is this a serious problem?

i was looking at a horse to lease and we were told he has arthritus in his hocks and back and he's been injected before a couple years ago. He moves well and jumps fine and is over all a happy little horse.

I'm unfamiliar with this type of problem, especially the back issue. Is this serious?

Update:

what they do is sometimes they will lunge him before a ride for a few minutes with some sidereins and stretch out his back, and he seems to be fine.

Comments

  • Have a vet examine him. If he's moving well and his last injection was a couple years ago, he is most likely going to be fine for you as a lease horse. What they inject is usually some type of cortizone to control inflammation and a joint lubricant. If he got this much relief from his jex done that long ago, his issues are minor. If he was 100%, you might not have been able to lease him! We have leased or bought horses with minor issues like these many times and what we got was a horse of a higher caliber than we could normally have afforded. Sometimes a bit of doctoring or extra fussing came with that horse, but it was worth it for what we got.

  • I would be careful. Horses with back problem are not going to be a good jumper later on. The horse really shouldn't be jumping if he has bad arthritis. He might be fine sometimes, but some days you might not be able to ride him because he will be in pain. A horse at our stable had his hocks injected and he if fine, but the back problem i would worry about. If you are going to do showing and serous jumping and riding i would keep looking for a better horse. It is a serious problem. I would really reconsider and find a another horse to lease.

    I hope this helps and that you find a good horse to lease.

  • How old is this horse? If it is in its twenties arthritis is pretty common if the horse is young then arthritis may be the result of overwork or injury. If you are going to lease the horse for a short while and it is going well now I would not worry too much, but warm-ups ( I would not use the lunge as it stresses the hocks but would ride long low and slow for 15 min before work), and perhaps massage therapy will help your horse be happy and healthy.

    Good luck and good riding.

  • Well...if it has only been injected once a couple of years ago it's not that bad. However, if they get regular injections that would be a little more concerning.

    Are there other horses in the area in the same price range that you can afford to lease that don't have these problems? It's up to you - it's a little bit of a gamble. Is it a full lease where you're bringing him to your property are are responsible for the vet bills? If so, I personally would move on - but if it's at the owners farm and you're just riding the horse and can get out of the lease if they discover he has permanant injury then I would go for it if you like the horse.

  • depends on what you want to use him for- heavy jumping or dressage- no.

    Otherwise, most horses have arthritis in their hocks if a bit older.

    I would get a vet's opinion on this- you should get a vet check done anyways. It all depends on how severe the arthritis is.

    As for the lunging- I do that anyways with all of my young horses (the exact same way), and once they get older, I do the same thing, only on the horse in a long and low stretch frame.

    That technique has nothing to do with stretching the hocks- just warming up the back to make the muscles more flexible, and getting the horse in a working frame of mind.

  • Yes being a back problem, I would be concerned and also you've got to be careful if the back isn't good and for some reason the wrong move send a sharp pain and your riding well odds are your gonna get thrown. I would stay clear on this one. Sorry but better safe than sorry.

    "seems" to be fine isn't good enough, sorry... Also your gonna end up spend extra moneys on care for him, and really it's not far to the horse I'm sure it's gonna cause pain either way before, during or after you ride. Look for another horse to lease.

  • Its only a serious problem if not taken care of well. Like you say, they stretch his back out and let him warm up a little before riding, this is very important. This allows his joints to get ready for work.

    The only thing you should do while riding is gradually progress into tougher work, and don't do too much in one session. Also, really allow him to cool off at a walk at the end, especially after tough work. Let him stretch out again (and let him stretch out somewhere in the middle too...push his strides longer not faster and give him his head to stretch down).

    Stretching is really important, and the work can actually be good for him. If you notice that he's off in any way after stretching don't ride him, just lunge him or walk him out.

  • It's just like with people- there are varying degrees of arthritis. I would speak to the owner and the vet who has treated him and see what their recommendation would be in terms of regular upkeep to manage the condition. Injections can be pretty costly, but also highly effective. Some horses don't need them often. Some require them frequently. I would also ask if he needed a daily oral supplement...

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  • I have never heard of arthritus in horses backs, but i used to have a horse who had it in his legs.He is old but beforte we rode him we would make sure to stretch his legs out.You would be better off just asking a local vet or trainer whats best.Also it depends on how bad the arthritus is, but i cant imagine it being too serious if he can jump no problem.

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