Winter exercise can be quite a task, the weather and darkness being against us in addition to whatever our horses issues may be. And keeping the arthritic horse exercised during the cold, dark winter months can be quite complicated. 

Arthritic joints don't like the cold, damp conditions, and can stiffen up really easily and quickly. I commonly see horses with an arthritis diagnosis having 'flare ups' as soon as the weather starts to really change and get cold and damp. 

First port...

Arthritis Management in the Winter

The winter months in the UK can be difficult for horse care and management, and in particular horses with arthritis can struggle over the winter with joint pain and stiffness.

At this time of year I do see a lot of horses having ‘flare ups’ and needing veterinary attention to deal with pain levels and lameness.

I work with horses owners post diagnosis and vet treatment, to help make plans to manage the horse on an ongoing basis, and adapt their...

This weeks Tips are around Arthritis / Senior horses and how to manage them in the winter months when it’s cold, wet, slippy, icy, snowy etc!

Senior horses and/or horses with stiff joints need some special care in the winter as the cold wet weather really does affect their comfort levels.

The good news is that there is a lot we can do to help our friends to keep them comfortable and able to exercise!

Tip 1: Medication: pain relief and joint supplements

Your senior / arthritic horse...

It’s that time of year again when horses seem to be ‘feeling their joints’, the weather (here in the UK anyway) is getting damp and cold, and this is when our horses can start to show more signs of joint pain.

I work with lots of ‘senior’ horses who have wear and tear based osteoarthritis, as well as younger horses with arthritic joints. The management of joint issues is the same - we need to look after and protect the degenerated/stiff joints, and in the winter...

Written originally February 2020.

As the winter weather is upon us and the cold, damp conditions become the daily norm, we need to think quite carefully about how these adverse changes will affect our horses.  Over the last few weeks I have seen a large number of horses with increased stiffness levels, in particular horses diagnosed with arthritis in their joints.

Although arthritis is a long term degenerative condition of the joint, fortunately there is a lot we can be do to help our...