Hey all,
Reaching out to see if I can get any advice. I bought a 4yr old ottb in November 2023, he is now 5 and had a career ending paddock injury in May 2024. He also fractured his knee in March 2024 but that healed fine. His injury in May was a severe stifle injury, he tore multiple ligaments, damaged his meniscus, and we found OCD in that stifle (it was present during his ppe but apparently the vet who did it didn't pick up on it). Surgery is not an option for us. He has been retired in the paddock since August, and was on stall rest prior to that. We also injected steroids into the stifle and did lots of rehab which was unsuccesful.
He was doing great, but now that it's gotten cold, he has become extremely stiff. He is being boarded at my friends place so I don't have much control over his care in terms of turnout, blanketing, etc. He is usually on 24/7 turnout but recently the horses have stayed in at night due to the frozen ground and weather. He is stiff in the morning when he goes outside. I can choose his supplements.
My question... is there anything you would suggest doing to help the stiffness/lameness? Should we just wait it out until the weather becomes nicer and he hopefully feels better? He is on MSM, tumeric, probiotics, vitamin e/selenium, and magnesium. I would like things to stay on the cheaper side because keeping him as a pasture pet has already pushed things. Farrier doesn't suggest shoes for him as his injury makes him very uncomfortable holding his leg up, and he doesn't seem footsore. I am reluctant to put him on meds such as equioxx or bute due to the damage it could cause with starting at only 5 years old. He is happy all of the time that he isn't stiff/lame, so I would like to avoid putting him down as that would be devastating. TIA :)

*He will see the chiropractor in early March since that's the earliest available appointment

Wowzers! Sounds like alot is going on! Now,don't get me wrong,if I did have horses,I would give some help.For now all im going to say is if theres a feed store and they have anti-stiffness oils,grains,pellets etc,ask them what they think could help in your situation.Or,you could ask some vets what they would recomend.

*I do not own horses so if im wrong,im sorry as I would not know*

It really sounds like you're doing everything right. The supplements, the lifestyle, etc. Being a little stiff after 12 hours (I'm assuming the time but it might be less) in a stall is normal.

However, if it's really bad, maybe look at the protein content of his hay/grain? He might need less protein if he's getting really stiff.

Thank you! Yes haha tons of stuff going on unfortunately. MSM is a joint supplement so I was hoping that would help but sadly it doesn't seem to be doing the job :)

I didn't think about that, will do! Thank you :) He is currently on the Active 12 feed from nutrena, which is 12% protein.

It's kinda on the pricier end but I'd look into swapping the MSM for Acti-flex (even if only in the winter) it also has boswelia in it thats a bit of an anti-inflam/pain reliever.

I'll definetly look into it! Thank you :)

Does anyone have experience giving their horse SmartComfort pellets from smartpak? Wondering if that might help him; it looks like it might have more pain relief than Acti Flex. I'm not experienced in shopping for supplements though, so I could be wrong.

A client horse of mine tore his meniscus. The only thing that has really helped was arthramid injections - he gained a lot more comfort and range of motion in the field.

that said, he is ultimately retired given the inability to really rehab that injury. A friend of mine's horse had the surgery, only for them to open him up and realize they weren't able to successfully stitch it, which is apparently not uncommon for this surgery. Ugh. Its wonderful that you're willing to support him through a quiet life. ❤️

My older gelding doesn't have a stifle injury, but they are a point of discomfort. We managed it through his showing career with various injectable biologics and corrective shoeing. I tried to pull the shoes when he shifted to partially retired, since he also struggled to hold his hind feet up, and he got way worse. He gets dorm while shoeing now and is able to hold himself up and farrier has no issues. Just a thought!