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[RC] [RC] Bone spurs - Dream WeaverHi Barbara: It's all going to depend on so many things. If you have a good vet discuss this with him or her and see what they think. It helps to have a vet that has experience with performance horses. Every horse is different, so sometimes you don't know what the outcome will be until you go through the process. I just rode Rocky today (see this link - it also has photos of a new Easyboot buckle, which is way cool!), so you can see how he looks. I posted a while ago about doing an IRAP procedure on him. The cause of his arthritis is in fact a bone spur on his fetlock. He started to feel choppy at slow speed - faster speeds and he smoothed out. It was an odd thing, but the way the joint moved in his case was causing the choppiness -- moving slower and it caused the spur to hit, and faster it extended differently enough that it didn't bother him. It was a frustrating situation because when he was blocked, he still did it -- habit I guess. Here is the link to the post I did about the IRAP procedure on Rocky. There are links in there explaining what it is and how it works. I am really happy with the results so far. He is too! I rode him up and down some steep hills today and he was totally 'on' -- solid, secure, safe feeling, just wonderful to feel that with him. No tripping or stumbling, no off steps -- comments from others about how good he looks. He's been doing great these last few weeks and I hope to have him in condition to do some rides in 2007 -- it'll be his 11th ride season. He's got right around 7500 miles. My vet was also pleased with Rocky's progress. He said that they have been seeing some fantastic results with the IRAP procedure -- horses that had way worse xrays than my horse are out competing in various disciplines and doing fantastic. My vet clinic is Great Basin, in Gardnerville, NV in case anybody wants to contact them. They work with a lot of the riders/horses who are in the standings in this region. The only problem is getting an appointment sometimes. Good luck! I know it's not an easy decision for you to make. Vet care is a big expense that you could put towards another horse. It may work, it may not. Lots to think about and consider. Karen in NVHas anyone had any experience with this? Is there any way I can make this horse comfortable so I can continue to use him for endurance? Or look for a new horse?
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