# Ringbone



## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

My horse has been diagnosed with high ringbone. He is only 12 years old. I would like to be able to still ride him on the trails...nothing too much or too long. Our farrier is putting shoes on all of his feet. What else can I do to make him more comfortable? I want to be able to ride him, but at this point my main goal is to make sure he is as comfortable as possible.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

My mare was diagnosed with sidebone (around her coronary bone) last fall and was really sore on that hoof. She was fine with bute, then got sore again without. I did not want to use bute long-term, so I put her on B-L Pellets. I used a loading dose of one scoop twice a day for ten days, then took it to the recommended dose of one scoop/day. She has been sound since then. B-L Pellets (or solution) is easier on them than bute (or so I've been told). But, like anything else, my vet told me that some horses respond really well to it, and other don't. Check out Valley Vet or Smart-Pak's websites for more information on it.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

Thank you, I will.

Dumb question....can he get better? Is this permanent?


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## starjj (May 2, 2005)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringbone Since I had never heard of it I googled the term Here is what I found Is this the horse you just bought recently?


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

I was told her sidebone is like arthritis - managed, but never cured. There may be surgeries for ringbone, as there are for sidebone, but not sure. And they aren't an option in many cases - my vet sent my mare's radiograph's to his equine surgeon colleague, who said that surgery would do more harm than good in her case. So it wasn't an option, and not sure I would have put her through that even if it had been.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Ring bone and side bones are not the same. Side bones have a good chance of being y fine eventually unless the calcification breaks. 
The prognosis for ring bone depends on where it is. I have seen horses with high ring bone be servicable for light work after the inflammation cooled down. It's not an easy thing though.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Had a mare with low ringbone. Could have had a costly surgery to fuse the joint which would have made her pasture sound and maybe ok for slow rides on flat ground.

Put her on DC-Y (about the same as B-L) and Fluid Flex and it fused on it's own in about a year. My vet said that doesn't happen very often. However, favoring that foot so long took it's toll and she got severe arthritis in her other front leg. Knee was buckling and the leg was starting to bow out. When the supplements were no longer helping her with the pain I had her euthanized. She still looked bright and chipper but was spending so much time laying down she was getting pressure sores. This is her just a few days before being put down (the one on the left)


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## peteyfoozer (Nov 23, 2012)

Sometimes having your farrier roll the toe in front helps, as it makes it easier for them to break over in stride. A regular squared plate makes it tougher.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

A friend has had good results with Previcox (firocoxib) and BL Pellets for her gelding with ringbone. She also keeps him in front shoes with rolled toes as peteyfoozer mentioned.

Ringbone varies wildly in it's prognosis.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

Thanks for all of the feedback. He has shoes on now and I have ordered the B-L pellets for him. Next step is to get an x-ray and vet's opinion.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Shan, is this the horse you recently bought? If so, it might be better to return it and get something fully sound for your daughter.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

wr said:


> Shan, is this the horse you recently bought? If so, it might be better to return it and get something fully sound for your daughter.


 
Yes, he is the horse my husband bought me for Christmas. When he was looked at there were no problems detected. It is hard because I have become so connected to this horse...he is such a sweetie. I don't want to send him back or sell him because I want to make sure he is taken care of. He might just end up being a pasture horse...
My daughter's horse is fine. :thumb:


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## Celtichorse (Jun 26, 2012)

I have a 23 y/o mare with high ringbone. She was diagnosed at 15 and it didn't look so good.... The x-rays showed quite a bit of new bone growth in the pastern area that affected the articulation of the joint. My vet injected the joint with HA and steroids since she assumed there was a lot of inflammation going on. The injection helped a lot and the x-ray was very helpful to the farrier. It wasn't until he really balanced the foot (according to the x-rays) that we saw a huge improvement. Good breakover is also very important. My mare goes through periods of flare-ups and gets pretty sore, which means she needs another injection from the vet (about 2 times a year). But the BL does help and I keep her on a supplement with HA, MSM and Chondroitin. She can do light trail rides on flat ground, hills are very hard on her and so is rocky terrain. Ringbone is not easy to deal with and having a very competent farrier can really make a huge difference. Make any necessary adjustments gradually so your horse doesn't get any more inflammation. Also, make sure the Calciumhosphorus ratio in his feed is balanced. An imbalance can cause additional calcification and that's what you want to stop/avoid. Another thing you may want to consider are "Shocktamer" pads if you are shoeing the horse. The pads are super-soft and really absorb a lot of the concussion that the shoes send up the horse's legs. I use these pads on my mare all summer long and they seem to keep her more comfortable and eager to step out.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

If you paid money for her would the seller refund the purchase price? Why is it that we don't find anything bad until we fall in love? Do you have the money to spend on all the vet care on your new horse and get the horse you need to be able to ride with your daughter?


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

Joshie said:


> If you paid money for her would the seller refund the purchase price? Why is it that we don't find anything bad until we fall in love? Do you have the money to spend on all the vet care on your new horse and get the horse you need to be able to ride with your daughter?


 
I am going to see how he does with shoes and B-L pellets and then get an x-ray. I will see what the vet recommends for care. At this point I am willing to pay what I need to help him. He is such a sweet horse.
I will probably have to look for a new trail horse for me, though.


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

I have a new rescue in the pasture. He's over 20 yrs and has a high ringbone issue. The barefoot farrier has already been out to give him an easy breakover on the afflicated hoof. He seems much better with that. Not a matter of making him sound enough to ride. As far as I'm concerned, he'll never bear a saddle let alone a rider again. Just looking to make the old boy comfortable. 

I was told he needed daily bute (+ anti ulcer powder due to the bute) & Legacy pellets for joint health. Not a big fan of daily bute due to the long term effects. Stopped his daily dose. So far, he's only needed one dose in the month since he's been here...we had 6" of rain in less than a week and he was hurting from walking through all the slop. 

Thinking anti-inflammatory pellets like B-L might be better than a joint supplement + frequent bute in the long term. Curious to see how the B-L pellets are working out. Thanks...


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

shanzone2001 said:


> Thanks for all of the feedback. He has shoes on now and I have ordered the B-L pellets for him. Next step is to get an x-ray and vet's opinion.


How has been diagnosed if he hasn't seen a vet yet?


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Shan, if you need an xray, get one before getting the horse reshod or right around the time shoes are due again. When you get the xray, they will remove the shoe, so most of the time, it is less expensive (farrier wise) to just have the old shoe pulled, get the xray, and then have the farrier put the new shoe on.

just a thought to save a little money and nail holes in the hoof.


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