You want to feed your horse a product to support the health of his joints.  But where do you start?  The choice is bewildering!   You walk in to any tack shop or feed store, look at any equine magazine or website, and you see so many products for lameness and joint health.  Below we discuss the individual nutrients and how they benefit the horse……. 

Why feed a supplement?

It is obvious that every time the horse’s limb hits the ground a certain amount of force will pass through it. This in itself is not a problem, indeed it is recognized that controlled stresses through joints help to strengthen them, and the body routinely repairs itself.  The problem occurs when the joint is exposed to continuous, unnatural stresses, such as is seen in the competition horse.  Jumping horses put all the force of jumping through one leg as they land.  Dressage horses routinely stretch their joints to the maximum.  Endurance horses need fit joints to maintain soundness over long distances, and often difficult terrain.  Elderly horses are also prone to joint problems as a natural result of wear and tear.  Long term drug therapy is undesirable.  Not only is drug use illegal for the competition horse but research now shows that commonly used pharmacological pain relievers can actually accelerate break down of vital joint tissues over time.  So what can nutrition do? 

Which nutrients?

The first part of the joint to suffer under stress is the cartilage.  Repeated high pressures can wear away at this protective layer, leaving it thin and rough; and leaving the individual with osteoarthritis.  The use of chondroprotective agents is now well established in both human and veterinary medicine.  Chondroprotectives are nutrients that have the ability to replace cartilage tissue, like for like, and support the viscosity of the synovial fluid within the joint which becomes thin and watery when the joint is stressed.  The two most commonly used are glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate. The conclusion of many veterinary trials on these nutrients show that the best result is achieved when glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are fed in combination; although glucosamine is likely to be the more important of the two.  Ensure the product you choose contains both of these products at stated inclusion rates.  Avoid products that rely on the precursors of glucosamine and chondroitin.  Although these nutrients, including glutamine and glysine, have roles within the system there is little or no scientific evidence specifically linking them to joint health. 

So when should you feed chondroprotectives?  Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate can be fed both as an insurance measure and where problems are evident.  Be careful of your choice of glucosamine. Shark’s cartilage is still widely commercially available despite the WWF declaring all species of sharks to be under threat. Couple that with the inhumane method of “harvesting” and sharks cartilage becomes a controversial issue.  Sources such as shellfish are sustainable, ethically produced, and just as effective.  

Plants don’t jump

Many horse owners will say surely the horse is a vegetarian and shouldn’t be eating animal derivatives.  To say that any grazing animal is a pure veggie is an over simplification.  Just imagine the wild horse pawing at the ground or stripping bark from trees; it is inevitable that grubs, insects, worms and parasites will be picked up with that.  The shellfish source of glucosamine is equivalent to insect shells - exactly the material the grazing horse picks up naturally.  Although we may be supplementing at above the levels they naturally pick up, so the joints are also working at above natural levels.  And let us remember why we are feeding these products, that is, to feed joints. When did you last see your geraniums jump the fence into your neighbour’s garden?  Exactly.  Plants don’t have joints, they are not subjected to any concussive forces therefore we cannot expect them to provide the correct nutrients for optimum joint health. 

However, plant extracts are useful for the soft tissue damage associated with joint problems.  It is inevitable that pain and inflammation accompanies cartilage stresses. Products such as organic sulphur (MSM) are useful where soft tissue is compromised, as bio-available sulphur is required for protein, and hence, repair and regeneration. Naturally sourced antioxidants are also helpful to support the body’s defence against the build up of free radical toxins that occurs around physically stressed tissues.  Of the herbal products available Devil’s Claw is the most popular, and seemingly most efficient. Although Devil’s Claw cannot support repair in the way chondroprotectives can, it is found particularly useful once pain control becomes the most important parameter. 

In conclusion glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate in combination with MSM and antioxidants are the ideal choice for working joints. Herbal extracts, such as Devil’s Claw, are best used for keeping the old boy in the field comfortable well into his dotage.