Page 117 - Speedhorse April 2021

Bone spavin (arthritis and extra bone growth and sometimes bony fusion in the lower hock joints) and ringbone (arthritis of the pastern or coffin joints) are two of the most commonly seen examples of arthritis, but any joints may be affected if they suffer damage.
Septic arthritis is an acute form of DJD caused by bacterial infection inside a joint. This is most commonly seen in foals with compro- mised immune systems at birth that develop “joint ill” often due to umbilical stump infection that goes systemic or in any horse with systemic disease that progresses to septicemia. It can
also occur in any horse that suffers a traumatic injury near or into a joint that become infected. When infection enters the joint cavity, it can be difficult to treat. Unless a septic joint is treated rapidly and aggressively, usually by flushing out the contamination, it can be career-ending due to the resultant arthritis.
Proper treatment of acute injuries and diseases is crucial to prevent or minimize damage to joints. Horse owners and trainers also need to be aware of some of the things that can make a difference for these horses, other than just medication.
Paul Goodness, who was Chief of Farrier Services at Virginia Tech’s Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia (until his death
in July 2020), helped many horses with serious DJD, giving them a chance to continue their athletic careers or have a pain-free retirement. “A combination of many little things that we can do may really help in the management of an arthritic horse—and prolong the horse’s comfort (out in the pasture or during athletic work), to keep these individuals going longer,” he said. Some of these horses can go on a long time in a reproductive or performance career, with a little help.
“Exercise is very beneficial,” according
to Goodness. Any horse (or human) with arthritis tends to become more stiff/sore when
inactive. The old saying, “Use it or lose it”
is very true for arthritis. Gentle exercise on good footing (not pavement or rock-hard ground that increases concussion) can be very helpful. In general, the more these horses are out, moving around (rather than confined and inactive), the better off they are.
“The same goes for when we are asking them to work. The trainer needs to be con- scious of the surface and footing. If there’s a choice, choose the softer footing,” he advised. Pounding at speed on hard surfaces will aggravate joint soreness.
“It’s important to have a good dialogue
with your veterinarian or even several veteri- narians if the horse is becoming sore. Find
out what the various treatment options might be—both conventional and unconventional (like acupuncture and laser therapy), or some of the nutraceuticals. There are some things that your regular vet may not think of or have a thorough understanding about, but which can still be useful. There are many things available now that are not mainstream. Every horse is different, and different treatments may help some horses more than others. Sometimes a
person has to be willing to experiment,” Goodness said.
There are also many different therapeutic options that a farrier can employ, and differ- ent types of shoes that might help if confor- mation of the hoof is a problem. The farrier may use bar shoes or pads to deal with a hoof abnormality and put it in a more mechanically advantageous situation.
Today there are also more choices for softer materials to use as shoes. There are several good synthetic shoes and pads available that can be tried. There are many things we can do for these horses and it may pay to try several, because we don’t always know how the foot will respond. It may take trial and error to find what works best for a particular horse. Sometimes it might just be using an asymmetrical shoe with one side of the shoe wider than the other side.
If the horse is stiff and stumbling, the shoe may need an easier break-over to minimize tripping. This can be adjusted in many differ- ent ways. One thing the farrier can help with is changing the mechanics of how the lower leg works. This can be one of the most dramatic differences to help a horse with DJD.
“Most training strategies for racehorses and other equine athletes try to prevent joint injury and minimize wear and tear or try to maintain joint health in horses that are already affected by some form of joint disease.”
Ringbone (arthritis of the pastern or coffin joints) is one of the most commonly seen examples of arthritis.
EQUINE HEALTH
The farrier may use bar shoes or pads to deal with a hoof abnormality and put it in a more mechanically advantageous situation.
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