Supplement Series | What Joint Supplement is good for my Horse?
Supplements targeting joint health in horses is possibly the most sought after supplement, due the strain and injury from horse sports. Owners looking to keep their eventing horse sound or just looking to make their old pony comfortable. Good joint supplements are in high demand, and supplement brands know this.
The quality of the joint supplement can vary depending on the level of active ingredient, and if that ingredient genuinely “works” on horses. The ingredients such as Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) dominate the joint supplement market. Studies have shown some of these ingredients ability to decrease inflammation and provide precursors to cartilage cells to help build new, healthy cartilage in arthritic joints (Staff, 2020). The majority of supplement brands do not have clinical trials behind them, and this is the only real indicator if the supplement will do what it says.
What are the active ingredients in joint supplements?
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is a potential anti-arthritic compound currently being marketed and occurs naturally in the body. It serves as a building block for a variety of functional molecules in the body. It’s primarily recognized for its role in developing and maintaining the cartilage within the joints (Walle, 2023). In a lab study, cartilage was removed from horse joints post mortem and improved when treated with glucosamine in a culture. The glucosamine appeared to provide positive effects for preventing degradation of cartilage (Fenton et al., 2000). It was said by the researchers that it is difficult to study cartilage in living horses, and the biochemical evidence supporting the action of glucosamine is limited.
Another study looking into yearling quarter horses, who were provided with daily supplementation of glucosamine over 8 weeks in combination with walking or exercise and compared to a control for joint metabolism biomarkers.
There were no reported differences between glucosamine supplemented horses that were exercised, when compared to the control (Fenton et al., 1999).
A study investigating the effect of glucosamine on inflamed horse joints (Meulyzer et al., 2009) found that there was no difference in the glucosamine treated inflamed joints, compared to the healthy joints when evaluating the synovial fluid. The evaluation of the synovial fluid parameters included white blood cell count and total protein analyses. What was found, was that there was four times more glucosamine in the inflamed joints, compared to the healthy ones.
In a study evaluating the evidence of glucosamine based pharmaceuticals in horses (PEARSON & LINDINGER, 2009) found that the quality of studies in this area was generally quite low (3/15), prohibiting meaningful interpretation of the results.
So on its own, glucosamine has varied results in horses. This is why it is often added in with other ingredients like chondroitin.
Chondroitin
Chondroitin is one of the building blocks of cartilage , the tough tissue that acts as a shock absorber around the joints in animals and humans. It’s chondroitin’s job to help the cartilage hang on to water, increasing its elasticity (Holland & Barrett, 2023). Chondroitin is usually found in bovine species to incorporate in nutraceuticals. However, it is expensive and difficult to obtain, and synthetic forms are often difficult to create. Therefore, it is commonly paired up with glucosamine in equine supplements (Mad Barn,2023).
In a study looking into the effect of an oral supplement of chondroitin and glucosamine in veteran horses stride characteristics (FORSYTH et al., 2006) found that at week 8 of feeding the supplement, horses had a significant increase in stride parameters. Range of joint motion for all joints collectively increased with treatment. This effect was significant in the elbow, stifle and hind fetlock at week 8, when compared to the control group.
A study looking into the effect of feeding glucosamine and chondroitin on the frequency of inter-articular injections in sport horses (Rodgers, 2006) found that horses were less frequently in need of the injections to keep them sound, after feeding the glucosamine and chondroitin.
Even though there is evidence of glucosamine and chondroitin working together, these ingredients need to be able to get to the site of the problem, the joints. If these ingredients aren’t found in the blood or synovial fluid after feeding, they have low bioavailability. A study looked into the plasma concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate in horses after an oral dose (Welch et al., 2012). They fed horses a rate of 2.0g of chondroitin and 5.5g of glucosamine, and another diet of 3.5g chondroitin and 8.5g glucosamine.
There were no significant differences in the concentration of either chondroitin or glucosamine in plasma at these rates, when comparing the different diets.
