Arthritis led the list of health challenges reported in a large-scale survey of owners caring for aging horses in the United States.
The breakdown of cartilage in a horse’s joints, arthritis is often a natural consequence of aging. The condition can also occur after injury to joint structures, cartilage and/or stabilizing tissues, such as tendons and ligaments.
Nationwide survey
Researchers at the University of Kentucky, Texas A&M University and the Waltham Equine Studies Group surveyed 2,717 owners across the country caring for horses aged 15 or older. In addition to demographic data, the survey included questions on medical conditions affecting the horses and and treatment for specific diseases. The respondents also answered questions related to management, including the frequency of routine veterinary care and pharmaceutical and supplement use.
Health challenges
The collected data showed that only 36 percent of the horses had no veterinarian-diagnosed medical conditions at the time of the survey. The most frequently reported conditions was osteoarthritis (30 percent). That was followed by dental disorders (15 percent), lameness (14 percent) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) (12 percent). A smaller group (6 percent) indicated their horses had eye disorders.
Age-related issues
As expected, the data showed that advancing age is a primary risk factor for the development of PPID. In addition, the researchers found that retired horses were less likely to receive routine veterinary or dental care than were senior horses still used for riding. The medication most frequently administered to older horses was the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug firocoxib (18 percent). Forty-one percent of respondents gave their horses a feed supplement formulated to support joint health.
Reference: “Owner-reported health and disease in U.S. senior horses,” Equine Veterinary Journal, August 2024
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