Anyone got articles that say how often this ends a career? Any studies?
Not finding any specific articles, but having owned one horse with CA and knowing a couple others:
In early identified cases, injections should allow continuation of use but they are obviously not a solution. At some point - the benefits wear off and the condition continues. My vet said he rarely does a second round as it will last well less than the first. Other stories say the same.
My gelding was 21-22 when diagnosed; still in lower level dressage work ( he had been PSG level). Couldn’t hold lead in the canter. just a little NQR. Injections gave him about another 12 months of riding at the same lower level but over time I began to notice his one stifle getting “left behind”; it became more frequent so I quit riding him. He was still ok with occasional free longe in the round pen; I believe the weight of saddle and rider was causing (more?) compression somewhere.
In the end it will likely be career ending - the higher the career level, the sooner it is likely that you will have to back the horse down. Not only for its comfort but for safety reasons. The neuro signs creep back in with time.
With neuro symptoms most vets will grade the severity and generally say you will get a 1 grade improvement from treatment. Obviously not carved in stone, but setting expectations.
Thanks for the reply. Seeing “moderate” oa in a 7 yr old’s PPE results and read an article yesterday showing that up to 67% of jumpers IIRC have C6-7 oa so wondered how much risk was there… https://horsenetwork.com/2020/12/how-common-is-neck-osteoarthritis-in-jumping-horses/
My vet advises walk away. I wonder how often cervical oa is a career limiter.
Those you who have had horses with it - can you share your experiences and the diagnostic process. I had my vet out this morning for my 4 (going on 5) yo gelding. He’s had some stifle issues and odd front end lameness off/on all summer with lameness evals and treatments (but nothing definitive). This past month he has been very spooky/unpredictable and has had some unusual behaviors (on the ground/lunge - not just under saddle). Vet watched him (and did a check of eyes/mouth/etc). and is worried he looks a bit neurologic and is sending us to r/o cervical issues at the university vet. I am numb and trying not to think about the prognosis until we get more answers.
OP - sorry if I am hijacking your post - it didn’t seem to make sense to create another post on essentially the same topic.
Moderate in a 7 year old coupled with vet advice to walk away? I’d consider my vetting money well spent and not buy the horse. I had one with cervical arthritis and wouldn’t do it again. Heartbreaking.
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personal experience… c5-6 c6-7 arthritis… diagnosed with US by international level veterinarian and treated with APS in facets and horse jumped the best he ever had 2 weeks later; this at 20years old. Night and day difference.
Never neurologic just an obvious head high head position over fences. Never had any inflexibility nor muscular atrophy.
Sorry No studies to hand you just personal experience and that of several vets treating this issue (I’m in the field)
110% agree.
@Critter my c spine horse presented as hock pain, hock rads looked meh, we injected with no result. Sent her for a bone scan, neck lit up. Injected, got 6 great months. Injected again, got 2 weeks. Retired at that point. It’s been ten years and she’s not gotten worse, but doesn’t really know quite where her hind feet are in space and doesn’t travel evenly behind. I watch her carefully for signs she’s progressing…know it’ll happen at some point :-/
I agree to the walk away. I’m not really surprised at the article on jumpers - nor at the finding that the higher they jump the more it is evident. So the “career ending” thing is also a bit subjective - what is the career you want/expect from a horse. Arthritis doesn’t get better; it can be managed for a while. But if you want to lay out big $ for a very good jumper, you want a clean neck. If you want a 2’6" or so hunter for an adult ammy to plop around on, it can be managed probably for longer. You want a trail horse, a different answer. Same thing in Dressage; a lower level horse with CA can likely be maintained longer than one doing FEI
To Critter - I’m not going to be able to remember the terms, but I had rads done on a new horse a couple months ago and the vet did several angles, and I believe both sides of the neck (I was not there).
I would 100% walk away from those PPE findings. My horse was not neurologic, but it was performance limiting, causing behavioral issues. I’ve seen horses maintain well, and some not. It is very difficult to predict because it depends on how the nerves are affected and whether there is (or develops) spinal cord compression. Not all OA is the same in terms of pain and neuro deficits, and radiographs don’t tell the whole story. Ultrasound gives a little more information. Severity of bony changes doesn’t necessarily correlate to clinical issues.
There are some common abnormalities in the lower neck. Transposition of parts of the vertebrae. Missing parts of the vertebrae. These can be clinical or not, associated with OA or not.
Given my past experience, I would not knowingly buy another horse with neck changes. There are a lot of horses out there with clean necks! I have vetted some of them (who I may have passed on for other issues in the vetting).
Compared to something like OA in the hocks, necks are much less predictable.
Thanks all - I needed the reminder that neck (and back!) issues are absolutely a “do not pass go” bottom line issue for me in my PPEs. I hoped newer research might show that horses may not necessarily develop issues with OA findings, in the same way that navicular issues are not necessarily a “walk away” situation these days, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.
