Ringbone is a degenerative joint disease affecting the pastern or coffin joint. Understanding management options helps owners provide appropriate long-term welfare support.
Ringbone causes chronic pain from joint inflammation and the development of bony changes around the pastern and coffin joints. The progressive nature of the condition means pain management must be adjusted over time as disease advances. Many horses with ringbone can maintain reasonable quality of life with appropriate pain management, corrective shoeing to optimize joint angles, and modification of workload. Coffin joint fusion surgery, while radical, can eliminate pain in carefully selected low ringbone cases by converting the painful mobile joint to a fixed but pain-free fusion. The welfare decision about retirement versus treatment is significant and requires frank discussion with veterinary advisors.