The Pain is Real – Coping with Arthritis in Horses

What is arthritis

Arthritis, also known as Osteoarthritis (OA) or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), is a disease that creates pain and inflammation in a horse’s joint.

Arthritis is a progressive disease where the cartilage in the joint is slowly degraded or worn away. As the cartilage wears, it exposes bone and nerve endings, becoming extremely painful and inflamed and leading to symptoms such as lameness, joint swelling and general discomfort. Unfortunately, arthritis is a chronic disease that cannot be cured, so management is key, and the earlier we intervene, the better the outcome is for the horse.

The cause of arthritis in horses includes injuries to the joint, age (progressive wear), or infection. With the arthritis caused by injury, the symptoms of arthritis may become visible long after the initial cause. It is not a stretch to say that every horse that has lead an active life is going to develop some form of arthritis if they live past middle age.

The earlier we intervene, the better the prognosis is for our horses.

How can you tell if your horse has arthritis?

If your horse has been in some level of work, or had an injury, or over the age of 18, it is likely your horse has arthritis.

You can monitor for symptoms such as:

• Favouring a limb or side, even if there is weight bearing

• Lameness and limping

• Swelling in the joint

• Intermittent tenderness in the joint

The only accurate way to diagnose arthritis is via a radiograph (x-ray), however most vets can identify the potential diagnosis of arthritis via clinical history and examination.

How can we reduce the likelihood of a horse developing arthritis?

While there is no evidence that we can prevent arthritis, there are steps we can take to reduce or delay the onset arthritis in our horses. And it starts as soon as they are born.

In young foals and weanlings, the correct nutrition can actually impact the potential for OA to develop. A diet that is in excess or limited in selected nutrients, including total calories, can misbalance the ratio at which the body forms its bones, cartilage and muscles, thus increasing the risk of joint issues. Restricted exercise can also unbalance the musculoskeletal development.

Younger horses, from 2-5 years, should not be started under saddle until they are physically mature. Once started, the process should be gradual to allow for correct skeletal and muscular development – no matter how fast they respond to the work.

In mature horses we should ensure that we work their bodies in balance, ensure they have correct training to cope with the physical burden of a rider – and ensure our riding is balanced also. It is also a good idea to keep your horses’ body condition score between 4-6.

In our older horses, it may seem counter-intuitive but exercise really does help reduce arthritis or the symptoms.

Other things you can do that could help reduce the risk of arthritis developing include:

• Correct physical conditioning through training

• Ensure proper farrier care is taken through all stages of life

• Allow periods of rest when exercising and developing your horse – a pause in training will often do more good than harm

• Identify potential causes for injury and be proactive about post-injury arthritis management

• Keep an ideal body weight and condition to keep lean muscle mass, especially in older horses

My horse has arthritis- what can I do?

There are multiple options for managing arthritis in your horse. Remember, the aim here is to reduce the pain of arthritis while slowing the progression, as unfortunately there is no cure.

Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s): Your vet may prescribe these to provide short term pain relief for both mild but more usually severe pain associated with arthritis. These drugs reduce inflammation but must be prescribed and should be used with caution as they may have side effects when used long term, such as upsetting the gut lining or impacting on major organs. Discuss the use of these with your vet as options.

Corticosteriod injections: These injections aren’t used frequently as they can have many negative side effects, but your vet may use these intermittently to dramatically reduce the inflammation in the joint and give other solutions, such as nutraceuticals and exercise, a chance to impact. These can only be administered by your veterinarian.

Pentosan Polysulphate Sodium (PPS): Studies have shown therapeutic levels in synovial fluid (the fluid that helps reduce friction in the joints) following intramuscular injections. These injections are delivered once weekly in a series of 4 injections, and on occasion the injection may be administered directly into the joint. There are fewer side effects with PPS but should be used in caution with other medications, and always under veterinary supervision.

Nutraceuticals: There are many oral nutraceuticals on the market. Some contain glucosamine or chondrotin, which are essential building blocks of healthy cartilage, and there are many other products with a range of natural or herbal extracts that may have benefits to arthritic joints in horses. Some nutraceuticals may help improve synovial fluid output, some may reduce inflammation and swelling. Unfortunately, not all supplements are created equal, nor do they have to have studies to prove their efficacy (or in some cases that do have studies, they may not be on horses). Speak to your vet about your best options rather than wasting your money on 4-5 different options. And note – what works for one horse may not work for the next. (If you want me to do some research on the strength of efficacy of studies of any nutraceuticals you are using or interested in, please comment below!)

Acupuncture, acupressure and light therapy: These are therapies that, from a number of horse owners, seems to have some benefit. I am not aware of any studies but from personal experience feel these are great options if they are available to you.

