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Saturday 28 November 2015

Benefits Of Equine Bone And Joint Support


By Marci Nielsen


People and horses have a long association throughout history. These magnificent animals, blessed with beauty and speed, have always captured our imagination. They pull ours loads, carry us where we want to go, thrill us with dazzling speed on the racetracks of the world, and carry us to fame and glory in competition. We can help them by providing equine bone and joint support nutrition when needed.

Many horse owners are familiar with equine supplements designed to provide nutrients missing from the horses' regular diet. Instead of ranging freely over miles of country with mixed vegetation, horses today are confined in stalls or fenced pastures. Hay is often a mono-crop, being largely timothy or another grass.

Pastures may offer more of a variety than hay, but they are often seeded and mowed to make them lush and as pretty as a lawn. Mowing keeps the grasses from setting seed. The seeds are where horses get nutrients like Vitamin E, fatty acids, and calcium, things needed for optimum health. For this reason, most feeds formulated for horses contain added vitamins and minerals.

Horses under heavy work are also under added stress. Their legs and feet carry enormous weight, withstand great force, and absorb a lot of shock. This may cause bones and joints to deteriorate. Targeted nutrition can help off-set this unnatural stress. Among the most familiar nutrients are hyaluronic acid (a component of joint fluid), MSM (sulfur, a naturally-occurring mineral essential for health and strong bones), and glucosamine and chondroitin, which are building blocks of cartilage.

There are other nutritional substances that have been proven by research and use to help off-set the unusual amount of stress equine athletes are under. Consider the jumper, for example. It thrusts off to gain height needed to clear an obstacle. The hind legs must pack a lot of power into lifting that massive body from the ground and giving it the momentum to soar over a jump that may be both wide and tall.

Often the entire weight, force, and shock is on one foot. A jumper pushes off with both hind feet, soars over the obstacle, and lands on one foot on the other side. This single foot carries the entire weight of a large animal, as well as the force of coming down from a height, and then must push that weight off as forward motion continues. It's amazing that these animals can do this, and they do it over and over.

To help prevent damage and perhaps career-ending lameness, owners and trainers can provide the extra nutrients these athletes need. Specialized formulas are designed to handle daily wear and tear on tissues and keep bones and joints healthy. Some formulas help horses under other stresses, like aging. Arthritis develops in older horses just as it does in humans, but we know now that nutrition can help prevent or delay its development.

Aging is another form of stress that requires extra nutrition. There are all sorts of formulas designed to make your horse more comfortable and keep him sound and healthy longer. Manufacturers of specialized formulas are able to help owners choose the perfect supplement for the level of activity of each horse. Trainers all have their favorite products, too, so look for professional endorsements.




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