This my be a touchy subject but, what are the different opinions on riding a horse that is on prescribed medications (previcox) to stay sound? And secondly, riding horses that are on legend or an equivalent ha shot?
if a horse is breaking down (for whatever reason) and we inject them to ride, wont they break down faster again? But… if you dont ride to maintain muscling the horse will break down faster anyway?
Interested to hear differing opinions 
Depends on the underlying problem.
Osteoarthritis is slow and progressive. There are various things you can do to slow it or mitigate the pain. Movement is indeed good for arthritis. This is true for people, and for horses.
So if you have an older horse, being able to keep him comfortable enough to be active is actually good for him.
Agree, it depends on why the horse is on pain meds. Assuming osteo arthritis because you mention legend and previcox, keeping the horse fit, stretched and at a good weight is, imho, better than not exercising. You need to do this shmpathetically and in consultation with your vet…
The term “break down” is usually used in a situation where a horse sustains a sudden injury that incapacitates it, or is being repeatedly so overworked to the point that they can’t physically recover and eventually sustain a disabling injury.
The vast majority of people on this board are not riding in those circumstances. The horses are being subjected to a moderate level of activity, with maybe some hard activity once in a while.
If a horse is being prescribed medication, it is under the care of a veterinarian who has evaluated the horse and given a diagnosis and treatment plan to keep the horse happy and healthy. It’s usually in the horse’s best interest to remain active, and the vet will make the decision as to what level of activity is appropriate for the horse, and if it is reasonable to prescribe a medication to keep the horse more comfortable doing that activity.
You are correct in that muscles need to be worked, and joints also need to move, to maintain optimal health. It’s a judgment call.
People take Advil and various forms of pain or anti-inflammatory medications when they have arthritis and bad backs, and exercise is still good for them and recommended by their doctors. Why should this be any different?
It’s a matter of adjusting levels of riding and exercise to the horse. I wouldn’t make a blanket statement that a horse on Equioxx or Legend iv should not be ridden. Agree with above posters that it is situationally dependent and work loads for jumping, long trail rides, or high level dressage should be adjusted as needed.
Isn’t the point of some of these treatments to make the horse comfortable so he/she can be ridden at an appropriate level??
Pretty much what others have said. . . I feel like this might be directly aimed at people like me, as my horse is on both medications the OP specifically mentioned (Previcox and Legend). Yes it is for arthritis, in both hocks and one knee. My vet, who is a sports medicine specialist, constantly tells me that light to moderate regular work is the absolute best thing for my horse. Neither Legend nor Previcox is strong enough to mask a serious injury, which is what I think the OP might be concerned about? They help with day to day low level arthritic pain and stiffness but they aren’t going to mask serious pain to the point of allowing a horse to be ridden hard with a major injury or something like that.
I’m not sure what you mean by “breaking down” and “breaking down faster again”. All animals age, and you cannot stop that progression. The drugs you have mentioned are not ones that can hide a serious injury on an otherwise healthy horse. They are prescribed for arthritis, which is long term, irreversible, and a symptom of aging. Once it starts, the best you can do is manage it with meds and conservative exercise. The right combo can help slow down the effects of arthritis, not speed it up.
That is my take on it, anyway. I trust my vet and want my horse to be comfortable and active for as long as she can. I think it’s good for horses physically and mentally to keep moving at a level they are able to do without strain.
OP, is there a context for your question? Are you in a lesson program where you doubt the soundness of a horse? Are you wondering about treatment on your own aging horse?
Once we organisms hit a certain age, we are all breaking down. It is that long term, slow decline that we are countering with the pain medications, to keep our bodies as fit and active as we can. So there is no “prevention” in that case, of “breaking down again.”
For a horse with an acute injury that will heal given rest, then yes, using those medications to work is inappropriate. Choosing an appropriate and therapeutic activity level for a horse (or person) with an injury is critical for their long term benefit and it’s appropriate to always be thinking of the long term benefit and cost, not just say getting through a horse show.
When humans get a hip replacement after a broken hip these days, they dope 'em up with pain medications and have them walking the same day if possible. This is because otherwise the muscle wasting is incredibly dangerous for long term success. The prognosis for survival a year out is dismal if you leave elderly patients in bed after surgery.
Good points, definitely dependent on situational circumstances and what the work load expected will be.
The question is due to my own ageing horse and how to prepare myself mentally if he comes sound again after treatments.
Follow vets advice and keep him in moderate activity. Pasture turnout is also very very good for them.
My mare has minor hock arthritis. She stays happy and sound with injections ~1x/6 months. Lower joints only. She also has mild navicular changes that manifested as 2/5 lameness bilaterally in her front feet last October. Our most serious plan of attack to help her has been corrective shoeing and a change in farriers that has worked wonders. We also put her on previcox (a tiny dose - initially 28.5mg daily, then 28.5 mg every second day) to help with the inflammation, and she has been sound since November. She had a round of Osphos in July, and is now officially off previcox looking better than ever. I’ll be getting new x-rays of her hocks this fall to see where the joint is at - she’s been very happy and I suspect the lower joints may be fused now, in which case - no more injections!
