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Buying a former futurity horse - what do you look for? Moderators: luluwhit, gotothewhip, cindyt, crossspur, ForumAdmin Jump to page :	Last activity 2016-11-07 6:56 PM 23 replies, 5939 views View previous thread :: View next thread
General Discussion -> Barrel Talk


SuperTrooper Reg. Feb 2009	Posted 2016-11-06 2:48 PM Subject: RE: Buying a former futurity horse - what do you look for?
Elite Veteran Posts: 911 Location: Northern Ontario	I don't want to take over the thread, but can someone briefly tell me what it means when the hocks fuse?
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casualdust07 Reg. Mar 2005	Posted 2016-11-06 3:53 PM Subject: RE: Buying a former futurity horse - what do you look for?
You get what you give Posts: 13030 Location: Texas	SuperTrooper - 2016-11-06 2:48 PM I don't want to take over the thread, but can someone briefly tell me what it means when the hocks fuse? Hock fusing is a term to describe ankylosis of a joint. The two major joints of the hock that we are concerned about fusing are the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints. Those are low motion joints of the hock that are the most commonly affected joints in hock arthritis. Horses that are in the process of fusing will be painful because of that inflammatory process going on in the joint. Once fusing is complete, the pain is gone because there's no more cartilage to replace by bone. Some horses never fuse. Some horses fuse early. There is no true timeline for when a horse can start fusing, or for how long it takes for them to finish fusing. Injecting joints provides pain relief, and based on the drug you choose, may speed up the fusing process because certain steroids (depo) are not as cartilage friendly than others. For horses who just can't seem to make any progress fusing, or for those who no longer respond to hock injections, you can surgically fuse the hock joints. This is done usually in combination with surgical arthrodesis (putting orthopedic plates in) and facilitated ankylosis (drilling the joint). In the experience of the surgeon I shadowed with, she feels if youre going to drill you should also put plates in because surgically drilling hocks is VERY painful. Surgically fusing hocks takes the horse out about a year.
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SuperTrooper Reg. Feb 2009	Posted 2016-11-07 3:40 PM Subject: RE: Buying a former futurity horse - what do you look for?
Elite Veteran Posts: 911 Location: Northern Ontario	Wow! Thanks so much! I have always wondered about this. For a horse that is naturally fusing, will the pain make them lame or just sore and inflammed? I am just wondering because sometimes you see horses who tend to have randomly swollen hocks and don't work as well and then all of a sudden they are fine a few months later with no more swelling(not my horses, I would have them checked out of they did this)
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casualdust07 Reg. Mar 2005	Posted 2016-11-07 6:56 PM Subject: RE: Buying a former futurity horse - what do you look for?
You get what you give Posts: 13030 Location: Texas	SuperTrooper - 2016-11-07 3:40 PM Wow! Thanks so much! I have always wondered about this. For a horse that is naturally fusing, will the pain make them lame or just sore and inflammed? I am just wondering because sometimes you see horses who tend to have randomly swollen hocks and don't work as well and then all of a sudden they are fine a few months later with no more swelling(not my horses, I would have them checked out of they did this) so when they are fusing, they may have a bony enlargement over the DIT or TMT joints... we call that "bone spavin." It's not a soft swelling, its a bony swelling. The pain from them fusing naturally can cause a range of problems- from just not clocking exactly where they should to obvious lameness. It will usually show up when you flex the hocks though.
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