# Would arthritis be a deal breaker for buying an older horse?



## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

it really depends on how severe it is and how much you would be willing to do to stay on top of it.
my mare josie has arthritis in both front knees. it is pretty easy to deal with it by stretching her and warming her up thoroughly before doing any serious work. but its kind of a case to case basis. not all horses would do as well as others with differant kinds of work.


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## AlmostThere (Oct 31, 2009)

Roperchick said:


> it really depends on how severe it is and how much you would be willing to do to stay on top of it.
> my mare josie has arthritis in both front knees. it is pretty easy to deal with it by stretching her and warming her up thoroughly before doing any serious work. but its kind of a case to case basis. not all horses would do as well as others with differant kinds of work.


I forgot to mention that I don't plan on doing anything very strenuous with her. Light riding in the arena, and short trail rides on flat dirt roads. And she'll have a quarter to a third acre to wander in when she's not being ridden or loved on.

Does your mare need medication, or is just keeping her active, and giving her time to warm up enough? Thanks for the quick response .


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

we have been giving her glucosamine every day and that seems to help her. and when we were going for long rides or competitions we would give her some bute if she was particularly sore or stiff.

if you do give the horse bute make sure its not on a daily basis. its really hard on their stomach.


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## AlmostThere (Oct 31, 2009)

Have you ever heard of a shot like the seller mentioned in her add?

_"hydroclonic acid, conjointen, gluco mixture_". 

I think I'll start a thread on favorite ways to treat arthritis.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Depending on what I was looking for and the severity of the arthritis. With the type of horse you are looking for, I don't think that some mild arthritis should be a deal breaker. It is actually better for a horse with arthritis to be kept active, not strenuous things like barrels or jumping but mild excersize is good for them. It keeps the joints lubricated as best they can be. I would have a vet check it out just to be sure of how severe it is before going any further.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

"More horses rust out than wear out"

It would be unusual for a 15 year old that had an active career not to have some arthritis. As previous posters mentioned, the questions you need answered are how severe this arthritis is, and how it will impact want you want to do. Frankly, I've never heard of signifigant arthritis in an *elbow* - fetlocks, hocks and stifles are a lot more common. You will need a vet to examine her, do flexions and possibly xrays and give you an opinion. You will also need to add the cost of the supplement and shots to her cost to to give you and accurate comparison to other animals you're looking at. 

FYI, arthritic horses do much better with turnout and a run in shed; standing in a stall for long periods does them no favors. They also do best with light, consistent work; they don't do well as "weekend warriors." I have also had very good results with joint supplements; thought you have to experiment a little - different ones work better on different horses.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

If I wanted to compete- definate deal breaker

If I wanted a companion, to ride on occasion- not a deal breaker

If you can afford a horse who might not be ridable one day then its not as big of a deal. If you are only willing to keep a sound horse, dont go any further.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

yes i have we wer going to give my mare one but she started having more difficult (unrelated) problems and retired her. but many people did recommend it to us. it seems to have good results.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

I think you mean an adequan type of shot. There area also generics for less. 

Before you go to far contact the owner's vet. They can tell you the extent of the issue and what exactly they're giving the horse.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

AlmostThere said:


> Have you ever heard of a shot like the seller mentioned in her add?
> 
> _"hydroclonic acid, conjointen, gluco mixture_".
> 
> I think I'll start a thread on favorite ways to treat arthritis.


Lol this lady needs to talk to her vet and get this straightened out.
To me it sounds like Hylarounic Acid (aka Legend, also called Hyanate or something), chondroitin and glucosamine which are two common joint supplements which I haven't of being injected too commonly.
Arthritis is not a deal breaker for a pleasure horse and most competitive equines past about 10 or 12 will be starting to see normal wear and tear and the beginnings of arthritis. Horses past about 15 that have had competitive careers will start to show bony changes.
The thing you have to remember is that motion is lotion! These horses thrive on full turnout with active, younger horses. It is also important to keep them a good weight, even slightly skinny is better than obese. As far as for riding, really take it slow and make sure you are giving the horse 10 to 15 minutes both to warm up and cool down in the walk. If you notice soreness or have worked them much harder than usual , administering some bute as an anti inflammatory is an excellent preventative. I also like to see these horses getting a shot of Legend once every 4-6 weeks as a preventative. Good luck!


