Hippotherapy

i need an exercise regime for a 19year old mare with arthritis is back hocks?

she has no bute and danolin twice a day as well as a joint supplement and super solvitax daily.when i bought her she had not been ridden for two years and was sound.within a week she was lame and after having xrays done was diagnosed with arthritis in hock.the medicine regime is from the vet,but i want to bring her back into work slowly but am unsure of the best way to do this without overdoing it!!she has lost weight,she was very large when i got her and i am also wondering about therapeutic shoeing,she is bare foot at the moment and my vet thinks she 'may'benefit from having elevated heels,but he didnt sound too sure.has anyone got any ideas???

Public Comments

1. Can't comment on the therapeutic shoeing. Ask your farrier his opinion on this~ I tend to leave questions about feet to the feet specialists. 'Elevated' heels are usually obtained with degree pads. Then again, any changes you make should be done gradually... and a blacksmith is the best to advize you. As far as an exercise program, targeting arthritis, I'd say you're on the right track. Just keep it slow, steady and consistent. I'd stay away from lunging too much since the lateral torque probably isn't helping any hock conditions. You mentioned her losing weight; I'm guessing this occurred since she was re-introduced to a regular work program, not because of illness. Obesity is a bad thing for osteo arthritic conditions. Just be sure she's not losing weight because of an underlying health condition Youo also mentioned she's on joint supplements; Be sure she's on a Glucosamine (1500 mg daily) and Chondroitin (750 mg daily) minimum. Other supplements useful in arthritic conditions are yucca, alfalfa, and MSM among others. Check your supplement for guaranteed minimums, and switch if you're not seeing improvement in her soundness with consistent, gentle work. I like Fluid Action HA by Finish Line.
2. I have a sports horse who injured himself in the field which resulted in hock arthritis. It is an ongoing struggle to keep him comfortable. Once arthritis of the lower hock joints has been diagnosed or is strongly suspected, decisions can be made regarding treatment. Options include rest, evaluation and possibly changes in shoeing, nutritional supplements and systemic medications, acupuncture, hock injections, and possibly surgery. The simpler and less invasive treatments and management options should be considered before joint injections are used. In regards to shoeing, lateral extensions could help with the hocks and moving the breakover back could help as well. But even with those being used if your horses hind feet aren't balanced properly it wont help. Hind leg issues are interesting in a way because, more often than not, farriers aren't truely taught how to shoe the hind end of a horse. And this problem comes about because, unlike the front feet, it is more difficult to properly site the hind foot to check for balance. Just guessing, I would say your horse is big and broad across its hips and relatively narrow in its base. Think of it this way as an upside down pyramid, so by using lateral extensions on his hind feet your moving the support out further in order to support the hock joint. But as I've stated, no matter what you put on the foot its has to be in balance. If you pick up the hind leg and support it by holding the front of the hock joint and looking directly straight down the point of the hock the ground surface of the foot should be perpendicular to the long axis of the leg. I had my horse shod with lateral extensions and they made a huge difference. Finding a great farrier is a real bonus. My farrier listens to my input, talks to my vet, and assesses my horse at each visit. Probably the most effective and often used treatment for arthritis and pain in the lower hock joints is joint injection. Several different medications are used. Corticosteroids, often referred to as "steroids" or "cortisone", are actually a large family of drugs with potent anti-inflammatory activities of varying strengths and durations. Trimacinolone is one corticosteroid which has a medium duration of action and is widely used for joint injection. Methylprednisolone acetate (Depro-Medrol) is a potent, long acting corticosteroid most often used for injection in the lower hock joints. Another medication that can be used is hyaluronic acid (Hyonate or Legend). Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the cartilage and synovial fluid within the joint, where it has important functions. Administered intravenously or into the joint, hyaluronic acid acts in numerous ways, including reducing inflammation, improving the quality of synovial fluid, and in cartilage maintenance. In the lower hock joints in particular, methylprednisolone acetate alone or in conjunction with hyaluronic acid is most often used. The duration of action of this treatment is variable and depends on many factors including the severity of disease and the intensity of work the horse is performing. In some cases benefit may only be seen for as little as a few weeks, whereas in other cases the effect may last for a year or more. My horse had a new treatment. He had injections of a product called 'Tildren', your vet would need to apply for a limited licence to use this product as it is undergoing clinical trials at the moment. (The drug is already licensed and marketed in Europe for the treatment of bone spavin and navicular disease). I use heat therapy and hind stable boots to provide support. My horse is better when kept in regular, gentle exercise. Regular turn out is very important too. I use nutritional support in the form of 'Cortaflex' (see link: http://www.natural-animal-health.co.uk/cortaflex/index.php) Regular physiotherapy can help too. The supporting muscles can be subject to stress when a horse has ongoing lameness due to arthritis. Keeping the horse as comfortable as possible with massage can benefit them so much. A good equine physio will give you exercises to do as maintenance therapy.
3. Personally if this was my horse, I'd either retire her if i had the space, otherwise i would have her put to sleep. I strongly suggest you don't put this mare back into work. I don't think it's fair on her, as she is obviously suffering, the wieght loss is probably being caused by pain, and no amount of supplements and painkillers are going to make her rideable. You say the mare hadn't been ridden in 2 years, did you ever enquire as to the reason?