Equine arthritis affects horses' joints as they age and cartilage begins to wear out. Also, equine arthritis can affect horses that have suffered injuries and have other issues affecting their bones and joints. Generally, equine arthritis, which is the equivalent of osteoarthritis, occurs due to years of hard exercise, injury, and age. However, if equine arthritis is found early enough there are some things that can be done to slow the equine arthritis down and maintain the range of motion the horse enjoys.

Handling Equine Arthritis

Wear and tear can be reduced in the horse’s cartilage by modifying the tissues a bit. Equine arthritis is very painful and cannot be completely reversed, however you can handle the equine arthritis situation.

First, thousands of horse owners worldwide have found Glucosamine to be their first line of effective defense against joint pain. Glucosamine is a supplement you can buy over the counter and simply add to your horse’s food to help reverse the effect of equine arthritis. When you use Glucosamine to fight equine arthritis you are essentially giving your horse a supplement that assists in the regeneration of cartilage and strengthens the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the area to give more support to the horse’s body. Of course, there are more things you can do to keep your horse strong, healthy, and decrease the severity of equine arthritis.

When your horse is suffering from equine arthritis be sure to feed him on a regular basis, however do not overfeed. You do not want your horse to be overweight at all because the more your horse weighs the more stress will be placed on the joints affecting the equine arthritis. So, feed him a healthy diet and make sure you utilize exercise on a regular basis.

Many horse owners think exercise is detrimental to their horse if he has equine arthritis because it causes friction in the joints and pain. However, this is not necessarily the case. When you exercise your horse on a regular basis he is burning calories, maintaining a healthy weight and most importantly maintaining and building strong muscles. When a horse suffers from equine arthritis it is especially important to make sure the horse gets enough exercise and has strong muscles to help support the joints that are suffering from equine arthritis. If your horse has equine arthritis and does not get therapeutic exercise then the equine arthritis is likely to be more painful for your horse.

Of course, if you suspect your horse is suffering from equine arthritis you should contact your vet as soon as possible to get a diagnosis, discuss treatment options, and make sure your horse stays as healthy as possible despite a diagnosis of equine arthritis.