to be out competing and having something to aim for. I’m so lucky, I have my little lorry my youngest will start school in September and I’m not working so I have the time to get out and do things. He’s not a sensible or safe hack and I would have to box out to do this. I have a retired 21 year old that I could take out for hacks and know with him I’ll be coming home in one piece (as much as you can know).
I bought this horse to step in for when my boy got too old for all of the fun stuff.

He loves going out competing and jumping. Some people are saying I could go back to doing what we were doing. The only difference is that we now know his problem and he’ll be injected so should feel better.

Any experiences or advice or anything else I can ask my vet? I’m bringing my husband along tomorrow so he can have the sensible head and perhaps ask the questions I forget when I have his big ears and soft muzzle shaved in my face.
 
I think it’s very early days from what you have said.
I actually (unlike some) am fairly relaxed about keeping a mildly lame horse in low level work - with a variety of provisos.

But a 3/10th lame isn’t mild in my mind and that is too lame to work.

So you need to get the horse back to soundness or near to soundness

The likelihood is, whatever you do, the horse won’t have a long working life.
The higher your expectations of what you want it to do short term, the shorter it will stay sound for.

Only you can say to what lengths you are prepared to go. With careful management, and regular veterinary intervention, maybe the horse will be okay for a while? I’d be asking the vet about the most suitable injections in your circumstances and also I’d maintain the horse on cartrophen/pentosan, topped up with bute as required (although obviously you can’t compete in bute)
 
I'm going to send you *hugs* and sympathy here because I know exactly how you feel. My beautiful mare is not sound and I have spent nearly 3 years and lots of money trying to get her sound. She will be 8 in May. I already have an arthritic retired horse and cannot afford 2 pets. She also cannot retire to grass because she cannot deal with the sugar. I made a call that if she isn't better by the end of this summer then I won't put either of us through managing her another winter and I am devastated.

If you are taking your husband with you then brief him on asking the brutal questions that you will find too hard to ask. What is the long term prognosis? How long will the injections last? What is the horse's underlying level of pain / discomfort likely to be?

If the horse isn't mentally suitable for a light hack and has no likelihood of returning to more competitive work then it isn't selfish to decide this isn't a route forward that you want to take.

I came very close to having mine PTS 18 months ago when the vet x-rayed her hocks and said they were completely stuffed for a horse that had done no work. We came up with a plan to rehabilitate and its been on / off (she has other underlying issues which don't help), but she isn't 100% sound. In my many sleepless nights I have sometimes wished that I had made the call there and then when the tears were already flowing rather than ploughing on. I don't think the decision I made was interests of either myself or the horse if I'm honest.

ETA - sorry, that has become a bit of an essay!:(:(
 
More virtual hugs - I have an almost 11 year old who has been having on and off lameness issues for well over 18 months, each time a different issue but caused by the issue before. Had a PSD operation thinking we had cracked it, rested and started rehab and was lame within 3 weeks now with suspect stifle problems, heartbroken doesn't come close! Have already decided he will not go through another op and can't risk them finding more arthritis (already excluded) so if he will not come sound enough for light hacking then I will be going down the route I never thought I would even be thinking about. Sorry I can't offer advice but what i would say is try to have the "hard questions" written down - think worse case scenario and anything better than that is a bonus - sounds a bit pessimistic I know but it has helped me cope a bit better over the past couple of months! Good luck!

A virtual hug for you too SEL, I know how much you have been through too!
 
Thank you for your replies, they really are appreciated.
SEL I’m so sorry for what you are going through to. I feel so sick after just a short period of time so I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you for all of this time.
I spent the whole of last year going back to basics with him and really trying to crack on with our flatwork properly which is what showed up the problems. Horrid to canter unless out jumping, which I put down to me being more relaxed and rubbish in the school, again put down to me not being good with flatwork. Now realising that was probably most likely due to his adrenaline. Wish I’d listened to him sooner.
Thank you, I’ll get my husband to read through this too.
 
Thank you Emfen too, so sorry you’re having such a rubbish time too. I’ve had such a lucky 16 years with my old boy that I’ve never really had to deal with this kind of thing before. I’m learning lots at least.

Hugs and hit chocolates back at you all, thank you.
 
I know you bought him to fill a gap, but could you turn him away for a year? It's amazing how younger bodies can heal themselves on field rest, and if he doesn't, you've not really lost much. The arthritic aspect would be the major concern for responding to rest but even that can sort itself, think of ringbone.
 
I'd agree with Jill, could you stick him out for a year on cheap grass livery and see how he looks and in the meantime get a horse on loan that you can have fun with? Personally I think horses cost a fortune, and we get them to do the job we want to do. And some horses just are never able for that and you end up pumping money into them, causing nothing but unhappiness for horse AND owner. I spent years getting some horses right, and now I'm a lot harsher in my head, and I cut my losses earlier. If the horse can't do the job you want I'd retire it and get another if possible?
 
Hi, yes a little positive update! The vet saw him on Tuesday and said get him shod and crack on and bring him back into work. He was pleased with his progress as it doesn’t quite match what his report suggests. He may get away with having his joint injected at 6 month intervals but without trying to see what he can cope with we won’t know. He said don’t give up on him yet. So it’s positive, for now but I know it will be a rollercoaster. Thank you everyone.
 
Newlands said:
Hi, yes a little positive update! The vet saw him on Tuesday and said get him shod and crack on and bring him back into work. He was pleased with his progress as it doesn’t quite match what his report suggests. He may get away with having his joint injected at 6 month intervals but without trying to see what he can cope with we won’t know. He said don’t give up on him yet. So it’s positive, for now but I know it will be a rollercoaster. Thank you everyone.
Click to expand...

Well that sounds like better news than you were expecting!
 
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