Joint mobility can vary in all horses, depending on breed, age and environment. We tend to put our horses legs through a lot on a daily basis. Pain and discomfort can be helped with a little prevention by using equine performance supplements. Equine joint supplements can help to support normal and healthy joint function; they are also useful for horses in hard work or with joint issues such as arthritis or orthopaedic injury.

Constant wear and tear on joints causes fluid between joints to diminish; bones may begin to rub together creating ligament and cartilage issues, affecting performance in the horse. Supplementing can help prevent equine joint problems and help the older horses to move more freely. Three main ingredients in equine joint supplements tend to be Glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and Chondroitine Sulphate.

Glucosamine can be found in the joint cartilage and is a type of sugar. It protects the cartilage and has an anti-inflammatory effect. It is the main building block of all connective tissue one being joint cartilage. Glucosamine can come in two forms, both effective as one another, glucosamine hydro chloride or glucosamine sulfate.

Methylsulfonylmethane, commonly more known as MSM, contains a sulfer that assists in the formation of building block for joint cartilage such as collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin. Like glucosamine, MSM has been shown to have anti-inflammatoryproperties, as well as pain reduction qualities.

Lastly, Chondroitin Sulphate is a major constituent of cartilage, providing structure, holding water and nutrients, and allowing other molecules to move through cartilage which is an important property, as there is no blood supply to cartilage. In degenerative joint disease, such as osteoarthritis, there is a loss of chondroitin sulphate as the cartilage erodes. Chondroitin sulphate may support healing of bone, which is consistent with the fact that the majority of glycosaminoglycans found in bone consist of chondroitin sulphate.

With all that we expect from horses now a days it can be important to give an oral equine joint supplement to help manage the increased demand on the horse’s joints. These equine joint supplements ensure that there is always a ready supply of nutrients the joints need in order to cope with the stress of exercise and maintain healthy joints in your horse.

Furthermore prevention of joint problems is key before the damage becomes irreversible. When using the best equine joint supplements the results should be visible within a couple of weeks. A high grade of raw material content should be considered, when carrying out an equine joint supplement comparison. The horse should move with more ease and experience less pain, in many cases the result is a horse that is back to performing effortlessly with smooth moving equine joints.

We recommend POWER JOINT, which is an equine glucosamine supplement. It minimises wear and tear of cartilage tissues and promotes healthy production of the cartilage matrix as it is replenished over time.

And for osteoarthritis we recommend D-FLEX, pure Chondroitin Sulphate, which is particularly good for older horses.