Just curious what has worked for you and your horse. I have an 8-year-old gelding who recently really came "on" this summer. Started running hard and awesome in June and right in the top times out of 70-ish runners in deep ground at some of our local jackpots. At the last one a week and a half ago, he didn't clock like he had been and just didn't feel quite right. Went to the vet yesterday and he's a little bit sore in both stifles (a little more on the left) but ultrasound and x-ray look good with no serious concerns. Flexed a little bit sore on the hocks but not bad at all.  So there is no injury in particular other than just what I suppose you could call normal barrel horse aches and pains, especially since we have been running in some deep dirt lately. She did comment he had more narrow-than-usual joint spaces in the stifle, but since we've never ultrasounded or x-rayed his stifles before, that could just be normal for him.

Vet gave me the option of injecting hocks and stifles but our season is winding down here in North Dakota. There maybe was only a couple of races I was going to do anyway, and vet actually said he's probably be fine without injecting if I was going to the last one in that timeframe.

I'm going to give him a loading dose of Adequan, that he's never had before. And probably get him some PEMF treatments too. I'm just debating if he simply needs to be done for the year, because it's not worth it to me to inject him so late in the season. At least I know what he will probably need next year and be pro-active about it. I'd love to hit up that lastrace at the end of September because it's close to my house and excellent added money and he loves that pen (He's won me a saddle and a buckle in that pen!). But his health and longevity is more important than any race, so I have no problem not going if he's not going to feel better by then. (It would be a 7 week time period from the last time I ran him, to when this race is)

So I am just curious for those of you who have had "normal" hind end soreness without injury in your horses, how much time off they needed before they could go again and felt back to normal? What has been your experience?

Thanks!!

Chances are that he's not going to just get better, after another run it will probably sore him up again. I always say to go ahead and inject before they start getting in habits of running incorrectly due to being hurt. Is adequan and your PEMF treatments going to add up to what the injections would cost? If so, (or close) I would go ahead with the injections instead. Or just sit out for the year if it does not bother you and inject him a few weeks before your first race of the year next year. 

My gut is telling me to just quit him for the year, since I don't want to inject right now, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask for others' experiences on it.

Thank you. Anyone else?

Call me a little aggressive, but I'm not one to leave the inflammation in the joint; inflammation is a great way to deteriorate healthy tissue. I'd rather forego PEMF and Adequan and go straight into those joints because in my personal experience I've not ever had either of those therapies remove inflammation, from a joint, once it's present.  If you injected there is still a good two months before our weather turns to crap, you could run him if you wanted, and then boot him out for winter, with no inflammation in the joint. And the cost to inject would be less than those two therapies combined.  

You know, I've thought about that too. But maybe I'm too "scared" about the risk vs benefit of sticking a needle into the joints, because you are indeed putting a substance into a joint that is not normally there. If it were the middle of the season, I wouldn't hesitate to inject him. But I wasn't totally decided on going to state anyway, and while I don't want to miss Fleck's race because we've had such good success there, I just decided it wasn't worth it. So I wasn't going to go to much more anyway, since we just have a lot going on (hunting season, new house, some traveling, etc).

Ultiimately I wasn't concerned about the money aspect (because the Adequan is totally more expensive than injections!!!) but just trying to pick the BEST route for him. We're going to have a later start in the spring anyway than usual because I'll need to figure out temporary fencing at the new house for the horses.

So yeah, what's worse? Letting the inflammatoin naturally subside with rest .... or alllowing the joint to be exposed to the steroid cocktail? I know the newer better stuff doesn't damage joints necessarily, but maybe I'm just old school with that notion.

Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it. Good things to think about.