Osteoarthritis - Keeping Our Aging Horses Sound

a horse with a soft tissue injury such as a bowed tendon. It may in fact exacerbate the injury by masking the pain and inflammation in the leg causing the horse to injure it further. Working with your veterinarian a lameness exam and further diagnostics will help to ensure that you are dealing with OA in your sore horse and not a more acute condition that requires alternative treatment
Once your horse has been diagnosed with OA your veterinarian will help you come up with a treatment and management plan specific to your horse. A multimodal treatment plan including regular exercise is advocated for the management of OA. While it may seem counterintuitive embracing exercise within a structured program will help to maintain joint health. Regular exercise and rest help to maintain an antiinflammatory state within the body. Maintaining muscle mass will also help to stabilize affected joints and prevent uneven load bearing. A slow warmup and cooldown are essential to help ensure the horse is moving well and comfortably before being asked to perform more advanced tasks. A minimum of 15 to 20 minutes of warmup is ideal starting with long and low walk and progressing to a more correct and balanced walk with engagement of the core and hind end to help set the horse up for success throughout the exercise session. Stretching through a series of passive flexionextension movements prior to and after exercise can also be helpful in maintaining flexibility and range of motion in OA affected joints. Finally your veterinarian will be able to help direct which type of exercise is best for your horse depending on the location and severity of OA. For example limiting concussive work on hard surfaces may be helpful while trying to maximize time on softer footing. Type of movement including sharp turns sudden stops starts or hard landings may also be contraindicated for horses with OA. Alternative exercise such as swimming is one option for encouraging movement and exercise without the concussive effects that one may be trying to avoid. Cryotherapy or using ice on affected joints after particularly intense exercise sessions can also help to minimize inflammation. In advanced cases it is also important to keep realistic expectations. As the disease is progressive it may get to the point that higherlevel performance is no longer possible and turnout in a field with light daily exercise is the best option.
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