When I refer to senior horses I am referring to horses 15 years and older. At 15 horses enter a catabolic state, this is a fancy term for aging where muscles bones and cartilage break down faster then they can repair.
You cannot cure arthritis but you can do things to help slow down the process and even provide relief from the pain associated with sore joints.
The biggest piece of advice I can give in treating a horse’s arthritis is to turn him out. Standing around in a stall or small paddock doesn't allow a horse to move as nature intended him to do. Moving keeps cartilage lubricated and relieves the constant pressure of standing in one place. My 18 year old gelding (who has arthritis) does much better on 24 hour turn out then he ever did in a stall even in these cold damp Ontario winters.
If I see that the horse is moving pretty good I put him to work. A little bit of exercise is good, maybe half an hour to an hour 2-3 times a week. I like to pick up their feet and stretch their joints and flex them before I ever get on. Once you’re up and in the saddle start out with some walking 15 minutes should do the trick. Once your horse seems to be moving more freely you can ask for some more speed. If you are riding outside try to keep the work a little slower then you would in the summer. I do this for two reasons, one the footing may be icy and he may slip and pull something or worst yet he falls on you. The other reason for not working too hard is you won’t have as wet a horse to cool out when you get back to the barn. When you do get back to the barn cool him out with blankets and rub the legs and joints down with some liniment.
I goes without saying make sure your horse has plenty of good food water a soft place to lie down and an adequate shelter to get out of the wind, rain and snow.
Light riding throughout the winter will help keep your horse limber through the winter months and cut down on the reconditioning time when the warm weather and competition season arrives
Thanks
Steve Wawryk
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