Hello, I have a 12 year old mare who i got from a rescue about 7 months ago. Our first two months were very good, she showed no signs of being lame. Then randomly she started limping and was diagnosed with arthritis. She has been on a daily dose of bute and some days she does great while others she is in pain. The hard part is knowing the difference. I see her out in pasture playing with the herd, and then when i take her in and saddle her, or work her, or even touch her hip area, she tries to bit and pins her ears. I need some advice!
I would be cautious about a daily dose of bute - it can cause tummy problems.
My senior mare has arthritis. One thing to consider is the riding surface and what activities you are asking her to do under saddle. And she may be making herself sore from playing hard in the pasture.
I can't ride my mare in the arena at our boarding facility - the ground is too hard. Even lower level dressage is hard for her. However, you take her on the trail and the lameness is gone and she is one happy girl. So think about the activities you plan on using her for and make sure its within her ability. And days you ride she will need a lot of warm up. We do a lot of walking, then try a bit of bending, then graduate up to "walk 5, trot 5" (strides).
You might ask your vet about joint injections. You might also consult a chiropractor and make sure her saddle fits as well.
You might also find a good liniment for the affected area. I have a hand massager like you get at Bath and Body Works, I apply liniment and massage gently.
I agree about the Bute... If you absolutely HAVE to give it to her daily, think about giving her body Sunday's off, and leaving her in a soft grassy paddock on that day. My mare (20 years old) has some arthritis in her knee. I give her MSM & Grandflex daily. She does fine out on the trails, but the vet gave me bute to keep on hand if it is ever needed.
Well she is on a daily dose because out In pasture this winter she was miserable everyday. But now that it's warmer I will take her off the daily dose and just give it to her when working/riding. The vet told us that she can get like 4 scoops of bite a day (she's only on 1 now) but I'm so scared that's going to mess with her stomach, and I don't think it's fair to do that to her just so I can ride her, so I'm thinking about making her just a pasture horse. If I make her just a pasture horse then I have to find her a new home because I'm a college student and am boarding her and can't afford to pay the fees for a horse I can't even ride. Posted via Mobile Device
Don't give up on her just yet. Just do some research, and see if you can find something that works. Exercise is good for arthritic horses, unless she's just not capable of doing what you need her to do. Then it's understandable. I was luckily able to find something within my horse's ability despite her problems.
You ask pain or attitude? - perhaps the pain leads to the attitude!
A simple experiment is to dose the horse with bute for say 2 weeks,
The horse's pains will disappear - so record the behaviour during that two weeks.
Then you withdraw the Bute completely and wait - if the pain comes back, then the behaviour will most likely change, thereby indicating pain. It is called a Bute test
Bute is known to attack the stomach lining - so you have to counter the impact.
Readily available fresh green grass helps but there are some additives which can offset the chemical reactions which are going on in the stomach. Check the internet.
But if pain is evident then it is important to identify the location and the possible cause. That is usually a vet's or a chiropractor's job. 'Hip' pain can lead to riding issues. You really need to find a cause and a cure asap.
or as you say, you turn her away to pasture. But an irritable, bad tempered mare which comes into season can be a risk to other horses.
This is one of those scenarios which horse owners without insurance dread. Hopefully a friendly vet can come up with a few answers quickly.
Allow your horse some slack for being in pain - but take care she might strike out.
Make sure her head is secured when you are grooming her.
Yeah i understand its just shes been on bute now for a while and some days on it shes great, and other days she is mean. I know she has arthritis because the vet and chiropractor already diagnosed her, so shes been seen and she is arthritic in her back right hip. My problem is she gives me attitude everytime i put the saddle on even when shes acting like shes not in pain. So i wonder if not she is just saddle sour because she was rode when she was sore and we didnt notice. So now i dont know how to correct that problem because if she is sore but not showing other signs besides the saddle, i dont want to push her with the saddle, so where do i go now?
Well, is the arthritis going to go away????
or can you allow for it by giving her a pain killer before you ride? - tricky
or do you call a saddler?
or do you buy some pads?
You took on a poorly horse - that is some commitment.
But no doubt she came cheap.
'Where do you go from here??' What a question.
I suspect herein lies the reason why the previous owner discarded the animal.
The big question to be answered in your shoes must be - 'Is she worth it?'
