Long term prognosis for horse with arthritis in hock?

My horse is almost 22 and is arthritic in both hocks. We have him on Force Flex, a liquid HA supplement, and he does great on it. He's been arthritic since we bought him as a 12yo. I ride him w/t/c 4-5x/week with a few jumps thrown in here and there.

If the horse you're looking at is so bad that he needs injections already, don't buy him. Injections should be a last resort--they destroy the joint slowly over time.

I would recommend doing a pre-purchase exam on the horse and ask the vet's opinion. This could be a teeny tiny amount of arthritis, and a very honest seller who just wants to make sure the horse goes to someone who will medicate the arthritis to keep the horse comfortable. OR, this could be massive arthritis and possibly other leg issues that attribute to arthritis. If you do a pre-purchase, your vet will be able to tell you if that is a normal amount of arthritis for a horse of that age, or if it is due to poor conformation or injury that will likely increase severely with dressage and jumping.

You could follow everyone else's advice and just skip on this horse, but you might be missing out on a great horse, and how will you know if the next horse you look at might have something just as bad or worse but the seller might not be as open and honest about it. The ONLY way to know is to do a pre-purchase exam and make sure that whatever horse you buy will be a good match healthwise for your goals.

I just bought a 12 year old mare that was supposed to be sound. She has navicular, or some other issue with her right front leg and we are supplementing her and buting her before rides. The thing is, people always say- "The cheapest thing about a horse is buying it". you just have to factor in that you will be spending 100 a month or more on injections until you get the issue under control. I know you probably are already taken by the horse, but please take it from someone who wishes she knew about the issue before. I'm sure you can find a sound horse for the same or cheaper. Also, my trainer has a horse with stifle arthritis and he is great 90% of the time, but when he's in pain he is HORRIBLE- BUCKING REARING, DANGEROUS. She is stuck with him because she never knows when his arthritis is going to act up again so she can't sell him.

"no extra maintenance is required if he's just hanging out in the pasture."

There's a red flag right there. To me it sounds as if she's saying the horse needs injections just to be comfortable enough to hang out in the pasture. That may mean that the horse goes dead lame with riding. If you plan on doing dressage and jumping, this is definitely not the horse for you. It may not even be the right horse if all you want is to go down the trail. I would look elsewhere, there are horses that age that are completely sound.

I would advise against this horse if you want to do dressage.

If it were just for happy hacking and the odd bit of fun, then yes it would probably be manageable, however, with dressage, the hocks are working hard all of the time and it may be too much for him.

Better to get a horse that can happily do what you want without the need for extra meds.

Good luck with your search though and if you do want to go ahead with this horse, get a proper vet check (don't just take the owners word for it) and the vet will be able to give you more advice on just how much management the arthritis will need. Also, you will have to tell your insurance about it and they will most likely not cover any of the medical costs as it is a pre-exisiting condition, so it could become extremely expensive for you.

Please do not purchase a horse with a known problem. If you want to use him primarily for dressage, this is a very bad idea. Even though the seller says it's manageable, arthritis does not go away, it only gets worse. You don't want to spend money on injections, and possible vet fees on a horse that you will end up not being able to ride and enjoy.

my old mare has hock arthritis! it took me a year to get her right. I used hot treatment and water therapy. I bought vet ice wraps, and soacked the im hot water, then put them on the hock and bandages over it for half hour. The water treatment, was in the form of a big boot, fed by warm water from a machine. It was expensive but worth it (i got it half price as the son on the yard were i work is an expert at it). You can choose hot or cold water with this. Its like having your leg emerged in a spa bath, with the water jets on certain points. I also used magnets. She had magnetic hock boots, which helped with the circulation. i also made sure her hock was bandaged up when she was in the stable if it was cold, which kept her more comfortable. Magnets really did work on her, and i would use them on other horses. good luck.

Imagine for a moment your arthritis completely vanishing right now.

If, in a moment, your pain and stiffness melted away. And your joints all of a sudden functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Like a magic wand was waived, you'd be able to jump up from your chair and run around the room like a kid.

And imagine that you'd never have to suffer as much as a pinch of arthritis stiffness or pain ever again.

I know this sounds impossible right now, but bear with me, because sometimes miracles happen.

It was a gift from a woman on the other side of the world. From the kindness of her heart, she took pity on my suffering and taught me how to completely reverse my arthritis.

Today, I want to do the same for you!

I personally wouldnt go down this route when there are so many healthy horses on the market now adays.

This problem may be manageable - but at the end of the day it is what it is - a problem.

Whilst it may be under control now, as the horse ages, chances are this problem will get worse. I just wouldnt be comfortable buying a horse that I knew was defective.

xx

Dont buy someone elses problem! Theres enough horses out there for u to find a sound one. Dressage is hard work for horses ... particularly their rear section. And injections into joints are NOT a feasible solution. They erode joints, and he'll be in agony as an old fella.