Canter16

I know of quite a few horses who receive joint injections for arthritis (Hocks, fetlocks, knees...). Are injections considered a effective treatment for arthritis? Especially horses that compete in upper level eventing etc? I couldn't imagine these horses in 4* events going out there without having something in their system keeping them comfortable. Basically, are injections as widely used as I think they are?

It started when I went off to college and it's continued for the last 5 months. When I bend down my knees crack really loud and if its quiet enough, people around my cringe. I am a horseback rider and I am thinking that might have something to do with it. (Constant movement off knee- the way it absorbs shock when I'm riding). Days that I go riding they ache a lot more at the end of the day. I've mentioned it to my parents and had them listen and they grimace. I kind of

want to go to the doctor for it because it does hurt sometimes and I'm pretty young for this. .

I've had this horse a little over a month and even when I tried him out he was fussy with his head and the bit. I decided to try him in my Dr. Cook bitless bridle and did a bit of a lesson on flexing and stopping from the ground so he would get the idea. We just walked for about 20 mins and he had very good brakes in the bitless bridle and stopped throwing and rooting his head. I was impressed. (His teeth were done after I had tried him out- before I brought him home and the fussiness didn't really improve). However, I am under the impression that the other riders are skeptical with this decision. My close friend especially. Is it really considered unsafe to ride bitless? My horse is a young thoroughbred but transitions downward almost exclusively with seat and voice. I am not really concerned but should I be?

I've been doing a lot of transitions with this horse to build his back end and responsiveness to leg and he's responding well to it. Also planning on doing some leg yields on circles too. That said, I would like to start putting him into a proper outline. I've never taught a horse to do this so I was just looking for some advice! Thanks

My recently retired TB gelding is trying to figure out his headset. Trust me when I say he is not being rude or disrespectful with any of this, he is just trying to figure out where his head goes. When I first tried him out he would go between giraffe head, a nice headset, and his head between his legs. Now that I've brought him home and have been riding him he's gotten alot better. He no longer does "giraffe head". He holds a good headset most of the time but sometime he tries to put his nose to the ground and the pressure he puts into the bit pulls me forward. Is there any way to teach him or help him hold the good headset for longer? Thanks!

He is ridden in a loose ring snaffle. He goes well off of leg and is very light mouthed and will transition down almost exclusively off of my seat. Turns well off of slight bit pressure and legs/seat.

Also, I do not show so I do not need a Hunter or western pleasure headset. Just a relaxed one.

Could this have something to do with him searching for bit contact?

I just purchased the sweetest, most chilled off the track thoroughbred I have ever met. I have began riding him but we have some issues with our walk to trot transitions. He responds really well to voice cues (both upward and down ward) on the lunge line and in hand and also under saddle except for our upward w/t transitions. I will squeeze with my legs while asking ter-ot (which he knows) and he either tries to canter a few steps or has a little fit- some head throwing and dancing on his legs (while moving forward though). But after a second of two of this, he feels me posting on his back and immediately settles into a nice trot with no issues. Any advice for this?

I am looking to buy open front jump boots for hunter paces and jumping and trail riding. If there was any water involved with the hunter paces/trail riding- would the neoprene retain water and cause an issue? I am looking at boots that have a hard outer shell lined with neoprene? would these be okay for what I want to do?

My horse pulled a front shoe (he only has front shoes) so I haven't ridden for the past few days and he needs consistent work. If he gets his shoe replaced, can I ride him right after? Or at least a few hours later?

I was trying to purchase this 7 yo OTTB but was outbid- they buyer did a vet check and said no I'm assuming because the owner just emailed me and said for 800 dollars I could have him. She said vet check "showed signs of arthritis in the hocks and he was a bit sore with flex of front fetlocks."

I was planning on doing flatwork, some jumping, and hunter paces with him. Good idea or no?

I'm looking at an 8yo TB that raced 16 times and has a 2.5 year career (2'6 to 3ft jumping ) with a girl who got him off the track and is at college and trying to sell him.

He is exactly what I am looking for and is a wonderful ride. The only issue I see is that he is sickle hocked. Is this a cause for major concern? I plan to use him as an english pleasure horse with some jumping in small local shows/hunter paces really no higher then the 2'6 range and a trail horse.

The hocks are not horribly sickle hocked but it is there.

I plan to get him Vet checked, I was just looking for some preliminary opinions. Thanks!

People down the street have a cat that lives outside and in our woods but this cat is different. Last night she came out from behind our garbage cans and came right up to me, meowing and rubbing against me. She's very friendly and sweet. My neighbor fed her milk this morning and this evening she found a piece of meat we had dropped from grilling outside. We have an animal protection league but I don't see anything on the website about if they take in animals off the street like this. We can't take her because my brother is allergic and my Mother can stand furry animals. Advice?

I am having a prepurchase exam done tomorrow and my barn owner just emailed me asking if I could have a fecal exam done. Would I have to call the office to have them add it to the prepurchase exam or is it something I can just ask for when the vet gets there? Thanks!

I'm getting my potential horse vet check in a week and when I scheduled the appointment I originally said I didn't want blood work but after reading online is it something I should do in case the horse has been drugged in anyway? I've heard its $100 or so to draw blood and up to $250 to test it or you can just have them store it in case they have a sudden change in soundness and the can compare samples. I'm somewhat paranoid after I had a multitude of problems with my last horse soon after bringing her home. Thoughts?

Should I do it and get it tested? Do it and store it? Not at all? Thanks!!!

This will be my second horse. My first horse (TB mare 16 yo) was basically a disaster and I don't think I can bear to go through all the garbage again. (arthritis, navicular, hoof canker, political problems with the rescue I got her from all within a month or so of getting her.) I knew I wanted my next horse to not be a TB like her but yet I love them and cannot stay away from them. A lady contacted me saying she was selling her TB gelding that she had been using for dressage. She said he doesn't have the mind or attention span for it and told me he has such an aptitude for jumping and is selling him so he can go somewhere to a home with a job he is better suited to.He's all the things I'm looking for so I'm going to look at him in a few days. I've watched videos of him and he looks sound and fantastic and very polite and just a nice, solid horse. The only thing I'm worried about is his age, he's 14 going on 15. Is this to old for a jumping career? I don't like jumping big. 2'6 and under most of the time. Definitely under 3 ft. I don't want to deal with more health problems but he just seems perfect. Opinions? (Of course I am getting him vetted) I'm just very nervous as I want this next horse to be alot better experience then the last. Thanks!

For future career of an English all-rounder (flatwork/jumping/hunter paces/ local or schooling shows). Especially front leg pic- does his right front look a little off in terms of bone on top of knee is off center from cannon bone? Or is it just me, or the camera angle? Thanks!!!!

I'm looking at this OTTB on saturday. I like him alot but I feel like his pasterns are a bit long and flat. I plan to use him as a all around type horse- I am definitely planning for this next horse to be somewhat of a jumper (some local schooling shows, hunter paces), also just flat work, trail, local fun shows. Should I be concerned about his pasterns or anything else? Thanks!