Draft Horse & Ringbone

[NCSue]

Not my mare so limited info. Mare is approximately 10 y/o, 17.1H, if anything a little underweight. She has had reoccurent abcesses right hind which I started a thread about. This mare has ringbone right fore. No signs of ringbone left fore. She is currently barefoot and normally head bobbing lame. I have suggested to owner that she talk to vet about shoes. Those of you who have a heavy horse and are dealing with ringbone how have you managed it? Have you found soundness? Any particular supplements you swear by? Anything you've found that is a definite no-no. Appreciate all info. Thanks.

[HoustonFarrier]

Each horse is an individual. Some drafts that I have had with articular ringbone generally do better with shoes. Most with non-articular ringbone can be managed barefoot. As with each, there are exceptions. You really cannot go into a situation like that with a closed minded, single protocol approach.

Generally (and that is an important word) you want to limit joint articulation, since that is where(in articular ringbone) the problem lies. Sometimes just regular shoes, with a nice rolled toe, and even rolled medial and lateral branches works. On others, I've wedged them as well and it works well for them.

Sometimes, they like being barefoot. Whatever the horse likes, I'll make it happen for them :)

Steve

[ponyjumper4]

My mare, although not a large draft (a fat QH), is barefoot. For her, frequent trims, as in every 4 weeks, keeps her comfortable and she is still in work. Her x-rays showed some bony development, it was actually less than her outward appearance made you believe. I think her only real discomfort was when she was injured (which caused the bony changes to begin with).

[Dr. Doolittle]

My mare, although not a large draft (a fat QH), is barefoot. For her, frequent trims, as in every 4 weeks, keeps her comfortable and she is still in work. Her x-rays showed some bony development, it was actually less than her outward appearance made you believe. I think her only real discomfort was when she was injured (which caused the bony changes to begin with).

ponyjumper, did your mare develop acute ringbone after an injury to the area? This is what I'm presently dealing with in my mare (bone remodeling there as a result of an injury), though it appears to be non-articular; it's on the pastern bone, not at the joint.

How long did it take (after the injury) before she became sound?

[ponyjumper4]

Yes, it was a direct result from the injury--she pulled a ligament at the back of the pastern basically and pulled off some bone chips. It was a couple of months before she was totally sound. She had a foal on the ground at the time and I believe she did it playing with the foal. I took her in for xrays right after weaning, which was in November (of '07) and I think it was possibly mid-late spring before she was 100%. The whole process was probably about 6 months or less. She was dead lame at the trot, ok at the walk and canter, but willing to go forward on the lunge (for her lameness evaluations). We did a case study with Equioxx which didn't really make any difference in her comfort.

She's totally fine now, I've had no issues since she became sound. I haven't had it xrayed again to see if there have been any changes, but also haven't really had the need to. She's also older, 22, so not a major show horse where it would be more important to keep up with the x rays. Since she's out of shape, I haven't jumped her any other than one time over a small cross rail, but I probably will let her pop over some stuff now and then when she's more fit since that's what she really loves. The only joint supplement I have her on is MSM. I'm just careful with the type of footing she's on, and keeping her trimmed because she does tend to grow pretty quickly so keeping her toes from getting long is important.

[Madi]

My mare is 24yr old and has high and low ringbone in both front due to conformation. Sound in pasture Lame when I ride her at the trot . Farrier comes every 4 weeks now grows toooo quick and also file toe down. I have her on a supp. called Cur-OST suppose to help with the ringbone but looks like it is helping her scratches right now. Just started 2 weeks ago. So we will see :). Also tried adequan shots did not work on her.

[Altitude Rider]

Shoeing didn't make a difference with my 10 y/o TB with high, articular (and severe!) ringbone in the right front. He is now barefoot and trimming every four weeks, five at the most is keeping him decent. We tried egg bar with slight wedge, half shoe, pad wedges & then gave up and went to barefoot.

His joint has been fused (chemically) after trying Tildren & HA/cortisone. He is head-bobbing at the trot, slight bob at the walk and looks like a goof when he tries to canter and/or come to a stop. Original x-rays look bad and it has continued to get worse...haven't done new rads since the fusion.

I will never ride him again, just trying to keep him semi-pasture sound for now. I keep him on Cortaflex to hopefully keep his other joints working. It sucks!!

Oh, and I also give him Command Serene (calmer) every other day to try and keep him from acting up too much in the pasture.