It can be agreed that the level of the ingredient within a product has an impact of its function within the horse.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the main component of the gelatinous liquid that lubricates joints called synovial fluid (Hanan, 2024). Equine supplements for oral administration of hyaluronic acid are becoming increasingly popular on the market.
It had been found that when hyaluronic acid is injected directly into a horses’ joint that is affected by osteoarthritis, HA reduces lameness and improves joint health (Gupta et al., 2019). In a study investigating the effects of oral HA gel in post operative joint fluid accumulation (effusion) in yearling Thoroughbreds (Bergin, 2006) found that oral HA reduced effusion post operatively following the removal of an OCD lesion in the joint.
This suggests reduced swelling and inflammation of the joint.
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)
MSM is a naturally occurring chemical located in some green plants, animals, and humans. It's also used as a dietary supplement to potentially help with osteoarthritis. This sulphur-containing compound is made up of sulphur, oxygen, and carbon atoms. These have an important role to play in the production of collagen and cartilage for equine joint health (Durkan, 2023).
In a study looking into showjumping horses, it was found that the horses experienced increased oxidative stress, and this was identified by higher levels of nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. The treatment group had a daily supplementation of MSM at 8 mg/kg for five weeks. Compared to a control group, the supplemented horses were protected from oxidative stress and the exercise-induced inflammation. From these findings it seems the MSM supports joint health in competition horses.
What levels of these ingredients are in current joint supplements?
Below is a chart of the LOADING doses of current joint supplements on the market (mg)
From this chart we can see the range of levels of active ingredients in the supplements vary. Remembering that from the research, glucosamine is best paired with chondroitin and both MSM and HA work very well in horses. Of these supplements, only two have published scientific studies behind them, these are the Flexibility Pro (Murray et al., 2017) and the Cosequin (Hanson,2001).
Even at a quick glance we can see that the products with studies behind them have a higher amount of ingredients per dose compared to others. Many supplements have no chondroitin in them, the levels of MSM are lower than what has been seen in the studies (that have proven they do aid in horses joints) and HA is also in not many supplements.
Supplement Check List
So when looking at a supplement, check what the content of the ingredients are. If the range of the ingredient is within the below ranges PER LOADING FEEDING DOSE (not per kg) then you are likely to see a positive effect from your horse (rates taken from Flexibility Pro and Cosequin).
If the content of the ingredients is not made readily available, ask why?
Out of the 17 supplement products the graph above (not including Flexibility Pro & Cosequin) only 1/17 supplements was within the tables range of glucosamine and chondroitin. 3/17 had the HA range of content and 4/17 had MSM range of content.
As a whole, the majority of the products are less likely to have a beneficial effect on the joints compared to Flexibility Pro & Cosequin.
Why percentage means nothing
Do not be fooled by percentage of a product. If a brand claims they have 100% glucosamine, this can be misleading, as we need to know the feeding rate to know how much the horse is getting.
Supplement 1 has 100% Glucosamine. Per kg of product there should be 1000g of Glucosamine. The feeding rate is advised to be 20g per day.
Total glucosamine the horse is getting 20g.
Supplement 2 has 50% Glucosamine. Per kg of product there is 500g of Glucosamine. The feeding rate is advised to be 80g per day.
Total glucosamine the horse is getting 40g.
We can see that the percentage of product can be misleading, as the supplement with 50% glucosamine was providing more active ingredient to the horse per day.
Key Take Away
- Be mindful of supplement brands making claims about their products without any evidence. Marketing aside, if the brand is not readily showing the content of active ingredients be cautious about it.
- Glucosamine can be seen to work well with chondroitin, but not particularly on its own.
- Both MSM & HA have beneficial effects on horses and have improved joint health.
- Flexibility Pro and Cosequin are the only supplements out of the 19 found in the graph to have published studies to say they improved horses way of going.
- When checking the levels of active ingredients, check the dose rate and if the levels are within the above table.
