just weighing in on this since my now 29 year old mare had some degree of arthritis at 16 - th very first year she did a 35 miler. An ex-show/pleasure horse, she would begin a ride with a bit of shoulder stiffness, but within about 2-3 miles would be moving wonderfully. She always finished lookig perfectly fine. Now, havign arthritis myself, I find that if I can work through the initial discomfort and ride through the rest of a ride, drugs wouldn't be necessary. Here's the fundamental challenge though - KNOW when your horse is at a point by either age or injury/insult where he or she can no longer compete without the aid of drugs. When this threshold has been reached, go get another campaigner. At the base of this, it is incredibly unfair and even cruel to continue witha horse who at soem point has demonstrated that he or she is no longer the sound competitor that he or she once was. Age doesn't matter - condition and expectations are everything and your horse can't TELL you what is best - only express it a bit, so make a wise - grown-up decision and find another, sound competitor to forma new working relationship with.
