Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [Guest] hock problems/surgery?

I had a wonderful Arab gelding that developed hock problems at the age of 
five.  At first he was slightly lame after rest and would warm out of it in a 
couple of minutes.  If I kept riding him he was sound, but if he rested in a 
vet check he would be slightly lame.  He could pass the vet check right away, 
but not if I waited 15 minutes.  I could warm him out of the lameness very 
quickly.  He was diagnosed with bone spavin (arthritis of the hock).  The vet 
said that it would fuse eventually and he might be sound.  I gave it a year 
or so and it did not improve.  I got impatient and had surgery done on him to 
fuse the hock.  He did not improve after the surgery.  It was clear to me 
that he was not going to be an endurance horse.  A friend with a ranch in 
Idaho let me send him there to live in pasture.  Someone she knew fell in 
love with him and wrote and asked if she could ride him.  She just rode in 
the mountains and he was reasonably sound for that.  I leased him to her for 
free.  She would write to me now and then to let me know how he was doing.  
After a couple of years she wrote and wanted to buy him.  She said that he 
had been perfectly sound for a year and that she couldn't stand the thought 
of losing him.  She wanted for me either to take him back or sell him to her. 
 I sold him to her at a minimal price.  Even though he was sound for what she 
was using him for, I couldn't be sure that he would be okay for endurance.  
He was happy and his rider was happy so I let it be.  He should be about 20 
now and I think about him often.  I have lost track of his owner, but the 
last time I heard from her he was sound.

Bottom line.  Hock problems at that age are very iffy.  I would not do the 
surgery again if I had it to do over.  I would be more patient and give the 
horse more time for the hock to fuse on its own.  

Debby Lyon

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