Can you ride a horse on calcified legs?

Question

My horse has his two front legs calcified. He is also behind the knee. He is an 8 year old pony, who loves to run fast and jump. he doesn't limp on his legs or anything. They don't seem to hurt him at all, that's why I never did anything about it. But people are telling me that it's bad. now i'm worried. what can possibly happen and what can i do to help?

Answer 1

It depends on the extent of calcification. I have seen many race horses win with calcified ankles. They will adjust their stride. I would suggest that you have a vet give you his/her opinion first.

It is possible but talk to your vet to make sure, you don't want to hurt you horse any worse.

http://www.saferhorseracing.com/gpage17....

Answer 2

My horse is 28 years old with arthritis that has calcified over the years. I know your case is completely different since your pony is only eight but this is my case.

We took my mare to the vet and had x-rays done. She told us the arthritis in her legs had calcified and she really shouldn't be ridden. She said if the calcified material breaks off her body may react to it and start attacking itself. She gave us a cream you rub on the joints called Surpass, glucosamine to inject in the muscle, and advised us to give her Corta-Flex with hyaluronic acid.

I'm not a vet and I realize that your situation is a lot different then mine but I thought I'd just let you know what we had to do.

It might not be something major. But it could be. I would talk to your vet and probably get x-rays done. Although x-rays aren't cheap, it's going to help you understand what's wrong with your horse and be able to better treat his condition. That's what we all want. Happy, healthy horses! :]

Answer 3

I've never heard of horses legs being calcified.Call a vet.Sorry,I know I'm not much help.

Answer 4

A friend's horse has some major calcification from arthritis and she was told never to ride that horse again.  Not because the horse is in pain, but because it's dangerous.  The calcification makes the joints less flexible, making them not work properly.  She walks quite stiff legged, and the vet said that with the extra weight on her, her joints have to work even harder and the chance of her tripping and falling is too great.

But the extent of that horse's calcification is very great.  She can't even be trailered anywhere because her knees don't have enough give in them to allow her to ride out the bumps so she will just fall down.  Your horse might not be anywhere near that bad.

Really your vet is the one that can tell you about you horse's situation the best.