JOINT HEALTH
"The Springs of Life"
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Performance horses work hard and it is best to do whatever is possible to minimise wear and tear on their joints.
This can mean paying attention to the surfaces they are trained on as well as where they compete. It also means slowly preparing them for the work expected of them as their bodies have an amazing ability to adapt to certain environmental conditions.
Good shoeing or trimming is essential as then their legs will be tracking as straight as possible or as closely to how they were born to move.
Correct training is more important for long term soundness than most people realise as through correct training the horses move straighter. This allows their joints to load move evenly and therefore distribute the forces better.
Correct nutrition relative to the horse's work load is vital so the horse is not carrying too much weight or being over fed and running the risk of injury due to freshness or overworking.
Horses' muscles need to be healthy and in good condition so the joints are not under abnormal strain. This is where nutrition, body work , saddle fit and correct work all come together.
Then there are joint health products and what a lot there are on the market! Some are systemically injected into the whole horse, others injected into particular joints and others administered orally. They all work slightly differently and take varying lengths of time to begin to help. Some will work in one situation whereas another product may produce a better result in another case. It is impossible to tell without trying.
Many joint health products have similar active ingredients such as glucosamine and Chondroitin sulphate, but some such as 4CYTE Epiitalis are quite unique. Some have a combination of active ingredients such as found in Alljoints. More information is available under the individual products on the SHOP page where you will find both Alljoints and 4CYTE Epiitalis Forte Gel. Although not drugs, these are only available through veterinarians such as Dr Victoria Hamilton and may be purchased online at the VH Saddlery SHOP.
This can mean paying attention to the surfaces they are trained on as well as where they compete. It also means slowly preparing them for the work expected of them as their bodies have an amazing ability to adapt to certain environmental conditions.
Good shoeing or trimming is essential as then their legs will be tracking as straight as possible or as closely to how they were born to move.
Correct training is more important for long term soundness than most people realise as through correct training the horses move straighter. This allows their joints to load move evenly and therefore distribute the forces better.
Correct nutrition relative to the horse's work load is vital so the horse is not carrying too much weight or being over fed and running the risk of injury due to freshness or overworking.
Horses' muscles need to be healthy and in good condition so the joints are not under abnormal strain. This is where nutrition, body work , saddle fit and correct work all come together.
Then there are joint health products and what a lot there are on the market! Some are systemically injected into the whole horse, others injected into particular joints and others administered orally. They all work slightly differently and take varying lengths of time to begin to help. Some will work in one situation whereas another product may produce a better result in another case. It is impossible to tell without trying.
Many joint health products have similar active ingredients such as glucosamine and Chondroitin sulphate, but some such as 4CYTE Epiitalis are quite unique. Some have a combination of active ingredients such as found in Alljoints. More information is available under the individual products on the SHOP page where you will find both Alljoints and 4CYTE Epiitalis Forte Gel. Although not drugs, these are only available through veterinarians such as Dr Victoria Hamilton and may be purchased online at the VH Saddlery SHOP.