[cloudyandcallie]

Shoeing didn't make a difference with my 10 y/o TB with high, articular (and severe!) ringbone in the right front. He is now barefoot and trimming every four weeks, five at the most is keeping him decent. We tried egg bar with slight wedge, half shoe, pad wedges & then gave up and went to barefoot.

His joint has been fused (chemically) after trying Tildren & HA/cortisone. He is head-bobbing at the trot, slight bob at the walk and looks like a goof when he tries to canter and/or come to a stop. Original x-rays look bad and it has continued to get worse...haven't done new rads since the fusion.

I will never ride him again, just trying to keep him semi-pasture sound for now. I keep him on Cortaflex to hopefully keep his other joints working. It sucks!!

Oh, and I also give him Command Serene (calmer) every other day to try and keep him from acting up too much in the pasture.

Altituderider is a responsible horse owner. You won't see her guys on the giveaways.
How is Cody doing?

[dmj]

not a draft, but my 16 y.o. TB with high and low ringbone in his RF (not severe) is riding (and jumping) sound. Not to the level he once was but he is in light work and still enjoys jumping a couple of times a week or so. What is helping him: Adequan injections (I've also used injectable glucosamine w good success; shoes all around w wedge pads up front; bute as needed - but he doesn't need it often.

[wildlifer]

A close friend has a draftX with ringbone (looks like the Belgian half) due to being jumped at 3 and 4 by previous owner. Kept him barefoot for several years, but new xrays revealed extensive development of ringbone and sidebone. He's in front shoes with wedges now, MUCH more comfortable. Still not 100% sound, but there appears to be other issues going on.

[NCSue]

Thanks. I've tried manage ringbone in a couple of lighter breeds. Sometimes fairly successful. Sometimes not. Owner isn't able to tell me what type or location of ringbone. I'm going to be there when vet comes to do rads of hind foot and will ask some questions. I have tried to prepare owner that this mare may not be a show horse prospect. I feel like the doomsday prophet.

[Fharoah]

My gelding developed high ringbone. We tried steroid HA injection, IRAP both made him less lame but not sound. I recently gave him a bottle of recovery EQ HA double dose it didn't help, I gave him adequan my remaining two doses of adequan two weeks apart and that caused a significently improvement. However he just had his joint fused.

For low ringbone you may try corrective shoeing with shock absorbant pads, sometimes egg bar work well, steroid HA into coffin joint, IRAP, adequan, tildren, bute, equinox.

[maplecms]

Hi,
My 16yo Percheron/Canadian cross mare was diagnosed with low articular ringbone a few years ago. We tried regular shoes, wedge shoes and wedge shoes and pads with her. With the wedges and pads, she would improve for a couple weeks after reset, but degrade after that. Overall, she is better barefoot with a very, very tight roll around the toe. Also, being out all the time seems to have worked better than stalling her. We haven't found a supplement that has made much difference. Hope your friend's horse improves.

[Proffie]

My Belgian/TB mare has high and low ringbone in her right fore, which she developed after a traumatic pasture injury. I've tried the whole kit & kaboodle. Therapeutic shoeing and pads, joint injections, supplements, Legend, shockwave therapy, etc. etc. ad nauseum. For the past year, she's been barefoot on no supplements and it hasn't made a stitch of difference. She's pasture sound, fat and shiny, with a headbob at the trot. I hop on her a few times a month for a walk on the trails, and she loves it, but no more work for her.

In my experience, it's not a death sentence but it really limits the usability of the horse.

[FalseImpression]

Our 17 yo Clyde cross mare developed ringbone a few years ago, high and low in both front legs. She is unshod, with a nice rolled toe. She is basically retired, but quite ready for the occasional trail ride. We tried different supplements but I really don't think they made any difference. She is mostly sound, but once in a while (weather changes), she looks sore and is lame at the trot. We just let her be. If we want to go for a ride, we try to walk or canter rather than trot.
We did xrays twice, but the vet "lost" the first set so we could never compare. I have since changed vet and IF I feel a need for it, I will do xrays again and ask the vet to get the original for the previous vet. Both vets suggested giving bute before/after a ride if need be.
She is fat and happy as a pasture puff. I assume the ringbone came from jumping... "bulldozers do not fly"... she used to be a jumping machine with her previous owners. We have had her 9 years and have dealt with ringbone since 04.