working horses that are not sound

[nikkimariet]

You see plenty out competing who are clearly lame or at best unlevel...

 

[impresario08]

my horse is technically 1/10th lame but is still in work. I have a packet of danilon as and when he needs it.

 

[rachk89]

I think it depends, older horses or horses with certain injuries can be a different ball game.

One of my horses is older, and gets stiff if not worked. He sometimes comes out a bit stiff and short, and works through it to move sound. He has a number of known issues, and the main thing that helps him is keeping a good layer of supportive muscle over his injuries. This means even though he's retired from competing, I work him 6 days a week to a structured plan, to keep him strong. This is with guidance of vet and good body workers.

My rule of thumb with horse an older that isn't strictly sound is

1) Does the horse want to work, and does the horse improve with work once warmed up.
2) Does the horse come out better the next day for the work (if not then it was a bad idea)
3) Learn to read your horse, and learn his limits, and what helps him and what is too much find a work plan that works for him.

Sometimes good careful structured gymnastic and hacking work can do wonders for scaffolding injuries and allowing a return to good movement.

Not working a horse that then gets stiffer and weaker can be every bit as unkind as working a horse and keeping it strong and supple.

On the other hand my younger horse felt unlevel in school few years ago, was a tendon and ligament junction injury, he had full rest, field rest, and months of walking rehab. So of course you need to know what the injury is to decide what you can work through and what needs rest.

Stiffness is a different thing to being lame to me though. Stiffness goes away once in work, lameness doesn't. I don't consider that lameness. Lameness will stay there no matter what.

 

[AmberThePony]

Late last year Amber went randomly lame on the front left up to about 6/10 in trot, however she was sound in walk. I gave her a month off after the vet had seen her. The vet also noticed a very subtle possible 1/10 lameness on the hind right, with flexion it was fairly obviously the early signs of hock arthritis. She does work through it though (once warmed up it goes) and is perfectly happy. After a month off work she was fed up and we had a second vet visit. The lameness in front had gone down to 3/10 I think, because she was sound in walk te vet said we would be fine to do work In walk. Anyway, I worked her lame then and I believe she recovered faster because of it, it also made her a lot happier. She is completely sound now apart from the stiffness in the hind and she works perfectly fine and happily.