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## AlmostThere (Oct 31, 2009)

sillybunny11486 said:


> If I wanted to compete- definate deal breaker
> 
> If I wanted a companion, to ride on occasion- not a deal breaker
> 
> If you can afford a horse who might not be ridable one day then its not as big of a deal. If you are only willing to keep a sound horse, dont go any further.


I'm not looking to compete. I'm hoping for a confidence builder for myself and an easy going first horse for my kids. We'll probably end up doing some sort of riding four or five times a week. 

We would have enough room to keep her if she ended up unridable. I have no intention of selling off any horses we acquire (and we'll be keeping her at home). I would hope for at least five years of light riding (would love closer to ten) out of her, but I know a perfectly sound horse can have an accident the day after I get her, so there are no guarantees.

Is there any kind of timetable for the progression of arthritis? Assuming this is a mild case, could I expect it will progress slowly enough that she will not be in a lot of pain five years from now? She will have 24/7 turn out and it doesn't get very cold where I live. I know this is an it depends type of question, thanks for everyone's responses so far.

Here's the link to the add. They are not good conformation pictures, but I think she has a sweet face.

STUNING PAINT PALAMINO/WHITE

I'm at the beginning of my search, since we just got a response from the bank, and are looking to close on a house with land in a week or two. I didn't want to waste anyone's time by going out and looking at their horse, before we had a place to keep one.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

AlmostThere said:


> *Is there any kind of timetable for the progression of arthritis?* Assuming this is a mild case, could I expect it will progress slowly enough that she will not be in a lot of pain five years from now? She will have 24/7 turn out and it doesn't get very cold where I live. I know this is an it depends type of question, thanks for everyone's responses so far.


This depends on the horse, their medical history, their riding history, how hard they are used, how they are managed and how aggressively they are treated.
Really the horse is already arthritic, but it is being treated, which is good. If you continue a preventative treatment regiment, keep the horse turned out and ride it with the future in mind you can feasibly have the horse going for another good 10 years.
Now - I highly doubt the horse has arthritis in its shoulder because there aren't any joints in a horse's shoulder to have arthritis in. Because of this and the lady's inability to spell and pronounce what her horse is on I would definitely talk to her vet, and independently get your vet out to fully examine the horse before purchasing it.
To put this in perspective I bought a 13 y/o retired roping/general ranch horse. This horse worked for his grain shall we say. He already had developed a bit of something in a fetlock that showed up in x-rays, and flexed about a grade 1-2 lame on it.
I competed the horse in dressage, reining, hunters, jumpers, etc.. for about 4-5 years without treatment, but on full turnout. He ended up having a whole bunch of medical hullaballoo and ended up foundering and rotating his left coffin joint which aggravated the bony changes in his fetlock and he is now basically unsound for showing. He is comfortable enough to be a kids horse and lives in a field with 2 ponies and eats and has kids to fawn over him. He is 23 this year.
That was that horse's 10 year time line and he had a few things against him. He wasn't treated for arthritis until he was lame, nor did he have any preventative treatment, he was used hard into his mid/late teens and he had a major medical mishap at that point.
To improve on this outlook there are a few things you can do, as mentioned in my above post.
Good luck!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

With proper care, horses can live and be functional with arthritis for many many years. There is no set timetable for its progression though, unfortunately. There are too many environmental and physical variables to consider. She may be useable for another 15 years or another 5, you just never know. A lot also depends on the kind of care she gets. Most likely, continued supplements and shots as needed would delay the need for retirement. She does have an adorable face and her markings are gorgeous


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

Question: what is full body climbing? hehe


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## AlmostThere (Oct 31, 2009)

sillybunny11486 said:


> Question: what is full body climbing? hehe


:lol:. Yeah, sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they write their ads - everyone should have a neutral party proof read for them.

I remember her ads from a few months back, and she said she couldn't do steep trails anymore, so I assume she means it's better to keep her on the flat, rather than strenuous hilly trails.

She also said in her older ads that she could give a potential buyer her vet's number so they could discuss her mare's condition with him. I'll definitely do that, *and* get an independent vet check if I get serious about buying her.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

if you are going to buy her i would go with glucosamine, rather than adequan shots. its effective and if your just doing light riding its cheaper in the end.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I found what the horse is on!

The Horse | New Treatment for Equine Osteoarthritis Investigated

"Polyglycan, the novel formulation made up of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (HACSAG), is labeled for intra-articular post-surgical lavage and replacement of synovial fluid. It is not currently marketed or approved as a drug in the United States, although it is manufactured here in an FDA-inspected and -approved facility."


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