Healthy Joints for All

Whatever you and your horse or pony do it’s important to ensure they have sound, healthy joints. Whether a leisurely hack, Riding Club show or elite endurance, soundness is central to all equines, but do we understand equine joints?

Horses have three types of joint. Fibrous are fused with no movement, such as those found in the skull. Cartilaginous are connected by cartilage, allowing for a little more movement, but still very limited, such as the joints between the spinal vertebrae. Generally most significant, and of most interest when considering soundness, are the highly mobile Synovial joints that allow the horse to move. The range of movement will depend on the type of joint, i.e. rotational movement in the ball and socket, like the pelvis, or a simpler hinge action like the elbow.

Synovial joints allow bones to move freely in comfort through the layer of cartilage covering the bone ends, and the presence of synovial fluid within the joint capsule, which acts as a lubricant. The associated tendons and ligaments are also integral to joint soundness. Ligaments are rigid connective tissues, joining bone to bone, while tendons have a little more elasticity and join bone to muscle to power the movement.

Joint health starts at the beginning of you and your horse’s journey together. Good conformation is essential to joint integrity, and is a key reason for getting a vet check. A pre-purchase exam, while no guarantee, can advise on conformation, and whether that horse is likely to be ‘fit for purpose’. For those involved with breeding, care should be taken to use only mares and stallions who are sound, with good conformation, and also ensure they complement each other in order to breed for soundness.

Supporting with targeted nutrition is well-established and increasingly researched in horses, with good evidence for the use of key nutrients. Glucosamine is, perhaps, the best known of these, but do check the type you are using. Research shows that Glucosamine sulphate is more effective in horses than the more widely used Glucosamine HCl (hydrochloride)*. However no matter how good glucosamine is, a single ingredient is never going to answer such a multifactorial question like joint health. Finding the right combination of joint nutrients, and, importantly, a blend suitable to you, your horse and your level of work, will help you support your horse’s soundness through every life-stage.

* Meulyzer M et al (2008) Comparison of pharmacokinectics of glucosamine and synovial fluid levels following administration of glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine hydrochloride. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 16, 973-979