Ring bone

[dilly013]

Hi we adopted out an ex racehorse that was rescued from a meat buyer at a sale. He is a great horse and the new owner is in love with him. He came up lame about 2 months after she got him and vet told her that it was an abscessed hoof. Was off and on again lame and farrier said that it was ringbone after acute lameness. New owner says it is bad and noticeable without xrays. She wants to euthanize due to the progressive nature of this disease. Does anyone have any experience and what works to help this horse out. Thank you

[KKT]

We have a gelding that turned 30 this year. He has ring bone and some arthritis but is in great body condition. We put him on a good quality senior feed which we mix with oats. Two parts senior, one part oats. We also keep him OFF grass in the spring and fall. He is turned out when the pasture is dry in the summer and when there is no grass in the winter. He is on a rigid hoof care program which helps and gets bute when he shows signs of discomfort. When the grass starts to come on we put him in the dry lot and feed a good quality grass hay as well as the senior/oat mix.
We have been doing this for the last 4 years and he's getting along pretty well. His pasture mate is a 17 year old gelding that foundered twice. He too is on the same program and has had no foot problems since then.
The bute can cause liver problems but at the advanced age of 30, it's one or the other and choose to keep him comfortable. Hope this helps.