Advances in Joint Supplements for Horses

Many owners turn to joint supplements to help ease their horse’s pain and inflammation and to reduce arthritic symptoms as they age. And as our horses live longer and even compete into their late teens and early 20s, we owe it to them to ensure they get the care they need. We’ve written about the pros and cons of these over-the-counter supplements and how they can help senior horses, but there is enough new research in the area that we wanted to take a closer look.

For that we turned to Dr. Wendy Pearson, who wrote an article for us in 2012 and wanted to update the information.

Dr. Pearson is an associate professor of equine physiology at the Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, where she manages a research team of 8-10 graduate students and conducts research on nutraceutical approaches to managing inflammatory disorders in horses.

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Wendy and Sydney, together again. (photo courtesy Wendy Pearson)

More than an equine researcher, Dr. Pearson owned a horse farm for 12 years and rode dressage at the national level. She recently bought back a horse that she sold as a nine-year-old. “His registered show name is Irish Winter, but we call him Sydney,” she explains. “He’s an Andalusian-cross-Clyde-cross-Thoroughbred gelding that I bought as a yearling. I started him and trained him, and competed second level with him.” Now 16 years old, Sydney is back home with Wendy and “enjoying his well-earned retirement.”

Horse Canada: What is the biggest change in joint supplements in the past decade?

Dr. Wendy Pearson: Joint supplements research has come a long way in the past decade. If we search “equine, nutraceuticals, joints/arthritis” in the research publications database PubMed, we retrieve a total of forty-four research papers. The first was published in 1982; exactly half (22) papers were published in the last ten years, and fifteen of those were published in the last five years. Knowledge in this area has evolved alongside our growing understanding of the role of inflammation in chronic diseases such as arthritis, as well as its role in provoking adaptation of tissues – including cartilage – to acute stressors such as exercise.

So our goal a decade ago to feed joint care supplements to prevent arthritis in equine athletes is now revealed to be somewhat short-sighted. Instead, we should be allowing inflammation to occur (with certain limitations) while facilitating its resolution. This is where contemporary nutraceutical products have their best chance to make meaningful impacts on chronic disease like arthritis. This is not to say that products with scientific evidence for reducing inflammation are not good products – indeed, they may be very good. But we now know that transient inflammation is essential for tissues to respond and adapt to exercise stress, and if we interfere with this process we could be delaying the training effect in equine athletes.

How do joint supplements work?

The mode of action of oral joint supplements varies quite widely depending on the product. For the vast majority, we have no information how – or even IF – they work, as most products do not have scientific research conducted on them. But those for which we do have scientific data suggest that some work by providing substrate for formation of new cartilage, some work by provoking metabolism of cells that produce cartilage, some work by interfering with the activity of enzymes which break down cartilage and form pro-inflammatory compounds, and some work by actively promoting inflammation resolution. I’m sure there are many other modes of action, but these are a few that spring to mind.

When is a supplement an option, and at what age should an owner consider adding them to their horse’s feed?

Supplements should be chosen first by their scientific evidence for efficacy, and second for the specific application for which the horse needs them. I don’t think there is an ideal age at which supplements should be added to the diet – some horses may never need them, while others might need them for a specific purpose. The decision to include joint care supplements in your horse’s routine should be made with your horse’s vet, and if the horse is doing any sort of training or competing, I would recommend they find a supplement that focuses less on blocking inflammation and more on inflammation resolution and/or cartilage repair. And the only way to know if a product works this way is by choosing one that has research behind it.

How should owners choose a joint supplement?

In a word – research. There are so many products out there, and marketing is king in this industry. So do your homework and find a product that actually has science behind it. And buyer beware – some companies will imply that they are ‘science-based’ but when you start asking questions about specific studies most come up short. The ones who actually do have research will be more than happy to share it with their customers.

Are joint supplements all created equal, as in they’re safe to be given long-term?

No, certainly not. But sadly, there are very few long-term studies on commercially available products in horses. And of course, horses are individuals, so a product that might be perfectly safe for one horse might trigger problems in another. This is another reason to include your vet in any decisions around joint care supplements.