You have bought a dependent. But she must not be aggressive.
Now you have to learn to judge her sensitivity.
You have to learn to feel her pain. &
you have to find a pain killer which will not kill her thru ulcers.
From an armchair, few of we viewers can help you. But one thing is for sure, this horse will teach you sensitivity and that teaching will make you a better rider.
Some folks would pass her on......... -- Sorry, -- but you must choose.
But if you take her on, remember you must make the decisions in life for her.
It is tricky, Roni but be advised that many of we horse owners find ourselves in a similar predicament.
Welcome to the club (and the H/forum).
Thank you for your advice. The worst part is I got her from a rescue and paid 1000 for her because i did not know her problems. She was great the first two months and then as soon as that cold weather hit it was like i had a new horse. I called the rescue to see if they would take her back and try to find a home where she could just be a pasture pet ( i didnt even ask for my money back) and they told me they wouldnt take her. She does get aggresive when she is in pain. When i put the saddle on she wont let me get close to her because she tries to bite me. I have rode her bareback though and she does good with that.
The saddle matter is interesting. If she'll let you ride bareback, then you must experiment with saddle and pads to see where she'll tolerate your weight.
Maybe a treeless endurance saddle with thick padding might work.
I'd be feeding her treats so she sees your presence as a source of pleasure and not just pain.
You'll have to get a feeling of whether she can tolerate walk, trot and canter.
I'd do plenty of work in hand - so she gets to know you without having to take your weight.
But do take care for you not to be associated with her pain. If you plan to mount up, make sure she has had her pain killers. Managing her stomach acids will be a separate issue. Read up on 'ulcers' on the web.
The vet can use steroids to delay arthritis - but it only delays the onset.
One day, she might have to be sent on. In the interim don't let her bite you, but don't make it worse by snapping back at her too harshly.
I have a 11 year old gelding that has arthritis i keep him on msm and glucosamine it makes a huge diffrence. When he hurts hes crabby pins ears snaps his teeth and just plain ugly to deal with. As long as i keep up the supplaments he fine a week or two with out and mr crabs comes back. His problems are from lyme dease and the arthritis is also a result of lyme. I wouldnt be giving bute every day that causes its own problems long term usage. Best of luck and welcome to the forums.
Roni, nice to meet you, I am a farrier from Montana. With arthritis in a back hip it will be extremely important to keep a regular trimming schedule. Rolled toes would be highly recomended.If your horse has good conformation will be a huge plus. If she is camped under in the hind end my advice is you will likely experience little success. MSM is great...keep it up. 12 years old is young enouph easily to see great success depending on some of the circumstances I've mentioned. Hope to see pictures and a side view would be a plus. Posted via Mobile Device
Thanks for all the advice, i am going to take her off bute asap and see how she does. Horseman 101 i have a couple pictures on my profile if you wanna go have a look and see what ya think? She has a great farrier now hes very good and her feet are amazing.
I myself am having to deal with a similar issue. I got my horse almost 3 weeks ago. She is a 16.1hh APHA mare. She just turned 10 in February and was stall kept her entire life...I honestly don't think she was ever turned out. SHe was used as her owners trail horse, which is why I bought her. I brought her to my barn 3 weeks ago where she is turned out all the time, with exception of morning and night. She doesn't have the best conformation and she has poor feet which require shoes (but i knew this). I had the vet come yesterday bc my farrier came out again and noticed she was stiff in moving and just didn't move right. Turns out she has fetlock effusions (mild in front, moderate in the back) and her left hock as well. The vet said it is very possible she has arthritis. I am giving her bute paste 2x a day for the next 4 days to reduce the inflammation and am starting her on Cosequin as soon as I can get it. I myself am in college so the added cost of having an arthritic horse is definitely making me think twice about keeping her. Her owner was very defensive when I asked if she could take her back so I have no hope of that. I have listed her for sale, but in the meantime I have already paid for April board so I am going to try and get a handle on her pain/condition in the next 30days with a loading dose of Cosequin.....fingers crossed...I'd hate for it to get any more expensive than that as I just can't afford it.
Good luck to you! I hope everything works out for you! I think both of us have definitely gotten into situations that are far less than ideal at this point in our lives.
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Horse Forum
3.4M posts
92.6K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!