Studies show 60% of all equine lamenesses are related to osteoarthritis, and while it is incurable, there are treatments available and research is ongoing.

There is no need to start panicking about osteoarthritis (OA) the day your foal's feet hit the ground, but its impact should be considered following every footfall thereafter.

When a horse owner says, "My horse has arthritis," the image that often first pops into our heads is an older, wizened, slightly swaybacked, retired horse standing alone in a field slowly plodding along, while his younger counterparts gallop happily past.

"This is simply not an accurate picture of a typical horse with OA," laughs C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, FRCVS, DSc, Dr. med vet (hc), Dipl. ACVS, Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair and Director of the Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University (CSU)

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.