how old is your dressage horse?

My gelding has feet issues which I have been advised by vet to not jump him or hack him actually. However as long as his feet are well managed and shod correctly then he is sound. He is winning or placing at very least. However the main farrier has not Been there last couple of times and he went lame last week as he needed shod. I had to have words with other farrier and tell him to sort it out he came sound few days later once used to correct balance.
However would I buy a horse with these issues. ABSOLUTLY NOT its a lot of money. However love this boy and he is talented. He is now 14 also with hock arthritis.

If he can't hack out and stay sound then he should not be competeing.

Sorry put that wrong he can't hack where I am as its stones and unlevel on his feet. This can bruise his feet and also unbalances his feet. Also the hard impacting his feet can cause problems. He is not put in these situations therefore no problem.If I had sand gallops or lots of lovely fields it would be fine.
However I don't think at any point you should be telling me wether or not I should be competing my horse. My vet has given him the all clear. He gets regular checks from vet also, chiro, physio anything he needs he gets. He is the best looked after horse on my yard and sound in the arena unlike the majority of horses at the yard. There has been no judge that has thought there was anything wrong including an international level judge. Otherwise he would not win.

If she's OTTB (off the track thoroughbred) then she's already had a career in racing and could develope arthritis (navicular syndrome) in a few years. You have to consider how many starts she's had (races) and multiply that by 20 for everytime she had been exercises or breezed before a race. If its just her hocks she could be fine up to first level with help from a trainer and supplements for her hocks. Hock injections are an extreme measure to take to preserve soundness. The injections have to be given for the rest of the horses life because once the horse comes off them, the joints are crippled. I don't remember how the injections work but I know its damaging to the hocks. A good way to judge how sound the hocks are is to watch the horse get up after a long nap on a sunny day. You can also tell if she's stiff anywhere else by watching her get up. If she struggles to get up or looks wobbly like its taking her allot of effort then forget it. A vet can also do some tests to tell you the condition of her hocks. Good Luck.

There are many options for joint injections that do not damage the joint.
Note that navicular and arthritis are separate ailments.
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