A horses hock is made up of 11 bones, various ligaments, several bursa and four joints. Tendons pass over and insert through the hock. This complicated structure is prone arthritis and chronic lameness. Hock arthritis affects horses of all ages including horses less than a year old. Routine exercise can help reduce pain, prevent further joint damage and maintain a healthy weight.
Walking
Walking increases circulation, which is also a natural inflammatory. Chronic joint inflammation can lead to joint surface and cartilage deterioration, painful joint capsule thickening and joint fluid breakdown, according Janice Posnikoff, DVM. Walking your horse in a turnout paddock or pasture for a couple of hours will increase blood flow to the joints, limber the legs up and help prevent further damage. The horse may be stiff at first, but after a few minutes of walking, the horse will warm up.
Riding
Daily riding keeps your horses joints limber and is the best way to prevent and treat hock arthritis. The amount of riding and type of riding will depend upon your horse's conformation and the footing. Hard rocky footing is not good for the horse's joints. A good footing is easier on the joints. Do exercise riding on a well-maintained arena or riding trail. Not all parts of a trail will be uniform; get off and walk over rough ground, and avoid cantering or trotting in these areas.
Water Treadmill
Water exercise for horses with hock arthritis takes pressure off the joints and allows the horse to exercise harder than it could in a paddock. This is especially good for overweight horses, as the extra weight puts more pressure on the joints. Aquatic therapy can be customized to each horse through variable water heights, treadmill speeds and water temperatures, according to Circle Back Farm Equine Performance Specialists of the Rockies. The water treadmill uses hydrokinetic exercise facilitated by the horse's own natural movement on a non-slip, solid surface water treadmill.
Hand Exercise
Older horses with hock arthritis can get stiff from inactivity. Simple hand manipulation exercises can be done to get blood flow and circulation to the joint. This is also good for horses experiencing pain with the arthritis.
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