We have a 2005 mare that owes us nothing, and was a basket case when she came to us... we picked her up at an auction when casually shopping for my little sister's first horse. This was December 2018. She is a VERY big girl, all of 16HH, beautiful buckskin, great granddaughter of Peppy San Badger --> https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/cc+sugartime 

Fast forward to today, SINCE THEN aside from the poor girl needing a few hundred pounds of groceries, she had pnemonia in 1 lung(healed), Spring of 2019 she was confirmed with heaves/COPD so she is on full pasture as long as we can allow, and fresh big squares for the few months our pasture is gone. (We live in NW Iowa). Adding to this, she has navicular in both front feet, pretty mild-severly, and what the x-ray showed as a bone chip in her right knee from an old injury...

Our farrier has been doing corrective shoeing and doing a tremendous job, from when  we first started to now she can actually move around without being completely stiff legged... the other night we went for a light trail ride down the road and the poor girl limped pretty badly, favoring that knee with the "old injury". Last Spring when we got the x-rays done that confirmed the navicular and the bone chip, our vet suggested Osphos injections. This mare is only used for light trail riding, not to mention she's my little sister's first horse (she's 18). We don't want to look at selling her, because in all honesty... who would want her?? She's merely a pasture pet at this point, which we are fine with her living out her days with us but we just want to give her some comfort for a better quality of life.

My question is about the Osphos.. I am unfamiliar with it, has anyone else had experience with it on a horse with this issue? She has good days and bad, some days she's trotting or loping herself through the pasture. We have a performance vet in the area that I am actually visiting next week for another reason and I planned on asking them about this scenario also, but I wanted some more opinions than just a vet possibly looking at getting some more money out of us. Our parents, who would be footing the bill since this is not my horse, are not totally sold on the idea of injections because they relate it to themselves with their own injuries and how "injections never helped them".

Thanks in advance.

"Spirit"

I never used osphos on my navicular gelding. He stays sound with corrective shoeing and just injecting his coffins. Might suggest that with the vet, it will be significantly cheaper than Osphos. Everyone I know does the Osphos every 3-4 months on theirs, they all seem to like their results. But you have to think then thats $900-1200 a year, plus any extra vet cost if you choose to have your vet do it vs just giving the shots yourself. One of them gets really colicy after her shots and has to be watched afterwards. I think its got its benefits if you can afford it for a pasture pet. It may not help the bone chip though, you'll have to discuss that with the vet. Usually they're surgically removed 

I can't presume they'd like to spend $900-1200 a year on something like that but I will bring it up to the vet to get some more options, as far as if there are any other injection options that may be easier $$$

Corrective shoeing has made a signifcant difference, we are about 1 1/2 years into that now. Although she does seem to have some trouble getting along also and I feel pretty bad for her..

Our vet did reccommend having the bone chip removed for approx. $800 plus the extra costs of sedation etc. Depending how the conversation goes with this performance vet next week I want to ask their opinion on having the chip removed, the first vet did not seem to think it was very bothersome based on location and size.

thank you for the info!

I've used osphos. My horse wasn't unsound (he was decent not 100% but pretty much totally ridable and running barrels - xrayed with navicular changes). It has been two years since his last shot at least. We are now a 1D barrel  and pole horse around here perhapes that was just natural progress idk. He goes in natural balance aluminum shoes on the front and bare on the hinds. We did go thru 7 farriers untill I found the right fit so I am unsure if it was the osphos or not. I'm guessing it must have helped tho! I didn't get more x-rays too expensive and he was doing fine. He might be having some trouble again now and I thinking about getting the shot again. I would say a properly balanced foot it key. Look at lots of hooves. Google and read. You would be surprised and the poor farrier work around.

My guy didn't have any bad reactions to the shot. He did shake his head for a while tho. I did hang around and walk him just to be safe (they can colic).

We switched to the farrier we use now a few months after we got this mare in the post.. we have 3 horses and the farrier I had I used for years.. then he started to kind of go down hill and I really wasn't pleased with the job he was doing with my barrel horse as far as shoeing went. The first time he did her shoes, he left her feet way long and they looked like duck feet. Then when it came down to this mare that had the navicular he just didn't do a nice job... So I shopped around a little and the gal I have now is amazing and in the last year and a half we have really noticed a difference for the better but I just think she needs something more.

Discuss the shoeing with the performance vet, if they like whats being done or not. And never let a farrier do your navicular horse without studying the xrays and them talking to your vet. My horse thats navicular, if you trim/shoe him like he's navicular you'll make it worse. He has to have a custom shoe handmade and trimmed normally with it. So just make sure your farrier and vet are working together. Also shoes vs barefoot makes a huge difference, I won't have a navicualr horse barefoot. Everyone's going to have their own opinions on that though. Injecting the coffins is relatively inexpensive, I pay $120 each time, so $240 a year. 

I have a semi retired horse who has mild navicular also.  We havnt seen much improvement with osphos.  she is pretty good with coffin injections once a year.  This year however a pesky abcess floated around and created a crack that became a bigger issue.  She now wearing the heart bar shoe.  This has given her as much relief as anything this summer.  She is back to giving lessons and moving as sound as she had all summer.

If you wanted your mare to be a light sound rider i would get the chip removed and keep the coffins injected.  the bone is gonna deteriate.  I dont think you can control that but the pain you can manage.