Novice horse owners may not realize that older horses — and even some horses in their prime — often develop arthritis, or joint inflammation. Painful, stiff joints can be managed to keep most of these horses comfortable enough to continue performing.

While the farrier often can help with proper shoeing, there are tasks an owner can complete to care and manage the horse.

Foot-Handling Challenges

Uniondale, Ind., farrier Troy Price has several clients with arthritic horses, but they aren’t always older horses.

“Some are middle age and still very active, but they’ve had a lot of wear and tear on joints in a strenuous career,” says the owner of the Troy Price Horseshoeing School. “These horses can be difficult to shoe because leg joints are stiff and it’s painful for them to be flexed and held in shoeing positions.”

To make it easier on the horse, Price often has a special request for owners.

“If I’m coming in the morning to shoe their horses, owners often get them in the night before,” he says. “When an arthritic horse is in a stall all night, it will be more stiff and sore after confinement and inactivity. I tell these clients that if they can get the horse out and exercising a little bit before I get there — longe it around or let it out in the arena awhile — this can limber it up before I shoe it. This makes a big difference.”

Vandergrift, Pa., farrier Todd Allen believes that arthritis in the knees often is overlooked by a lot of farriers and horse owners. It can be hard to recognize and is more common than many realize.

“If the horse resists having the leg manipulated, the vet may need to do some flexion tests and will usually get a positive reaction to knee flexion,” Allen says. “Banamine or bute may help with pain management for arthritis, especially when we’re working on the horse. I tell the new horse owner to talk to their farrier and to look for signs of discomfort when handling or riding the horse. The owner should also ask the farrier how that horse feels to him or her when working on the horse. And, from the farrier’s standpoint, we should be patient and understanding and not be upset with the horse.”

It might help to explain to the horse owner that the horse actually is reacting to pain rather than being contrary.

“This may help the owner be more proactive and to try to be more patient, too,” Allen says.

While explaining to a new owner how to handle an arthritic horse’s leg is often necessary, your actions and techniques can reinforce the lesson.

“I always let horses, particularly those that are arthritic, kind of settle into a comfortable position before I put it between my legs,” Price says. “An arthritic horse might take an extra 10 seconds to settle into a good position. Sometimes the horse will let you put their foot where you want to put it.

“Other times, the horse protests because the leg is just too painful in that position, and you have to work where that horse is comfortable. If you try to put that leg to where you are comfortable, the horse may be hurting and jumping around. You need to keep the horse as comfortable as possible.”

Comfort is often fleeting, though.

“I have a few that can only tolerate a certain position for a short time,” Price says. “I’ll pick up the foot and start working and in 5 or 10 seconds the horse wants it back. If the horse does that once or twice he tends to limber up a little, ease into it, and then you can usually get your work done.”

Investing in special equipment can offer more comfort.

“You have to be a little more patient with these horses, and also keep their feet low and close to the ground,” he says. “I have a short hoof stand I use for miniature horses. I often use that for arthritic horses. It’s only about half the height of a traditional hoof stand.”

It may be an older horse with arthritis, but a younger horse that’s been used hard may have suffered more-than-normal wear and tear. Horses with strenuous athletic careers may develop arthritis in certain joints.

“When you pull a horse’s leg forward on a hoof stand, especially one that’s arthritic in the knees, it will usually stand there without fussing,” Allen says. “But when you start to bend the knees, especially if you try to bend them up too far, or put too much flex, it hurts. You have to hold them closer to the ground and most of the time the horse responds in a more positive way.”

Troy Price uses a hoof stand for miniature horses to keep the feet of arthritic horses closer to the ground.

Care And Management

If you suspect the horse is arthritic, try to help the owner understand the problem and maybe change some of the care and management of the horse to relieve as much of the discomfort as possible.

“If it’s a new client,” Allen says, “I tell them their horse is uncomfortable to work on and I tell them to have their vet check it out and do a lameness exam and hock flexion on their horse if it’s a hind leg.

“When horses are sore for me, they may not always flex positive for the vet and they may not seem sore to the owner. If the owner is just picking out the feet, the foot might not be picked up long enough to cause much discomfort. If it’s an older horse with severe arthritis, the owner will know it when trying to hold the foot up to clean it. But with many horses, the discomfort is subtle because they are not to that point of damage yet.”

