my mare is 20, i ride her every day and shes very fit, coming into winter now and shes starting to get quite stiff on her back end. would like to add something to her feed to help her joints. herd courteflew is quite good. not fussed about the price shes worth every penny. :-) any ideas? (sorry about the spelling)
I would consider injections. Adequan isn't terribly expensive, it's given once a month.
Hi, my eventer became quite stiff behind and after x-rays discovered he had a touch of arthritis in his hocks. After an injection into each joint (i can't remember what the injections were called) he has been fine and continued to event. I also have him on Cortaflex HA which has helped - this won't cure the arthritis but will help lubricate the joint and slow down further development of arthritis.
There is lots of information on the Equine America website regarding Cortaflex and its benefits over feeding glucosamine or MSM alone.
I have been told that feeding a joint supplement to a horse of any age will help the joints stay healthy and repair themselves, and prevent onset of any stiffness and arthritis. My youngster is on standard Cortaflex to ensure his joints grow well and prevent future joint problems, especially as i will be eventing him.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Maybe try a joint supplement for your mare and if there is no improvement your vet may recommend x-rays and injections. The injections tend to last around 6 months and then need re-doing.
I have a horse that we thought was arthritic but actually ended up finding he has some of the best joints my vet has ever seen. I still got him a HA shot and the difference was AMAZING!! IF you have a horse with arthritis ... get them a shot if they dont and just have soreness somewhere get them a shot ... Im gonna get my horse done every 6 mo and it only cost me 60 bucks, hes totally off supplements now and living outside very happily ...
Phenybutazone is what I use on my horse with arthirits. He's 21 and has been a jumper his whole life. Without it, he can't even really walk. While he's on it, he has a slight limp at the trot but it goes away after being warmed up. It's commonly called Bute. You have to get it from your vet, so ask him or her about it. It's pretty cheap too. It's about $ 35. I put one gram of it (it's powder) in the feed once a day. If you feed one gram, it's a 100 day supply (about 3 months.) However, if you use it for too long, it can give the horse ulcers. So, use it for a while, take a break. Maybe get the BL Pellets you buy at a tack shop. Then go back to Bute. The horses just need a break from it every now and again. If you discontinue use of it for a little bit, then go back on to it, it won't hurt your horse .
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I wouldnt go as far as injections your mare sounds very similiar mine, she is 28 and ridden 4 timesw a week: I alternate between NAF Superflex Liquid (they do a powder too but takes longer to get into the bloodstream) and Cortaflex Liquid (same here they do a powder but takes longer to get into the bloodstream).
Cortaflex is more expensive than Superflex but is better!
We use cortaflex powder. A scoop is added to a horse's feed. We use 3/4 of a scoop as she is a large pony. She was on it when we bought her , so we carried on but wasn't sure how much. I gave her 1/2 a scoop and she was making a clicking noise. so i changed the amount and it has stopped.
she is 22.
i've had a couple of old-timers myself and my usual fall-back is MSM. for my QH mare, the MSM by itself was enough (and it's cheap!). the walker needed a supplement that had MSM, glucosamine and chondroitin.
Definitely not BUTE longterm.
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A long time ago there was a famous horse called Wideawake that won Badminton Horse Trials and was on its lap of honour when it dropped dead. Not wideawake at all. I believe this was put down to long term Bute use.
Maybe you should consider consulting your vet about having flexion tests done, seeing if she needs injected.
Otherwise, Lubrisyn is wonderful but expensive supplement.
Cod liver oil. Apple cider vinegar. Lots of horse mixes have glucosamine in them like spillers veteran mix, or Dodson and Horrell 16 plus.
Lubrisyn is a god-send. It's a liquid hyaluronic acid supplement. It does an incredible job. My horse is 21 and still jumping 2'6 "courses like a pro.
It does have some downsides. It's very expensive, and it's also temperature-sensitive. If it gets above or below a certain temp., Then it "deactivates" and will no longer work (you can tell it's gone bad by looking at it - it 'll be very thin and runny).
There are other brands of hyaluronic acid supplements, and we switched my horse to a cheaper one because the Lubrisyn cost us about $ 300/gallon. His new supplement only costs $ 60/gallon. It's called Force Flex.
