Serious hock issue

[nightsoutasap]

We bought our daughters 14.2 connie at the end of the summer. He is seven, and has all been going really well. No performance issues (shes a tiny 13 year old, and does a bit of everything, jumps competitively at 80cm - unaffiliated and pony club stuff). He has absolutely not been hammered, and she has 3/4 lessons a week with a very well respected instructor who makes sure he is worked correctly.
Vetting is a long story, but he passed a five stage, no xrays were taken.
Had a routine chiro appt and a sore back was noted. (Saddle fitted by a professional, and was checked 3 months later). Local vet consulted, who noted low level lameness behind.
Took him to Rossdales, and he performed well on the trot up (although he was dopey because they sedated as there was heavy machinery about). Took him for Xrays, and he was fine everywhere, except his hocks which were really really bad. The vet kept using vocab such as “guarded prognosis” which was heartbreaking as he is such a lovely character. They injected as much steroid as they could, and he has had various other medications to help with his arthritic hocks. They spoke about fusing his hocks (a few methods discussed) - and this appears to be his only chance. They said he would only ever really be a hacking pony, wouldnt jump over 50cm…..however, my own research on successfully fused hocks is that a pony can very much come back to full work.
Does anyone have any experience of fused hocks and is it as doomy as I was told?

3 to 4 lessons a week plus additional riding on top is pretty intense.
Take a big step back from vets. They are very keen to separate you from large amounts of your money and it's very much not always in the horses best interest.
Firstly, scrutinise everything about your horses lifestyle and health.
Get as much weight off them as possible. Many, many people like their horses to look fat and in show condition but it's really not good for them.
Have them live out full time. Being in a stable, not moving for most of their lives will cause stiffening. Horses need to move.
Get them on a good diet. Not Spillers, D&H and other commercial rubbish.
Go barefoot. The concussive effects of shoes do joints a lot of harm.

Ok thank you. The pony is definitely not over weight, hes actually on the lean side. He is stabled at night, and out during the day, but will be out 24/7 when the ground isnt too muddy (on clay, and its not great). Her lessons are definitely not just schooling, they hack for 1-2 of those sessions, or even do in hand work. Generally jump only once a week.
Currently only shod in front, but will look at this!
Thank you

Don't underestimate how much damage being cooped up in a stable for 12 hours plus a day can do. It can really stiffen up a pony that's already compromised. Have you posed the same question on H&H forum? You'll get a much greater response on there, although it can sometimes be a bit pro-operation imo.

Edited to add....best of luck. Don't despair just yet. You're not at the end of the road. Don't dismiss barefoot either. It can transform the most lame and knackered of horses. Happy to help further if you want any additional advice on the subject.

You say he has not been hammered but how long have you had him? Are you sure he wasn’t hunted in Ireland as a 3 year old?
What does your physio say?

That's really young for arthritis in the hock. I would keep him out as much as possible. Shod all round with pads. Look at supplements to make sure his diet is good. But you probably need to accept he can't meet the needs of a competitive child and if you can't keep him maybe find him a companion or low level hacking home.

We have no idea what he did in ireland, but I know its a possibility he was hunted there. He certainly livened up at home when the hunt came past.
Definitely not hammered with us, or previous home.
Physio thinks we need to keep him moving, obviously not intense work, just hacking etc. He thinks that its a waiting game, to see if the hocks fuse well…..especially as there were no other signs of arthritis anywhere else on the full body xrays.
We absolutely wont be selling him on, we have land, and he can be an overgrown Shetland if thats whats best for him….he just loves his jumping.

Do not shoe all round, pads or not. Horrendous for joints and everything else.

If he is safe and sensible you will find a rider for him. It might be best, once his prognosis is clear to loan him out. That way he keeps in regular work at the correct level. If you are in pony club your instructor or DC will be able to advise on good homes where you can see him regularly at rallies.

Barefoot is right for some but it’s absolutely not the right approach for every horse. We have two barefoot, one shod in front and three shod all round (including the one with hock arthritis). After trial and error it’s what works for each horse. The one with hock arthritis is going better than ever - we turned him away completely for two years and being able to move freely in large, undulating fields with plenty of natural shelter has done him the world of good. He enjoys the occasional jump at about 80-90 but is no longer jumped competitively. In our experience movement and keeping him lean have been the most help - at the time of diagnosis he had steroid injections but hasn’t had that topped up and as it was years ago now I imagine any effect has long since worn off. Sadly, 7 is a very common age to be diagnosed with arthritis now

Barefoot is always the right answer for every horse. You don't understand the function of a hoof fully if you think otherwise. 95% of vets are also utterly clueless about feet.

Not sure if this might help but I have quite severe hand arthritis and taking tumeric has been a game changer for reducing my inflammation to pretty much zero. You can get it as a suplement for horses, although I have never tried feeding it.

I don’t have experience with surgical fusion, but I’ve managed hock arthritis in a pony I love dearly. What I’ve learned is that it’s rarely about one dramatic decision, it’s lots of small adjustments over time: diet, turnout, farriery, workload, strengthening work, sometimes medication, and seeing how the individual horse responds.

Keeping them moving appropriately and comfortably has been crucial. When my pony’s work dropped, he deteriorated; when we found ways to keep him moving steadily, he improved even if that meant adjusting expectations.

I also tried barefoot for around nine months. I really wanted it to work, but it didn’t suit him and he never came back into work barefoot. For us, steady, appropriate movement mattered far more than any one hoof philosophy.

I’d suggest seeing how he responds to the injections before making any big decisions about fusion. Arthritis isn’t curable, but it is manageable. Don’t lose hope, sometimes they surprise you.

I'd echo what others have said - arthritic hocks is becoming more common in horses that have done too much too young. Even though you haven't hammered him, to get him to where he is at 7 he's probably done too much.

I did work with a pony that had had his hocks fused and he came back sound, didn't carry on jumping the top tracks but was happy jumping 90s.
I'd agree to let the injections settle, turn him out as much as possible (if you can find someone that needs a full time field companion for a few months even better) and see how he goes.