[kylie&jazz]

Hello all,
i have just found out my pony is athritic in his left front leg. I have put him on pentosan prescribed by my vet, apple cider vinegar and i am about to start him on glucosamine supplement. My pony in a welsh mountain and he is prone to put on weight so he is on a diet so my vet told me to feed him only barley for protein because everything else is fattening. Any other suggestions? anything in your opinion i am doing wrong? I just want the best for my mate.
thanks
Kylie

[Ryle]

Barley provides more digestible energy than oats--almost as much as corn--so would seem a poor choice for a horse that doesn't need alot of energy.
Rather a good quality hay and a ration balancer--which is designed to complement your hay to provide balanced nutrition but not extra energy--would seem a better choice. Or just a good quality hay that has a sufficient protein content (you can have your hay tested) and then a vitamin/mineral supplement.

As for what will help with arthritis, daily exercise is good for arthritic horses. Stall him as little as possible. Adequan IM can also provide good results in maintaining joint mobility in these horses- you start out with 4 weekly injections and then go to once a month and it's something you can give at home. A glucosamine supplement with high levels of glucosamine can help as well, though most of the joint supplements on the market don't appear to be quite high enough when given as directed. I double my glucosamine supplement dose for my 31 yr old POA when using the typical supplements or purchase Vet-a-mix's Carti-form HS which is good quality and higher content.