Is that hind suspensories? Or front?
My older gelding was retired at 18 because his hind suspensories were/are an issue. X-rays at 18 showed no significant signs of arthritis from the hocks down. For him it presented as toe dragging behind, that would get worse the more sore he was. We bought him as a 4yo and he always had difficulty collecting, but the last couple years it was significantly more difficult.
He’s now 21 and definitely still walks with a purpose. Yesterday after washing the mud off his legs at the main barn I almost had to jog to keep up, he was on a mission to get back to his stall in the other barn for dinner. Last year we put him on daily previcox because we noticed that if we took him out for a handwalk a few days in a row, or if he played too hard outside that he was sore. Never lame, just looked slow and stiff.
One front suspensory - done in a pasture accident.
The gabapentin has taken him from Rage Incarnate to more of his usual snarky but chill self. No idea the exact cause, so there’s a list of question marks with him already. He could have other soft tissue issues, but my money is on something higher up TBH. Or muscle related, or anything at all.
This is intriguing… thanks!
He only gets 1/2 a tab every day, but it has helped with some of swelling and soreness that we think was from the hind suspensories. Plus we figured he’s older, there are probably other minor aches and pains that he gets from day to day.
Horse got yesterday off but apparently played hard in turnout - he came out better today than the “day 3”, not dragging his toes on the concrete and more forward. He definitely drags his hind toes in the grass though, left more than right. He does a classic stifle “flat tire” hip drop sometimes, but again he’s out of shape.
I may chat with the vet about trying some Adequan or straight up injections if they think they are warranted (back injections or shockwave are also on the table), but he’s a puzzle. I think he’s weak but this horse doesn’t tolerate discomfort AT ALL, so if I want to do anything with him I think we may be looking at some more “drastic” boosts to his comfort.
He’s most likely just muscle sore from working and building muscle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness
I only ever rode my late gelding every other day or every two days. That started around 12-13. He didn’t have all the issues, but he did have hock and stifle issues and did receive injections for those. I would address the stifle “flat tire” and toe dragging. I bet that will perk him up. Adequan has never helped stifles much IME. I kept him on Equioxx sometime around 14-15 or so and he did well on that. I just adjusted to what he told he he was able to do. Some days it meant saying no to riding on a lovely day and grabbing my husband to go for a hike or go to a winery instead😂