So, to me, judiciously using medications to help a horse remain comfortable for riding is a positive thing. It must always be used in tandem with good judgement about the horse’s level of activity and actual comfort/happiness. I would not be comfortable, for example, riding/exercising a horse who needs 2g of bute to w/t/c and is otherwise 3 legged lame.
Pain meds, like previcox/equiox/bute etc also come with their own side effects and risks, so if you’re looking at a long term maintenance program, that always has to be kept in mind and worked with. My mare tolerated a fairly long course of previcox quite well, but I noticed a difference when we took her off to administer to Osphos, and I noticed the same positive difference now that she is off (hopefully) permanently.
It’s a balancing act, and I think you have to use an equal mix of gut feeling and objective data (hopefully your vet can help with the objectivity piece :))
good luck! I hope your guy comes sound and you are able to find a program that works for him.
About a year and a half ago, my 20 year old OTTB came up very uncomfortable behind. Vet diagnosed SI arthritis and I had joints injected and mesotherapy done to his back. Nothing changed. Second vet diagnosed lyme (first titre was negative, second positive). Doxy made him a lot more comfortable but once he came off it, was again showing discomfort and since doxy is a great anti inflammatory, it’s hard to say whether the Lyme was bothering him or there was inflammation. He is considerably more comfortable on Robaxin. I’ve eased off on his work load and give him Robaxin. He’s happy and I get to still ride him. Note: he’s on 24-7 turnout which also helps but isn’t enough. I’m all for keeping horses comfortable.
So, for people that need to take Celebrex (comparable human medicine to Equioxx [horses] and Previcox [dogs]), should they sit at home and not work, because they are taking medication for their arthritis?
(Seems kind of silly to ask that question, right?)
I’m not trying to harass you OP (honestly!!) but it always makes you think differently when you ask the same question for humans, that you do for horses.
If the horse is SOUND from their medication and/or treatment, they are now sound. Why couldn’t/wouldn’t you ride them? If horse is happy and likes their job, ride!!
One could argue that every time you ride a horse, you are “using them” and “breaking them down”. Therefore, should we not ride horses at all because we are going to eventually one day use them up? (Of course not! :winkgrin: )
Horses are going to come up with aches and pains and health problems. Humans do too. You do what you need to do to keep the horse sound and happy, and go with it.
If the horse is used to “going to work” “having a purpose in life” the whole reason you put them on those meds is to be able to continue riding…and many horses feel better if kept in an exercise program, sure you scale it back a bit. Horses are meant to be active. So Dobbin may not jump as high/as often or not do upper level dressage moves or maybe can’t canter circles but is happy to walk and trot on some “trails” or can’t handle the weight of adults but gets just as much thrill out of teaching kids as they do learning on him…even if the gait is a little choppy or it takes them longer to warm up. It really depends on the horse, but I feel that most of them would rather work through a bit of stiffness or compensate around an ache than do nothing.
Ask the horse. Mine is on Previcoxx and is still lame, but if he does not get out for some sort of “work,” (which is never more than a walk, at this point), my normally puppy-dog, earnest boyfriend becomes a little sh*t. Nippy, pushy, and trying to unlatch his stall door. He has an in/out stall to a nice paddock, so he can self-exercise as much as he wants, but, gimpy or not, he wants to come out, be groomed, and have himself employed in something resembling activity. Accordingly, he and his drug-laden self will be “worked” every day that he expresses that he wants to come out of his paddock. With even minimal “work,” he is happy, settled in himself, and eager to please and be pleasant.
Agreed with what everyone above said. I just had a similar discussion with my vet. She pointed out that for arthritic conditions it’s fine–exercise is beneficial to arthritis and scaled appropriately for the particular horse, will not exacerbate the condition or cause further wear that just normal life would. The calculus is different with a soft-tissue injury–there, masking the pain could allow the horse the keep working to the point of catastrophic breakdown.
[QUOTE=TWH Girl;n10206339]
People take Advil and various forms of pain or anti-inflammatory medications when they have arthritis and bad backs, and exercise is still good for them and recommended by their doctors. Why should this be any different?
[QUOTE]
Ibuprophen is a major food group for me some of the time!
As everyone else has said above, it depends on the horse and their individual situation. If you have a 10 year old horse that you need to feed/inject with a boatload of medications so it stays sound in very heavy work, that might be a sign that it’s not sustainable.
On the other hand, my 24 year old horse gets monthly legend and daily equioxx to stay comfortable so that I can keep him in moderate work. I think this is better for his body & his mind than the alternative.
[QUOTE=Palm Beach;n10207274]
[QUOTE=TWH Girl;n10206339]People take Advil and various forms of pain or anti-inflammatory medications when they have arthritis and bad backs, and exercise is still good for them and recommended by their doctors. Why should this be any different?
Ibuprophen is a major food group for me some of the time!
No kidding! Meloxicam is my medicine of choice ha ha. Seriously though…how many of us “take something” every day to address an issue we have? Lots of us probably do. I really don’t look at horses any differently. A insightful horseman can determine if Equioxx and Legend keep the horse comfy enough to ride,and what what level- or not. It’s a judgement call that can’t be made online.
I am personally lame 75% of the time without Aleeve (this is after a horrendous car accident years ago finally caught up with me).
Working with my doctor:
What does that have to do with anything horse?
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
