Yearling with bog spavin---thoughts please

[FairyLights]

Heavy weight yearling [shire x sec D] with bog spavin. Is post legged. Not lame.
Owner has had conflicting advice about what to do,if anything. Should the yearling be investigated for OCD? Or is it due to his conformation and weight and hard ground? His 2 year old brother also has bog spavin and is not lame. [The breeder has now stopped breeding from their dam BTW]. Owner reluctant to start expensive treatment if not necessary. I have adviced that they call out the vet and get it x-rayed. Thoughts please.

 

[FairyLights]

no replies yet.

 

[competitiondiva]

no experience of this sorry, suggest you post this in breeding and veterinary, you may get more specialist replies there?

 

[tonitot]

I don't have much of an answer but my 4 year old has a bog spavin in her right hock, the vet told me to do quite a bit of hard ground work (so lot of hacking) and keep her in work as doing nothing will make her worse. Obviously the hacking wouldn't be suitable for a 1 and 2 yr old, but ad far as I'm aware even being kept out in the field can help them. Ethel now has to have raised heels on her hind shoes and the vet has told me that in a few months her hocks will fuse and the spavin will no longer be a problem. Sorry this isn't much, but I thought Id just post my experience of spavins

 

[Foxhunter49]

Some years ago I had a yearling TB filly throw an enormous thoroughpin. My vet, very experienced with young horses, gave me a pressure pad for her to wear but it did little good.
I had my chiropractor look at her and she was misaligned, this was putting strain on the hock hence the bursal swelling. Once realigned it took about a month for it to go.

 

[tallyho!]

You sure????

 

[Miss L Toe]

Not sure what you want to hear, young horse, bad conformation, I don't see any point in spending money on investigations.

 

[classicalfan]

Bog spavin is usually caused by a defect in the hock conformation and it is very often hereditary. It will never be cured but it can be managed. However, it does somewhat limit the horse's potential and obviously has a detremental effect on its value.

 

[FairyLights]

Thanks for the replies.