Early signs of joint wear are easy to miss, it may just be a slight stiffness when first leaving the stable, possibly with some increased puffiness around the joints. Over time the joints will become more worn thus causing pain, reducing the range of movement, and ultimately resulting in obvious lameness.

Although arthritic changes and wear can occur in any joint on the skeleton, the problem areas are typically the lower limb and hock, where a number of small bones meet in areas that have to withstand huge amounts of concussive pressure, and on a part of the skeleton that is given far less stability from surrounding muscle and ligaments. The front feet are often problematic, particularly on hard ground, as they bare the greatest weight. Keep an eye out for any shortness of gait or reduced desire to work because a problem that occurs in both limbs will be much harder to identify.

The joint is very well structured to absorb impact and allow movement, but ultimately horses have not evolved to repeatedly perform large amounts of work, so problems start to emerge. For some horses, a genetic predisposition, poor conformation or injury will mean that problems occur early in life, for others it may just be the cumulative effect of time and work load.

As the horse moves the areas of protective articular cartilage are put under pressure and can rub together. The damage that occurs causes inflammation, which in turn results in pain and restricts movement. Swelling is also detrimental to joint health because it effectively dilutes the synovial fluid, thus reducing its ability to lubricate, absorb impact, and supply nutrients. It is also associated with the production of damaging chemicals.

Injury or infection can result in joint problems either by causing direct damage to the joint surfaces or by damaging the ligaments around the joint. When these ligaments lose strength the joint is less stable meaning that the forces are transferred through the joint unevenly. Similarly, poor confirmation will result in the excessive and uneven loading of certain areas of the joints.

Joint wear is a negative cycle that can be hard to beat and over time can lead to real damage, eventually wearing the cartilage away and affecting the actual bone of the joint. Nutrition plays a large role in maximising the longevity of your horses’ joints, and the earlier you catch the problem the better.

There is a huge range of joint supplements on the market, and they vary a great deal in quality and contents, but the aim is simply to provide joint specific nutrition to maximise maintenance and repair, thus prolonging the life of the joint and helping to prevent lameness. If you have ever looked at some joint supplement labels you will have seen a variety of ingredients, while most are for nutrition you may also see other natural ingredients which reputedly reduce pain or inflammation.

Most fundamental nutrients are associated with a family of compounds known as glucosaminoglycans, or GAGs, which form a large part of the joint and connective tissue structure. They also bind with water making them resistant to pressure, which is vital to allow the joint to transfer pressure for efficient movement, whilst absorbing impact to prevent damage.

Glucosamine is the most common ingredient, it is highly abundant and easily sourced and refined, commonly from the shells of crustaceans. Increasing glucosamine intake allows the body to make various GAG compounds needed for joint function.

Some supplements will include GAGs in their complete form. The most common of such ingredients is chondroitin, which is a component of joint cartilage and may also be involved with allowing nutrient transfer. HA (hyaluronic acid) is another which vets often inject directly into the joint. It is a vital component of synovial fluid and is also thought to help prevent cartilage degradation caused by certain enzymes, but the benefit you get from oral supplementation is highly questionable as the amount that can be absorbed may be very low.

You may also see an array of holistic ingredients. Large claims are often made about various herbal remedies, but some caution is required because the knowledge of how, and even if, these remedies work is extremely limited and there is little scientific evidence in their support. Also be aware that with pain killing remedies such as Devils Claw, you could be masking symptoms without improving repair, thus allowing the joint to deteriorate further.