[DesertBred]

I have a 14 yr. old Arab who gets ridden at least 4 times a week. He is in the best shape he has ever been since I have had him...we jump about 3 days a week, and work on dressage for our jumping. He is on Purina Strategy feed and quality hay. Sometimes if he has worked overly hard I give a really good vitamin/mineral supplement Equivim (sp?) that my vet recommended. At what time is a joint supplement necessary? Or is it? What are the signs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :red_hors:

[PiratePrincess]

Not sure what the signs are but the horse that i used to loan is 19 now and my friend (who rides her at the moment) says she rides her 4+ times a week (hacking, schooling, jumping, gallops) and Solo is still as fit as ever! She doesn't get any supplements, just her basic feed.

Some horses start showing signs of aging at 10 whereas others act like 3 year old until they're into their late twenties/early thirties! I wouldn't start feeding joint supplements simply because of her age, wait for physical signs first. But then again, i'm no expert and i could be talking a load of rubbish!!

[DesertBred]

Thanks PiratePrincess! That is what I was thinking. I just see and read so much about them and it gets me wondering.

Does anyone know the signs of needing one? :horse_on:

[CANDYGIRL]

Hi Jacklyn


OK, At your horses age, and considering the work he does, I would recommend that you start him on just simple cod liver oil, will do him no harm and keeps those joints well oiled(not saying he's the tin man lol)

I get large 2 litre containers from my feed merchants, about £10, last ages, as you only need a tablespoon a day, just in one feed, either morning or night.

Now as my old mare, got stiffer before I lost her(Aged 31) she did develop some SJD - Arthritis - for that I did a load of research.

Arthritis and Rhemutisum is exactly the same in humans as in horses.

For her I put her on Super solvitax RA, now that is more expensive, because it contain 2 amino acids, (fish oils) Omega 3 and Omega 6. These 2 oils help to rebuild the collegan in between the joint, it takes about 3 - 6 months for the spongy collegan to reform, but it has been proved to work.

So the RA stops the grinding of bone on bone - OUCH

So to sum up - at his age, just Equine cod liver oil, as he gets older and still in work, maybe consider the Super Solvitax RA

Click this link, it is the first one on the web, just confirms what I said above about the RA

http://www.petshealthcare.com/pages/raform.html

Hope this helps

Jane

[DesertBred]

Thanks, Jane. Just the info I was hoping for. He tries to pretend he is the Tin Man sometimes when he would rather eat grass! So funny you say that! LOL He is a wonderful jumper, he truly loves it. Most people think he is 5 or 6 by his apperance and energy, but I want to take the best care of him I can and prevent any damage! I will try the cod liver oil. It sounds like a great place to start.

[etolar]

From your description, I agree that it sounds like just a little preventative maintenance would be plenty.

If you notice any real stiffness, you can always do more. For example, my guy is 10, but was raced as a 3/4 year-old and does have some minor arthritis (confirmed by xrays). Since we know he'll be prone to problems, I have him on a daily low dose of CortaFlx which works well for him.

In general, I think horses have a way of telling us when they need something else.

[DesertBred]

Thanks! I dont notice any stiffness at all. I guess I would be able to if he was??? I am giving the cod liver oil a try. It wont hurt that's for sure. What do you like about corta flex, being as there are so many supplements out there? :running_:

[etolar]

Largely, I'm using corta-flx because that's what he was getting when I bought him and my vet confirmed it would be good to continue it based on his x-rays.

I've looked at other supplements (just in case I found something better) and I like that corta-flx 1-is used pretty widely (in this area at least) and has a good reputation and 2-is based on broken down pieces of the proteins/elements neccessary for healthy joints, so it is abosrbed easily.

And yes, if there's stiffness you'll know. If Bucky gets 3-4 days off, he can be a little slow to relax the first day back. He also is decidely stiffer in one direction and has trouble with the bend until he warms up.

Without a supplement, I'd be setting him up to have that get worse. With it, I'm hoping he stays where he is, not in pain, but a little stiff in cold weather or after a lot of time off.

Carrot stretches help too by the way. (Literally take a carrot and use it to make them stretch their neck side to side and b/w their knees). Carrots are cheap too and it can be a fun pre-ride ritual. My guy is so good at them now he stretches himself when I go into his stall b/c he knows what to do to get a carrot.

[DesertBred]

I will try the carrot stretch! He loves his treats! He works hard for them...and I spoil him a little too! Thanks! I love this forum.

[probarrelracer]

We begin using them as soon as we start competing on them. I even had a yearling with severe arthritis, so age is not a factor. Joint supplements can't hurt, so all of my horses begin them at about age 3 to 5.