Joint inflammation in horses (1)

What is joint inflammation?

Joint inflammation is a common diagnosis in horses. The inflammation can be due to overexertion, incorrect loading, injuries, wounds and infections. For example, when a horse is worked at a high pace or pedals at an angle, an inflammation of the joint can occur. The inflammation is caused by the horse damaging one of the structures in the joint.

Overload is a common cause

A common cause of joint inflammation is a prolonged overload due to external abnormalities, improper hoof care, unbalanced riding, poor surface, one-sided training or being overweight.

Common symptoms of joint inflammation

Symptoms of joint inflammation are varying degrees of lameness, swelling, heat, pain and reduced mobility. The inflammation causes an increased amount of joint fluid, which leads to swelling, heat and pain in the joint capsule.

How joint inflammation is treated

In the event of an inflammation of the joint, the horse must rest from training and many times the joint is treated locally. Today, there are several different types of joint treatments, which can also be supplemented with anti-inflammatory medication in the mouth. If the joint inflammation is not allowed to heal properly, there is a risk of deeper damage to both the joint cartilage and the underlying skeleton.

During rehabilitation, it is important to find out the underlying cause of the inflammation. It can be about reviewing training plans, varying the surface, adjusting the shoeing or adapting the recovery. By making these changes, you as a horse owner can reduce the risk of joint inflammation coming back in the future.

Prognosis for a horse with arthritis

Acute joint inflammation caused by an unfortunate sprain in the pasture can often be treated successfully, but if the inflammation has lasted for a long time, the prognosis may be worse. The prognosis for joint inflammation varies, depending on the cause and which parts of the joint have been damaged.

Can I prevent my horse from suffering from joint inflammation?

There are several things you as a horse owner can do to reduce the risk of your horse suffering from joint inflammation. An important part is to vary both training and surface. Avoid riding on the same type of surface every day, and plan varied sessions with different intensity and movement patterns.

Vary training and surfaces

Always start the training session with a warm-up in the walk on long reins. Then you can let the horse jog in a low form to soften the body before you make demands for gathering or more advanced movements. Avoid repeating an exercise too many times in a row without rest – variation and breaks are important to reduce wear and tear on the joints.
Feel free to ride on both straight and curved tracks, but avoid too many turns on small flips. Let the horse work in balance without tension reins, so that it has time to build up strength and coordination at its own pace. Always adapt the pace and intensity to the horse's level of training, physical capacity and the surface you are riding on.

The horse's everyday movement

It is very important that the horse has the opportunity to move freely every day in the pastures together with other horses. This type of movement is preventive to keep the joints healthy as the joint cartilage is in need of movement to get nutrition via the joint fluid. Think of the cartilage as a sponge that is pressed together and out, it sucks in and out joint fluid by the joint moving and then the joint is lubricated in a healthy way.

Prioritizing recovery

After more strenuous workouts, recovery is crucial. Feel free to let the horse walk by hand or be reined in the forest the day after a harder session. It helps both muscles and joints to recover in a gentle and sustainable way.

Joint fluid – lubricates and transports

The synovial fluid, or synovian, has the task of lubricating the joints to reduce friction between the articular cartilage. It also provides the joint with nutrients and oxygen. In the event of an overexertion or sprain, more synovial fluid is produced, causing the quality of the fluid to deteriorate. When the quality of the synovial fluid deteriorates, there is more friction in the articular cartilage.

What is the difference between a joint inflammation and a joint infection?

A joint infection is not the same as a joint infection - a joint infection is an acute, life-threatening condition caused by bacteria entering the joint. The infection causes a severe lameness with swelling and high fever. Treatment for a joint infection consists of flushing the joint clean and then depositing antibiotics directly into the joint. Bacteria can enter the joint via an injection, through wounds close to the joint, or with the blood to the joint.

If a foal gets a joint infection, the cause is usually foal disease, when the infection spreads from an infected navel via the bloodstream to different joints.