Just like us, most horses will develop arthritis of some kind as they reach their golden years, and with some gentle exercise, daily movement within a herd and a great joint supplement, it shouldn’t cause them too much bother. Arthritis in horses is a broad term including a whole range of conditions, meaning the horse has some joint inflammation and joint degeneration, and likely has some associated joint pain which may impact their movement.
However, early onset arthritis in horses is heartbreaking and every horse owner wants to avoid this. To help you prevent arthritis in your horses, we’ve gathered the most common causes of arthritis in horses and outlined the actions you can take to help ensure your horse has the best chance of healthy joints and a comfortable retirement in old age.
Let’s look at why our horses’ joints are prone to injury and degeneration, as there are multiple factors involved in the likelihood of arthritis in horses, and understanding these can make an immeasurable difference to both your horse’s short-term soundness and long-term quality of life.
What causes arthritis in horses?
PHYSICAL FACTORS FOR ARTHRITIS IN HORSES
Excessive training and competition regimes
Just being a horse means that there is constant natural, repetitive concussion through the lower limbs. The impact of this can be especially significant in performance horses and may contribute to early development and faster progression of osteoarthritis in these horses who are asked to do more, more often.
Your horse’s body needs time off work to manage the minor inflammatory processes that occur with any activity and are increased through serious training or competing. Training daily can escalate the inflammatory cascade, leading to arthritis in your horse’s joints.
What you can do: You can work with your trainer and your vet to ensure that your horse’s training is suitable for their fitness levels, age, and ability and that you prepare them physically for everything you ask of them. Ensure that your horse has scheduled days off, in turn-out with a friend or two where they can move and rest naturally.
Traumatic injury
Bone or soft tissue injuries can trigger massive inflammation which destroys cartilage and increases the likelihood of arthritis developing, while puncture wounds can allow infection into the joints, but also the required time off work can mean the horse loses condition and fitness which makes them more vulnerable to injury and arthritis.
Traumatic arthritis most often occurs in horses that compete, due to traumatic or repeated injury of a particular joint.
What you can do: Again, preparing your horse thoroughly for whatever you ask of them and keeping them fit with a suitable training regime is the best you can do.
Compensatory patterns from pain in the horse’s body
Equestrians are increasingly beginning to understand that the prevalence of lameness in horse’s lower legs is often a secondary consequence of issues elsewhere in the body – and vice versa. A horse who is injured or sore in one area, even for a short time, will develop compensatory patterns in their body through trying to protect the painful area and often become sore in other areas.
For example, we estimate 34-40% of all horses have some degree of kissing spine and these horses are often also clinically lame, and conversely, experts suggest that up to 74 % of lameness cases have associated back pain. What this means is that a horse who is sore in their body is more likely to place excess strain on their legs and this may exacerbate damage in their lower limbs.
When one or more joints are weak or injured the horse will try to put less weight or movement through that limb, which then causes asymmetrical muscle atrophy, which in turn hence places even more pressure on the compensating joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles.
What you can do: Provide regular physio and bodywork for your horses and keep a sharp eye out for any pain or unsoundness. Work with your preferred professional to rehab your horse’s injuries thoroughly before asking them to compete. Enlist an expert saddle fitter to ensure your saddle fits perfectly, and ensure your training regime is suited to the horse’s ability and fitness.
Inconsistent or poor hoof care
A horse’s posture is reliant on their hooves being well balanced and healthy. Any hoof imbalance – long toes, low or high heels, uneven walls – places strain on the limb above them and the horse will experience strain on their joints, tendons and ligaments as well as developing compensatory patterns which cause stress on their entire body.
What you can do: Prioritise an excellent hoof care professional, and schedule trims 4-5 weekly. Providing a quality hoof supplement like Hoof Care Plus™ helps ensure that your horses are supplied with the nutrients they need to build sound, strong hooves – Hoof Care Plus contains over 20 essential ingredients for healthy hooves.
Young horses doing too much, too soon
Horses who are asked to do too much while young will be at higher risk due to the pressures on their developing joints. A horse’s musculoskeletal system is not fully mature until around seven years of age and while they are young their cartilage is still forming and is vulnerable to long term damage through hard, high torque, or repetitive work.