Exercise: gentle exercises that help to stretch the limb and move the affected joint without too much pressure are crucial for long term health of the muscle and reduction of pain. In actual fact, running through the dressage training scale from the very foundations is a great way to realign muscular development that can help support painful joints. Your horse will let you know when they have reached their maximum movement capabilities.

Hydrotherapy and swimming are also great exercises that allow your horse to perform a range of motions without having to weight bear. A limb that is toned with strong muscle is more likely to have good blood flow and therefore more impact from medications and supplements, as opposed to a limb that has muscle atrophy.

Chiropractic sessions: While your chiropractor can not work miracles by reversing the arthritis already developed, they are crucial to help ensure that any movement abnormalities (that occur due to the pain in one or more limbs) don’t become a permanent change to their conformation, to reduce the likelihood of muscular atrophy and also reduce the damage to non-arthritic limbs.

Would you like to share your experience with arthritis in horses or ask a question? Comment below!

Can’t Teach an Older Horse New Tricks? Watch me!

It is an unending fact of life – we all get older. Unfortunately so many older horses become abandoned or given away as paddock buddies when their owners no longer see any use for them.

And while I understand the desire for progression, or the desire to see your horse ‘in a loving home, getting the attention he/she deserves’, I also know there are many of us out there who will continue to provide a home for that horse that saw us through so much, even if they are no longer suitable to our needs. So how can we continue to give our older horses a valuable life when they no longer suit our purposes?

My Older Horse

I recently adopted a 21 year old gelding. Little is known about this horses’ history apart from that he was used for cattle work, and he has had many owners, and working with him has indicated that he has had at least basic western training – totally not my forte! He had been rescued by some friends after being offered as a ‘free to good home paddock buddy’ and placed into semi-retirement, and when I was in need of a horse, they offered him as a potential project, as he really needed his own human.

With time and effort, this boy now bends instead of pivoting - and is a much more confident partner.

Katie and I assessed him for soundness and to identify some potential issues. We noted:

• His back was sound and could safely hold a rider

• He had mild arthritis

• He has had some injury in the past that had created some tightness particularly through the left haunch

• He was significantly out of work (no surprises there!)

• He was experiencing some anxiety issues, both with riders and leaving his paddock buddy

• He had no idea how to talk to his rider (hence the anxiety with riders)

We began training him English style under the principles of the Foundation of Equine Development – we took it right back to the starting basics. Groundwork, bonding work, emotional management and letting him talk to us on the ground and in the saddle. This boy has gone from Western trained, out of work paddock, rarely active ornament to a happy, confident, calm horse that now plays and runs in the paddock and wants human interaction. His progression is slower than it might be for a younger horse, and we are forever mindful not to create injury, but his development has been beneficial both for myself and him.

Being an older, relatively unknown horse, neither of us has any idea of how far he will go. But he keeps taking each new challenge we present him (even being proud to ‘show off’), so who knows – you might see us out at a pony club dressage event soon!

Your Older Horse

Do you have an older horse that still wants to work/play? Outside of basic care and maintenance, you could increase their workload in many different ways - for many key benefits.

Benefits of Working Your Older Horse

• When done correctly it can improve their muscular tone, reducing the pains that develop with old age (think of it as physio rather than gym!)

• Improve their mood and temperment

• Improve their quality of life and may even increase their life expectancy!

Before you do, assess your horse for the following:

• Check for soundness in the back, legs and mouth

• Ensure they have not lost too much muscle mass, as this will make any type of riding work impossible

• How much working condition have they lost/still retained?

• Look for any signs of arthritis, or skeletal misalignment, and supplement/treat accordingly

• Does your horse want to engage in these activities?

Then encourage your horse to participate in:

• Basic groundwork or riding training – take it as far back to the basics as your horse needs to be able to redevelop lost condition. Equestrian Movements’ Foundation of Equine Development Course will be available soon for you to try out!

• Fun days out – a short trail ride or bringing them out to pony club for a potter (not competing, or lightly competing if your horse can handle it)

• Lead line walks for small children – especially for older horses that can no longer maintain adult weight

• Fun games - or even train for new tricks on the ground, such as touch the button or foot on the log.

• Be prepared to go slow, and be prepared to listen when your horse tells you he or she has reached their limit.

And of course, lots of love, cuddles, grooming and general contact are also strongly indicated!

Regular human interaction is very important to many of these older horses, as they received so much attention during their prime it becomes an ingrained habit and desire that is hard to break. Anything we can do to show them we love them still, as well as improve their quality of life, we should.