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.
Ask anyone who suffers from arthritis what it's like, and you'll hear just one word repeated and repeated - pain. And you won't have to look very far to find people to ask. In some cases, you don't even need to ask - you can tell just by watching them move; they don't like to because it hurts.
This owner shares a detailed case history on an aggressive 3-year program with an older horse that indicates the complexity of dealing with these situations
Laminitis was the top vote getter in a recent survey regarding research needs among members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The goal of this study is to provide data that can assist the equine community in directing its financial support to a wide realm of equine research projects.
The only thing you can really do for older horses is to shoe them the way they go. If there’s an interference problem, you can help resolve that concern with your shoeing. Anytime you see the hairline pushed up, the horse is out of balance. If they’re going crooked, I just try to give them as much support as I can with a bar shoe or whatever is needed.
A trial was conducted with 75 Thoroughbred foals in central Kentucky to evaluate the effects of a preventive regimen of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG, Adequan) injections starting at 8 weeks of age.
Dandi had been lame on and off for 3 years. He was over 30 years old, but his exact age was unknown (at least to me). I was called in on this case at the suggestion of the farrier who was working at the barn where Dandi was stabled, near Pearl City, Ill.
Q: I have an 11-year-old Paint horse that toes in with his right foot. He also has arthritis in his fetlock joint on the same leg, due to the stress he puts on that joint from toeing in. He is reasonably sound, but does get lame when ridden too much.
Greg Martin, CJF, of Boerne, Texas, takes the unique approach of marketing his hoof-care practice with a Christmas parade float in Boerne and Comfort, Texas. The award-winning float boasts a variety of surprising features.
Life Data Labs Inc. is a dedicated product manufacturer committed to producing premium quality animal nutrition and health products through continuous product improvement and new product development. First-class ingredients, fresh products, consistent high quality and scientifically proven effectiveness are the principal features of Life Data Labs animal health products. And that's why they've produced the #1 recommended hoof supplement by farriers for 12 consecutive years.
Kawell develops and produces copper alloy horseshoes and inserts, giving horses the care that they need to fight issues associated with white line disease, seedy toe and thrush.
From the feed room to the tack room, SmartPak offers innovative solutions to help riders take great care of their horses. SmartPak was founded in 1999 with the introduction of the patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system. The revolutionary, daily dose SmartPaks are custom-made for your horse, individually labeled and sealed for freshness.