What you can do: Take your young horse’s education slowly. Consider delaying starting them and when you do begin riding, avoid repetitive drills and sharp turns or tight circles. If they don’t seem a hundred percent, rest them, ground-school instead of riding, or skip the show. Taking your time now will ensure they get the best joint health and longest career – delaying a few goals will pay dividends long-term.
Spelling and unfit horses
Healthy joints require healthy tendons, ligaments and muscles to support the joint as the horse moves. Weak muscles, tendons and ligaments let the horse’s joints become unstable, leading to uneven movement or injury that mean arthritis develops. A lack of fitness will place stress on your horse’s joints.
Movement is also essential to push synovial fluid through a horse’s joints, ensuring good lubrication to prevent wear and tear.
Prolonged periods of inactivity also increase the risk of stress and injury when your horse starts training again – especially for older horses.
What you can do: Keep your horse active and fit with a regular exercise schedule and ensure they get turn out with a friend or a herd. It might be tempting to put a horse who is stiff with arthritis in a nice warm stable, but for any horse with arthritis, and as your horse ages, this movement becomes more, not less, important for their joint health. Remember – movement means synovial fluid lubricates the joints and the structure is well held together, both of which reduce joint wear and injury risk.
NUTRITIONAL FACTORS FOR ARTHRITIS IN HORSES
Nutrition for joint health in horses
Research has identified key ingredients with proven benefits for joint health. Look for an equine joint care product that has readily absorbable MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid, and add it to your horse’s diet. If you choose a complete joint care supplement like Equine Joint Plus that contains all of these actives, it is very easy to ensure your horse gets all the building blocks for good joint health.
Omega 3 also rates a mention but horses on pasture can meet most of their needs through grazing alone, and a good oil can top up your horses Omega 3 levels with readily available goodness.
What you can do: Your horse’s nutrition is somewhere you can make a difference every day. Choose a well absorbed, high quality equine joint supplement like Equine Joint Plus and feed the recommended amount for your horse’s weight daily.
Overweight horses
Obesity normally occurs in unfit horses who then face the risk of joint injury due to being unfit, as well as the added risk factor of being heavier than their body is built to cope with. Extra weight increases the impact of all other risk factors due to the added weight on the horse’s joints.
What you can do: Work with your trainer or vet to design a conditioning program and diet plan to suit your horse. Deciding that a horse needs to lose weight and exercising them hard places extra strain on the joints as they are less supported than in a fit horse - and also carrying excess weight. You’ll need to correct the horse’s diet with appropriate nutrition and work up to regular exercise at the right rate for your specific horse and situation.
High Protein in Foals
High protein diets are linked to a much higher risk of DOD (developmental orthopedic disease) in young horses. Other factors are particular breeds and bloodlines being genetically prone to DOD, lack of turnout, and too much exercise like as excessive lunging or a young horse being led on long trail rides. Joint damage at this early age is a real risk factor for arthritis.
What you can do: Ensure that your foal or youngster has a good, balanced diet. Limit the amount of protein in their diet and provide plenty of long stem forage (hay, balage, haylage), a range of fibres, a good joint. The MSM, glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid may help delay the onset of osteoarthritis, so they are great to include in the diets of in young healthy horses while they are developing their joints, and before any joint trauma, DOD diagnosis, or natural wear and tear occur.
GENETIC FACTORS FOR ARTHRITIS IN HORSES
Genetic predisposition
Genetics also plays a part in how likely your horses are to experience arthritis, especially when combined with the typical activities performed by those horse breeds.
Thoroughbreds are started early while their joints are young, may race often and train hard, and are built with long elegant limbs. Quarterhorses are also often started early and used in competitions which place high torque on their slender limbs, like turning and stopping at speed. Warmbloods often exhibit joint degeneration in their fetlocks and hocks due to the repetitive strain placed on them by jumping and dressage movements.
On the other hand, heavy draft horses with strong bone often face joint degeneration due to their weight, and ponies are often susceptible to joint issues following laminitis and being overweight in general.
What you can do: The genetics of your horse is a done deal, so if your horse is genetically more likely to develop arthritis, it is important that you prioritise all the other ways you can support their joint health. If you are considering breeding from a horse with early onset arthritis, talk to your vet first. If you are buying a horse, try to find out what you can about their dam and sire and chat to their owners if possible.
