Posted 2006-04-15 6:29 PM (#40487) Subject: Need advice for best joint supplement!!!!
Member
Posts: 24
Location: Celina, Ohio
I have a 6 year old gelding that pulled a muscle in his right shoulder last spring on a trail ride in Tenn. I gave him a month off and then rode him lightly the rest of the season. I did not ride Oct. thru April of this year. He seemed fine all winter, running and bucking in the field. I just got back from my first trail ride of the season (2 1/2 hours) mostly flat ground and He came up sore again in that right shoulder. What is the best joint supplement available. p.s. He has no swelling or heat in the shoulder area and my vet told me last year just to let it heal over the winter..... I think I am just going to have to include a joint supplement in his food from here on out.. Any advice??? Ruth
Posted 2006-04-15 9:26 PM (#40490 - in reply to #40487) Subject: RE: Need advice for best joint supplement!!!!
Regular
Posts: 50 Location: GA
If you have a horse that is going to be prone to stiffness, I would definitely get him on some sort of "dancing juice". I have found Legends and Adequan injections to be very helpful (but very expensive). On the cheaper end is the Generic Glucosamine. At ~$15/shot, it is a lot more economical to give. If you go the generic route, I would also recommend a hayluronic acid supplement such as Conquer Paste.
Now with that said, I think that a bit of prevention would serve you better than all of the mericle drugs in the world. You said that your horse had been off for roughly 6 months. Was the horse conditioned enough to go out on a 2 hour trail ride? If you had not been exercising and conditioning him in someway (roundpen, lunging, etc.)then your horse simply was not ready for the trek.
If you hurt your shoulder to the point where you lost mobility, number one you would go to the doctor to see what's wrong. Number two, he would probably recommend physical therapy for the shoulder until it is well again. Same idea with your horse.
IMHO, I think that your horse would probably benefit from some sort of joint supplement. I think that injectibles are much more effective than feed thru (IMO). I also think that the horse should be brought back to work gradually to prevent more tearing/ stiffness. I would stick to flat work ( or very mild trails) - no more than 45 minutes or so (MAX) of Easy work every/ every other day. I would do this for 2 months or so. Your horse will let you know when he is ready to do more.
And remember that horses will act like crazies when they are out with their buddies, but it is a different story when they have tack, a person, and a trail to navigate. We have a gelding that has degenerative joint disorder, and although he can barely walk, he will be the first one flying across the pasture on a cold, windy day.
Good Luck and keep us posted with updates!
Posted 2006-04-30 2:29 PM (#41102 - in reply to #40487) Subject: RE: Need advice for best joint supplement!!!!
New User
Posts: 2
Location: Olympia ,Wa
I have been extremely pleased with the results I got from the Legend shot. My 7 year old QH barrel mare was not running to her full potential after a right rear leg injury. She was overcompensating and placing too much weight (while healing) on the left rear. This resulted in her being stiff and as I said, she wasn't running to her full potential. She was adjusted by my chiropractor, and was given the Legend shot and it was a night and day difference. She ran very successfully the rest of the year.
In the simplest terms which my vet explained how the shot works, is that it goes through the horse's muscular system and repairs any soft tissue damage. I decided to go with this option as opposed to site-specific cortizone injection since it didn't just focus on the area that she was stiff in, but as my vet explained, it worked through her entire system. The total cost of the shot and visit was about $100.
I am also a huge advocate of chiropractic also. I have seen reiners who physically could not spin a certain direction have chiropractic work done, and within a week are back to spinning as if there were never a problem. This may be a less expensive option for you too.
I have been told by more than one vet that there has never been any "scientific proof" that giving supplements such as Glucosamine actually work. These are also really expensive and it was just more cost effective to give a shot that would definitely work, rather than a supplement which may work. I was also in your position where I needed to treat the problem, not use supplements as a preventative measure. The damage had been done and in order to ensure my mare's longevity I needed to fix the problem.
It was well worth the money, and I would do it again and advocate this treatment for any horse with muscular issues. In total I have $200 in chiro and Legend injection, and in 6 races, the mare brought home just under $400 in winnings. Well worth the money!
Posted 2006-05-19 5:05 PM (#41991 - in reply to #40487) Subject: RE: Need advice for best joint supplement!!!!
Member
Posts: 8
Location: michigan
You should be working slower on conditioning the horse. Being off all this time and then riding for 2 1/2 hours, even walking to too much to start out a horse that has been off a long time. You need to start out at 15-20 min. at a time and increase over weeks.As for a joint supplement the oldest one on the market is Cosequin. This company is one of the few that actually had conducted research on its products. One of the studies suggest the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin complemented one another and was more beneficial than either compound alone.For more information on joint supplements go to:www.thehorse.com/printarticle.aspx?ID=5872
Posted 2006-05-31 9:42 PM (#42471 - in reply to #40487) Subject: RE: Need advice for best joint supplement!!!!
Member
Posts: 24
Location: Celina, Ohio
WELL...I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR ADVICE. HERE IS THE UPDATE. I HAD MY GELDING EXRAYED AND I'M HAPPY TO DAY THEY FOUND NOTHING. SO MY VET SUGGESTED I GIVE HIM A SERIES OF SHOTS (4) OF ADEQUAN. IT HAS BEEN 2 WEEKS SINCE THE LAST SHOT. OVER THE PAST MONTH I HAVE BEEN WORKING HIM SLOWLY AND THIS LAST WEEKEND WAS THE TRUE TEST. WE WENT TRAILRIDING FOR 3 DAYS. A FEW HILLS AND A LOT OF MUD AND I AM TRILLED THAT HE SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS OF BEING THE LEAST BIT SORE LET ALONE LAME. BEFORE THE INJECTIONS A TWO MILE FLAT WALK WOULD BOTHER HIM. I ALSO HAVE HIM ON A JOINT SUPPLEMENT EVERYDAY AND PLAN ON CONTINUING TO USE IT. THANKS AGAIN, RUTH
Need advice for best joint supplement!!!!
