Coping with Arthritis in Horses

By Joanne Meszoly

With modern medical treatments and management options, your arthritic horse can remain active longer and enjoy a better quality of life.

With modern treatment strategies as well as time-honored methods, horses with arthritis can live comfortable, almost normal, lives. But it's best to catch it in its earliest stages, before much damage has been done. And that means paying close attention to your horse's bumps, swellings and idiosyncrasies, especially as he reaches his mid-teens.

"By the time they reach the age of 15 or 18 or so, most horses experience some hock pain due to arthritis," says Frisbie. "The big question is, 'How well do we perceive it in our horses?' If you determine the horse is sore, you can decrease inflammation and get a more normal cellular environment. That, along with good conditioning to strengthen the area and protect against injury, gives the horse the therapeutic benefit he needs."

This article originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of EQUUS magazine.