would you feed this horse a joint supp..?

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posie_honey

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as per title...

- 16hh ISH mare unknown breeding (in siggy)

- 13 this year according to passport - prob more like 11 or 12 having traced history

- from irelend - hunted hard every season until i bought her coming up to 3 years ago

- lumpy bumpy legs - but sound

- old injury to off side gluts (looks like kick - big dip in muscle) used to cause stiffness/lazyness in that leg - now only a bit noticable when first warming up but not noticable at all once going

- no other issues

reason i ask is i've fed her a joint supp at maintenence levels the last few years out of habit... but am looking to cut costs a bit as i've just taken a leap of faith and gone self employed....

but would you cut out the joint supp for this horse considering her past/old injury?

all opinions welcome :)

Thank you
 
How long have you had her on it and did putting her on it make a difference to her movement/suppleness? The joint supplement wont do anything for her previous muscle injury anyway so if you take that out the equation you are left with a horse who hunted hard in its early years (and presumably from what you've said is no longer worked as hard as before you bought her?), stayed sound with a few blemishes.
What else is she fed? I only ask as some balancers have joint supps in them that would give a maintenance dose as fed. I have mine on a balancer and cider vinegar with no other supplements and both the 8 year old who events, and the 20year old who used to, are sound and supple and in full work.
If it was me, I would try taking her off it and see if it makes a difference. If she feels worse for it then you can put her back on it.
 
To be honest I would be inclined to keep her on it. I have my 19yo on a joint supplement as a preventative measure - there is nothing wrong with him - however, now I am loathe to take him off it as people have said with horses who have shown stiffness they have really noticed the change with a supplement and the same if they come off it.

Haveyou looked at everything else you are feeding? Are you feeding any other supplements at all? If soem have you checked what's in them and are some just duplicating the other ingredients wise? We have found this with some of ours.
 
I feed one of my boys a joint supplement during the winter when he is stabled at night as he tends to get a bit stiff. I don't feed him it during the summer though as he lives out 24/7 and doesn't need it. Maybe you could look at just feeding it for the winter? Take her off it for the summer and see how she is without it.
 
thanks for suggestions guys :)

more info - she lives out 24/7 365 so is never stood still

feed - she's on a small scoop of baileys No4, a small scoop of fibre nuts, a handfull of chaff, a good squirt of soya oil and a couple of apples and carrots split into two feeds - she also gets ad lib v good quality hay.

come comp season she gets A&P Power and performance - we only compete low level so i'd still call it light work

she gets suitable quantity of D&H equibites for vits and mis (ie full dose in summer when not fed hard feed - half does in winter when on additional feed)

tbh i could prob cut out the fibre nuts as she's on the hay anyway...

joint supp is equimins flexi-joint

i've not notice a difference in her as i fed as preventative really - only because of damaged muscle - i worried that it would have put more strain on joints.. oh - and because she does have clicky joints - supp made no difference to them though

i'll have a look at tumeric :D
 
I give both my boys rosehips, one is only 4 the other nearly 10! Have done for years for preventative reasons. Rosehips have recently been proven to help dramatically in artritis and after my brother who has osteoarthritis started taking it and remarked on the benefits I decided to try it for the horses, thought well it's a natural supplement so it can't do any harm and might do some good! Since having it the 10 year old has stopped clicking which signals to me something is helping his joints.

In the same vein I give all my dogs cod liver oil everyday and the over 10's get GLM daily. Me? I don't take anything and ache like a big old achey thing all the time!! lol!!
 
Hiya,

I am doing a survey on equine joint supplementation and the public's experience with using them for my dissertation. I think this is a very important area in need of research. There are hundreds of products currently in the market and I want to highlight the products that do work from the products that don't. Then try to isolate the specific ingredients from your results, to work out why the products that do work do!

You guys all seem to have experience with joint supplements.I would be super greatful, if you could complete my quick survey, you will be helping to remove products that don't work from the market.

To complete my Survey please go to the following website:
http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/renders...x7m9nttt860195

Thankyou,

Emily Johnson Bsc(hons) Equine Science
 
Hollysmum said:
Which one do you have her on at the moment? Have you considered trying her on tumeric? I know alot of people who have had good results with this on their horses. :D
Click to expand...

tumeric?? thats interesting can you use it as a general joint supplament?? my horse doesn't have any joint probs so don't bother with any types of supplement aspart from a drop of oil in his dinner, he is only on light work so don't really want to spend money on sups unnecessarily. anyother herbal things that you can add to feeds??
 
cobgirlie said:
I give both my boys rosehips, one is only 4 the other nearly 10! Have done for years for preventative reasons. Rosehips have recently been proven to help dramatically in artritis and after my brother who has osteoarthritis started taking it and remarked on the benefits I decided to try it for the horses, thought well it's a natural supplement so it can't do any harm and might do some good! Since having it the 10 year old has stopped clicking which signals to me something is helping his joints.

In the same vein I give all my dogs cod liver oil everyday and the over 10's get GLM daily. Me? I don't take anything and ache like a big old achey thing all the time!! lol!!
Click to expand...

where do you normally get rosehips from?? and in what form??
 
honey eats rosehips in the fields! she also has a lot of the other natural foraging shrubs etc and helps herself to things she wants/needs :) not tried tumeric yet - but plan to once i've got round to buying some - prob is she's v v fussy so i have to be a bit careful introducing things to her feed - i ended up with equimins simply because it was the only one she'd eat!

Emily - yup happy to help - i'll do that now...i'm actually wondering if i know you... you didn't used to hunt with the warks did you??
 
horsey mad matt said:
where do you normally get rosehips from?? and in what form??
Click to expand...

Sorry only just seen this, I buy mine from Feedmark. Its a dry form, not powdered. I think you can get cheaper from other sources but I find theirs a good quaility, quick delivery and they have alot of offers so often it works out cheaper as I order all the dogs supplements and Yeast from them too.

Interested in the Tumeric idea though, will definately look into that.

Posie-honey if she's already taking rosehips from the field then she's doing the job for you!! They are so clever!! I have a friend who has studied plants and medicinal uses and it's facinating riding with her, if any of the horses pick at something she'll know exactly what it is and why they have decide to eat it!! All sorts of plants have uses you just wouldn't realise!! I need to take time to find out more.
 
yup she's a v canny mare - i take her on foraging in hand walks too - she lives on raspberrys (canes and fruit) over the summer months which is a natural hormone regulator - adn also munches on willow very occasionally - esp after a hard ride etc (a natural anti inflamatory/pain killer)
she eats a load of other stuff too - but i'v not learnt them all yet lol!
 
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