Arthritis causes considerable pain in your horse, and understanding the disease cycle is necessary in order to prevent further damage from occurring. “One-third of all lameness is due to arthritis or soft tissue trauma,” said Rhonda Rathgeber, DVM, PhD, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky. She spoke at an educational event held April 30 during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. “Joint disease occurs from repeated use for training and performance. It is a vicious cycle of damage.”

Arthritis Overview

There are three types of joints in the horse’s body: Fibrous (in the skull), cartilaginous (between the sternum and ribs), and synovial (where two or more bones join to allow movement). Joint disease most often occurs in the synovial joints because of the wear and tear that occurs in performance horses from heavy training and exercise.

“Synovial joints consists of external supportive structures, such as skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which are important to keep the joint in line and contribute to joint health,” said Rathgeber. “Damage to them can lead to joint injury.

“When damage occurs to the support structures, there is a change in the normal movement of the horse,” she noted. “There are a lot of nerves in the joint capsule, and a lot of pain can occur when there is damage to the joint capsule