Arthramid Vet has provided long-awaited relief and longevity of the career of Tarwin Grove Bellerive after soundness issues plagued his dressage career and threatened retirement as just a rising 8-year-old.
Bumble, as he’s known around the stables, is a heavier set, old-style warmblood gelding who stands at an impressive 17.5hh. The gentle giant has the ‘temperament of a Labrador’ and is much adored by owner Katherine Dunstan of Boutique Equines, based in Victoria, Australia.
Broken-in and started by Katherine, Bumble trained and competed up to Novice level dressage, albeit relatively lightly as his career has been fragmented by persistent low-level lameness that spanned several years.
The cause of his unsoundness could be put down to a combination of his large frame, imperfect conformation and a period of time in which diagnostic images were not used to ensure correct hoof angles. However, a definitive diagnosis eluded Katherine and Bumble’s care team for some time.
“He was just not right. For a good 12-18 months I struggled with him not being sound and not being able to get to the bottom of it. We had multiple workups done, nerve blocks, and all the rest of it before going down the route of getting an MRI as we knew that would be definitive” explains Katherine.
In June of 2021, Dr Brian Anderson of Ballarat Vets conducted an MRI, the resulting diagnosis being co-lateral and oblique ligament inflammation and navicular bursitis in the near fore coffin joint and mild to moderate changes of the near fore fetlock.
Up until this stage, Bumble’s pattern of treatment, consisted of rest before being treated with Pentosan and Halo (hyaluronic acid) and a slow return to work, however he never stayed sound for long and they would be forced to repeat.
After Bumble’s MRI, Dr Emma Wood, who was onboard Bumble’s care team by this point, suggested turning him out once again for six months without his shoes on to let him rest, rebuild his heels and let the inflammation subside, before urging Katherine to give her a chance to treat him with Arthramid Vet.
“I’m so glad I did” Katherine explains. “I’d written him off by this point, I thought there was no way he was going to come back sound this time and I’d have to retire him. I’m so glad Emma introduced us to Arthramid. The results have just been amazing.”
Dr Wood administered Bumble’s treatment of Arthramid Vet, injecting 2ml into both front fetlocks and coffin joints. He was then allowed to rest again for a further 6-8 weeks post-treatment due to a change in Katherine’s circumstances before he was slowly brought back into rehabilitation work which included the use of a treadmill, water therapy and plenty of hacking.
Since Bumble’s Arthramid Vet treatment, there has been no sign of the soundness issues that plagued him for so long.
“He is as sound as a bell. Although his conformation is still letting him down, he’s never felt better and is moving so fluidly, which just makes me realise how sore he was for so long.”
“I’m a huge advocate for Arthramid, I think the product is just amazing. He’s happy, he wants to do the work. I can’t believe how he is, I’m absolutely thrilled.”
“This horse deserves to be sound for the rest of his life. He’s the most beautiful personality, he’s just a pleasure to have around. I’m so pleased with the results we have seen. I know deep down, without having Emma doing those Arthramid Treatments, we would not be in the position we’re in today.”
Bumble and Katherine are due to be back in the competition arena in the coming weeks, a feat which, less than 12 months ago looked like a pipe dream. Arthramid Vet once again proved its effectiveness, providing relief and long-term soundness in a horse that, when undergoing a more traditional course of treatment was on the brink of retirement.
