I was pretty surprised to be told a 7 year old sale horse we were considering had already had a round of hock injections one year prior.
Would that concern you or discourage you from purchasing? Would it change what you asked for in a PPE?
It would certainly concern me. If I were in love with the horse and decided to go ahead with a PPE, I’d be sure to get several good views of each hock as well as drawing blood and testing for any pain relievers.
Was there a reason given for injecting the hocks so young? (Some people these days just seem to inject willy nilly for the heck of it, others push too hard requiring injections younger.)
I wouldn’t touch it if it were free. Hock injections that young screams young horse over jumped too high too soon. I’d be interested to know the reason the seller thought it was necessary.
I just bought (in July) a seven year old who was 2/5 off after a flex on left hind. Fuzziness in that joint (only x-rayed that hock, as that’s the only one that gave us a positive response). Not appreciably different from PPE findings and films from when her previous owners bought her at three. Trotted sound on pavement turning and straight, fancy mover. Attractively priced with good, caring, forthright owners. Per them, no soundness issues in regular work.
She was in work 3-4 days/week (dressage) and was willing when I tried her over small fences. I bought her and had her hocks injected myself before she moved in. Maybe not necessary, and time will tell if/when I’ll do it again. Three months later, I loaded Adequan for ongoing support because I’m not terribly convinced that oral joint supplements are worth the $.
I would say it depends on what the films show, whether you have anything older to compare them against (to see how quickly, if at all, things are progressing), and how horse is holding up to work it’s currently doing relative to your plans for him. Also worth considering: did you LOVE the horse? LOVE riding him? Not want to get off? Only then is it worth considering.
Well I bought a 7yo mare in 1999 and she needed her hocks injected so I did it every year until we switched to using poly in her late teens. I just retired her from showing 2 yrs ago as a 22yo and yesterday she was out running and bucking like a crazy woman in the pasture because it was cool outside. She had a crappy right hock when she was 7 and it’s still crappy at 24, although likely fused at this point.
What does your vet say? Does the horse have positive flexions now? I would want an X-ray of any joint with positive flexion test.
Sure.
If the horse needed injections every 4-6 months… Then no.
I have a dreamy OTTB who needed his done as a 5 year old.
Left overs from track life. He hasn’t needed them again. He’s 7 now.
I needed my knee injected as a 14 year old. I started swimming competitively as a 5 y/o. I don’t need my knee done anymore. Whatever damage was done at that time healed due to proper treatment with some steroid. 
Don’t let a joint rot.
When a joint becomes inflamed due to strenuous work, trauma etc., many times the options to reduce the inflammation are injections or rest. Given how expensive it is to keep a horse, many owners opt for injections as this option usually allows the horse to return to work in a few days. Complete rest can require weeks or more often, months of downtime.
Would injections on a six year old concern me? It depends on why he needed them. There are plenty of valid reasons why a six year old might be injected. On the other hand, if there are significant changes in the joint that are unusual for a horse of his age then it could raise a red flag depending on the severity of the abnormality, the prognosis for further joint deterioration and the intended use of the horse.
A good piece of advice for any buyer is to hire a PPE vet who has sufficient experience working with horses in the buyer’s preferred breed and discipline. The buyer should thoroughly outline to the PPE vet the intended uses for the horse and let the vet guide the buyer as to what should be included in the PPE. For example, if the buyer is vetting a warmblood whose intended use is an A circuit adult hunter the buyer should hire a vet that can properly interpret warmblood radiographs as well as understand the physical demands that will be placed on a 3’ hunter.
No horse is perfect. An experienced vet will outline any abnormalities discovered during the PPE and help guide the buyer to understand if the abnormalities are 1) cosmetic, 2) within the range of “normal” for the horse’s age and performance record, 3) if they are something to be concerned about, or 4) something to absolutely avoid.
As for the specific question about whether hock injections in a six year old is a concern; it really depends. By way of an example, a few years ago we did a PPE on a long 3-year old that was a top quality prospect. The PPE showed two very small spurs in the hocks. Our vet told us this fellow was likely to need injections starting as early as six years of age given our intended use. Normally we avoid horses that don’t have pristine radiographs because all our horses are eventually resold. Despite the slightly imperfect radiographs, we purchased this youngster knowing exactly what we were buying; a fancy prospect that would probably need hock injections earlier than most. As expected, he turned out to be a top quality horse. He was properly maintained and had no lameness issues. He did have his hocks injected as a seven year old, when his show schedule became longer and more demanding. We would happily make the same purchase decision again as he turned out to be a solid six figure horse.
To summarize, I don’t think it can be emphasized enough that it is very important to select a knowledge vet for the PPE. A diseased joint that cannot hold up under work is one thing. A joint that has a slight imperfection that won’t prevent a horse from having a long and productive career is quite another. A good PPE vet will help a buyer determine one from the other.
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Just because someone DID it doesn’t mean it was necessarily warranted. I know barns where everything… everything… gets injected. I think that’s nuts… but I also think the better data is what you find on a PPE in combination with the owner’s explanation/horse’s history.
A horse I know had his stifles injected at around 6 - gets them done once a year (I think he has gone longer than that - they treat as needed). His issues seem to be in conformation/genetics rather than overwork. It’s just the way he is. Owner realized that this could be a problem for re-sale and has said she will likely be his forever home (he was initially bought at 3 to train and sell).
As long as everything else checks out on xrays, then I don’t have a problem with it. Like vxf said, some show barns will inject anything and everything even if it’s not “needed.”