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References
Staff, K.E.R. (2020) Research update: Joint Supplements for horses, Kentucky Equine Research. Available at: https://ker.com/equinews/research-update-joint-supplements-horses/ (Accessed: 15 April 2024).
Walle, G.V.D. (2023) Does glucosamine work? benefits, dosage and side effects, Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/glucosamine#what-it-is (Accessed: 15 April 2024).
Fenton, J.I. et al. (2000) ‘Glucosamine hcl reduces equine articular cartilage degradation in explant culture’, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 8(4), pp. 258–265. doi:10.1053/joca.1999.0299.
PEARSON, W. and LINDINGER, M. (2009) ‘Low quality of evidence for glucosamine‐based nutraceuticals in equine joint disease: Review ofin vivostudies’, Equine Veterinary Journal, 41(7), pp. 706–712. doi:10.2746/042516409x424153.
Meulyzer, M. et al. (2009) ‘Joint inflammation increases glucosamine levels attained in synovial fluid following oral administration of glucosamine hydrochloride’, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 17(2), pp. 228–234. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2008.06.018.
Fenton JI, Orth MW, Chlebek-Brown KA, Nielsen BD, Corn CD, Waite KS, Caron JP. Effect of longeing and glucosamine supplementation on serum markers of bone and joint metabolism in yearling quarter horses. Can J Vet Res. 1999 Oct;63(4):288-91. PMID: 10534010; PMCID: PMC1189567.
Chondroitin: What it does, side-effects and more: Holland & Barrett (2023) Chondroitin: What it Does, Side-effects and More | Holland & Barrett. Available at: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/vitamins-and-supplements/supplements/what-is-chondroitin/ (Accessed: 15 April 2024).
Mad Barn (2023) Top 8 joint supplements for horses [validated by research]: Mad barn, Mad Barn USA | Mad Barn - Crazy Good Nutrition. Supplements, minerals, vitamins and nutrition for horses. Visit Mad Barn to buy equine dietary products. Available at: https://madbarn.com/best-joint-supplements-for-horses/ (Accessed: 15 April 2024).
FORSYTH, R.K., BRIGDEN, C.V. and NORTHROP, A.J. (2006) ‘Double blind investigation of the effects of Oral Supplementation of Combined Glucosamine Hydrochloride (GHCL) and Chondroitin sulphate (CS) on stride characteristics of veteran horses’, Equine Veterinary Journal, 38(S36), pp. 622–625. doi:10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05615.x.
Rodgers, Martha. (2006). Effects of Oral Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfates Supplementation on Frequency of Intra-articular Therapy of the Horse Tarsus. Intern. J. appl. Res. vet. Med.. 4.
Welch, C.A. et al. (2012) ‘Plasma concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in horses after an oral dose’, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 32(1), pp. 60–64. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2011.08.004.
Hanan, F. (2024) Hyaluronic acid for horses: How it works in the body to support healthy joints, Animal Element. Available at: https://animalelement.com/blog/hyaluronic-acid-for-horses-and-how-it-works-in-the-body-to-support-healthy-joints/ (Accessed: 15 April 2024).
Gupta, R.C. et al. (2019) ‘Hyaluronic acid: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic trajectory’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6. doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00192.
Bergin BJ, Pierce SW, Bramlage LR, Stromberg A. Oral hyaluronan gel reduces post operative tarsocrural effusion in the yearling Thoroughbred. Equine Vet J. 2006 Jul;38(4):375-8. doi: 10.2746/042516406777749218. PMID: 16866209.
Durkan, C. (2023) Exploring the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane for horses, The Equestrian USA. Available at: https://theequestrian.co/blogs/news/benefits-of-methylsulfonylmethane-for-horses (Accessed: 15 April 2024).
Murray, R.C. et al. (2017) ‘A randomized blinded crossover clinical trial to determine the effect of an oral joint supplement on Equine Limb Kinematics, orthopedic, physiotherapy, and Handler evaluation scores’, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 50, pp. 121–128. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2016.11.009.