In general, you absolutely will spend more money by doing things piece by piece. Been there done that got the tee shirt (and retiree) to show for it. Beowulf is dead on - this horse and the other one OP has are both multi-faceted lameness issues that seem to have multiple comorbidities that are muddying the waters. And that’s just what I can see from casual browsing of an Internet forum! A clinic or school is much more likely to have the experience and capacity to deal with cases like this vs even the best mobile vet - you’ll pay for one or two visits vs years of “let’s try Adequan or shoes and revisit is 3 months”.
However, I’ve also been in the position of only being able to afford the local vet call and a test or two, so hauling to the school was out of the question anyway. I’ve also had a horse that can’t be hauled and would be so amped up at the school that it would be useless for looking at subtle stuff anyway. So, from that perspective I totally get it. However, fresh eyes and a cohesive list of previous diagnostics + responses to treatment might be helpful in guiding OP through this. Honestly this horse sounds like he’s simply losing the ability to cope with his many issues, and either is going to take some experimenting with more costly, targeted maintenance OR should be retired… with maintenance. And a keen eye on QOL.
I hope the vet is able to at least get him more comfortable! Maybe the X-rays will be enlightening. Bad feet can make or break a horse. Keep up updated!
