Joint supplements....which are best?

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Tedley

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Hi,

Just after some advice on joint supplements. I have owned my gorgeous 4.5 year old 17.1hh Irish sports horse gelding for 6 months now and in this time he's grown a fair bit, was 16.2hh when I bought him, and he's still growing up and filling out obviously. Exercise wise I'm currently hacking him at walk only several times a week, along with starting basic schooling and have done a few lunging sessions with him. I don't want to rush him and am taking things slowly so as not to phase him, although luckily he's very steady and sensible anyway.

I want to do my best to protect and support his joints for the long term and as his work gradually increases and wondered if anyone had any experience with or advice on joint supplements that have benefited them? Im aware there is a big range but wanted to see if anyone had any personal experience or success with particular brands. I'm a registered veterinary nurse so am aware how important prevention is to the support of joints and this is why I'm keen to start my boy on a supplement ASAP.

All advice/experiences and opinions welcomed,
thanks​
 
I too have my horse on Suppleaze gold, she is still in the loading dose stage so am waiting to see if I notice any difference. I have heard very good things about it, so am hopeful.

My horse doesn't have any issues at the moment, I am using it as a preventative.
 
Ive my TBx on Equine America Glucosamine hes got a bit of arthritis in his legs now and last winter standing overnite he got very stiff and puffy, started him on this in the summer due to the hard ground and amount of work we were doing and this winter he is great, little to no stiffness or puffiness, he gets a scoop in his feed and it lasts quite a long time. ;)
 
Suppleaze gold. I can't believe the change in my mare since she's been on it. Your boy is only a baby though and won't need a major supplement. I and a lot of us on here also use micronised linseed, it has a lot of benefits perhaps you should look at that too?
 
Rather than a joint supplement you could try feeding turmeric which is bring proven to be excellent for joints and other things.....a good source of advice is the turmeric user group on Facebook. Also works out a lot cheaper than standard joint supplements
 
Scientific studies on compounds typically used as "joint supplements" are somewhat inconclusive. However, there are some studies that suggest glucosamine sulphate is beneficial in the treatment of osteoarthritis in humans.

Unfortunately most branded equine joint supplements contain a different glucosamine compound [glucosamine hydrochloride]. This is listed as glucosamine HCL on the label.

Sulphate is used by the body to produce cartilage. I chose a glucosamine joint supplement that was made by Robinsons.
 
I use hack up bespoke

You get top quality ingredient with zero filler and it worked out cheaper than ready made stuff off the shelf

I went from £1.00 to 0.41p a day.
 
Extract from BEVA 2013...... about time there were some proper studies done!

These are the results of a trial carried out by Dr Rachel Murray at World Horse Welfare (Snetterton, UK). The statistical analysis was conducted by veterinary epidemiologist Dr Vicki Adams.

Introduction
Despite the range of oral joint supplements available, there has been very limited research into their efficacy. Aim: To determine effect of an oral joint supplement on orthopaedic, physiotherapy and handler evaluation in horses.

Methods
24 mature horses were included in the study. Horses were excluded if they were in poor body condition, had health problems or greater than 2/5 lameness. Supplement Sa (FlexAbilityTM, Science Supplements:
containing chondroitin sulphate 1.62g/100kg, glucosamine 1.9g/100kg, vitamin C 0.8g/100kg, methyl sulphonyl methane 2.56g/100kg, DHA 0.66g/100kg), EPA 0.34g/100kg or placebo P (carrier/flavours only) were given to horses in their feed for 21 days each in a triple-blind crossover design; all horses received supplement and placebo in random order. Horses were evaluated at day 0 (baseline), 21 (after first treatment) and 42 (after second treatment). Assessments included: Clinical orthopaedic evaluation for straight line and lunging circle (walk and trot), and during ridden exercise (walk, trot and canter); Handler field evaluation, during groundwork and while ridden, grading specific criteria; Grading of range of motion (ROM) and muscle tone based on standardised physiotherapy criteria. All evaluators were blinded to treatment. Significance indicates P <0.05.

Results
S was associated with significantly lower lameness grade in a straight line and circle than either P or baseline. Both S and P were associated with significantly improved ROM and muscle tone over baseline. Handler scores for ridden and groundwork were significantly higher with S compared to P or baseline. After S, horses were graded significantly higher for field ‘ease-of-movement’ compared with P or baseline.

Conclusions
Oral administration of this supplement was associated with less lameness, improved ridden/groundwork scores and improved ‘ease-of-movement’ in the field. Improvement in physiotherapy assessment with both treatments over time suggests effects of ongoing training on ROM and muscle tone.

This work was accepted for presentation at the 2013 British Equine Veterinary Association Congress.
 
Cosequin, expensive but I've seen the difference it makes with my own eyes!
I currently use it on my 14 year old WB as joint maintenance, difference was very noticeable after using the initial loading dose. I also used it on my 6 year old ISH with OCD in his stifle joints, I sadly lost him a few years ago, but cosequin and No Bute Premium worked brilliantly for him. I also had a WB who had proximal, suspensory desmitis in both both legs (injured himself in the field) and cosequin made a big difference to him too. Very noticeable results in all 3 horses!!
 
Darremi said:
Scientific studies on compounds typically used as "joint supplements" are somewhat inconclusive. However, there are some studies that suggest glucosamine sulphate is beneficial in the treatment of osteoarthritis in humans.

Unfortunately most branded equine joint supplements contain a different glucosamine compound [glucosamine hydrochloride]. This is listed as glucosamine HCL on the label.

Sulphate is used by the body to produce cartilage. I chose a glucosamine joint supplement that was made by Robinsons.
Click to expand...

There are studies that support decrease in joint inflammation in veteran or osteoarthritic horses and dogs as well, however no support for glucosamine, chondroitin or MSM as 'preventatives'. Also, glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM in human supplementation are not allowed under EU rules to be classed as 'supporting healthy joints' - there is no evidence to support it and a human supplement claiming so breaks EU advertising law.

So for a young horse with no history of joint problems, I really would save your money, OP.

ETA: I'm currently doing my Masters in equine nutrition so promise I'm not talking out of my bum on that one :P
 
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