The farrier’s role in these situations is to make sure the owner is aware of some of the things that can make a difference for these horses.

“A combination of a lot of little things can really help in the management of an arthritic horse,” says Paul Goodness, chief of Farrier Services at Virginia Tech’s Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Va. “It also can prolong the horse’s comfort out in the pasture or keep the athletic horse going longer.”

Some can go on a long time in a performance career, with a little help.

“We can often help them a lot, and arthritis doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the road,” he says. “I talk to the owner about their turnout schedule. In a typical arthritis situation, it seems to be beneficial to have more turnout rather than less. Exercise helps. Horses and humans with arthritis become more stiff/sore when inactive.”

Footing can be an area of concern for arthritic horses.

“Sometimes the horse is better off being on soft shavings,” Gooding says, “or some kind of soft footing in a run-in shed where it can get away from that rock-hard ground.”

In general though, the more they are moving around, the better off they are. Owners shouldn’t overwork the horse, but it’s good to be moving. Some that are suddenly retired become much worse without exercise. Daily exercise aids circulation, joint lubrication and muscle tone. Farriers can give an owner a lot of information regarding the horse’s comfort.

“Sometimes we have a new client with an older horse,” Allen says, “and the first time we shoe that horse, it is extremely gun-shy because it is anticipating pain.”

The anticipation of pain can be difficult because they expect to be hurt and are in a defensive frame of mind.

“It may take us a long time to get that horse to trust us and understand that we are not going to hurt him,” Allen says. “Sometimes it takes a tranquilizer the first time to get through that.”

It’s important that the client is proactive while trying to keep the horse comfortable.

“Some­times joint supplements can be helpful, or use of Adequan, Legend, etc.,” he says. “Surpass is a topical cream that can be applied to the painful area to help reduce inflammation. I generally toss out a bunch of ideas to the owner but also tell them to contact their veterinarian, or recommend a veterinarian I trust.”

Getting A Vet Involved

The owner may need to work with a veterinarian regarding pain management for the arthritic horse. Some horses do better when kept on a low level of bute, especially older horses with very painful joints.

A little anti-inflammatory medication may help a lot, just as it does for a person with arthritis.

There are several medications that work and the farrier could suggest to the owner to get their veterinarian involved, to discuss pain management.

“I’m not a vet and I don’t prescribe or recommend medications,” Price says. “However, the farrier may be the first line of defense for the horse to suggest to the owner that veterinary assistance might be beneficial.”

Arthritis doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the road for a horse. Exercise and a lighter rider can be beneficial.

Once that line of communication opens, ideas and options will flow.

“It’s important that the owner have a good dialogue with their veterinarian or even several veterinarians,” Goodness says. “Ask questions. Find out what the various treatment options might be. There will be conventional and maybe even some that are unconventional like acupuncture, laser therapy or some of the nutraceuticals.”

There are a number of joint supplements that seem to help some horses.

“There are many products and drugs being used to help arthritic horses, so I tell the owner to go to the vet for guidance in a choice of treatment,” Allen says. “It can be confusing to the new horse owner, when faced with a wide array of choices on the market.”

Allen recommends asking the vet about drug choices, because there are some new products and information gleaned from the Internet that may be misleading.

It Takes A Team

Farriers play a significant role in keeping the horse moving comfortably, secondary to the steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications that are now available. Yet, everyone involved — the farrier, veterinarian, trainer, grooms — must work together.

“We all need to be talking,” Good­ness says. “We need to make sure the owner is aware of different possibilities. Today, at least in our area, a lot of these problems are caught pretty early and we can make some adjustments. I see older athletes going on and on for years. We now talk in terms of a ‘little bit of ringbone,’ instead of all ringbone being career-ending ringbone.”

Farriers also need to be aware of new options as information and knowledge quickly changes.

“We need to keep our eyes open and be willing to try some different things — and accept that not all of them are going to work,” he says. “When you try something and it doesn’t work, don’t stop trying. It might work for another horse. Maybe plan B or even plan C or D might be the key for this horse. Never give up. The farrier may be the advocate/spokesman for the horse and can sometimes keep the ball rolling.”