Horse Arthritis (aka Equine Arthritis) by definition is an inflammation of a joint. The condition can be caused by trauma, mineral or dietary deficiency, old age, poor conformation, over exertion or infection.

The different structures that can be damaged in arthritis are the cartilage inside joints, the bone in the joints, the joint capsule, the synovial membranes, the ligaments around the joints and lastly the fluid that lubricates the insides of ’synovial joints’. In severe cases all of these structures are affected. In for example osteochondrosis only the cartilage may be affected.

Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) is a condition in which arthritis has worsened to the extent that the overall physical structure of the joint has started to deteriorate markedly. It is a general term, which really just means arthritis.

In a bad case of DJD cartilage becomes eroded, joint fluids become watery, joint capsule becomes ragged and perhaps stretched, ligaments that hold the joint together become stretched and worn and bone is not strong enough causing a tendency for calcium to be laid down in the wrong places and ringbone to form.

Much arthritis creeps up on your horse gradually and suddenly you notice that he or she is ’not sound’ (lame). Some may say that this is just a result of ’old age’. The truth of the matter is however that it is more than just old age. We believe that this sort of arthritis is more commonly related to mineral imbalance (see mineral deficiency section). When minerals are not present in adequate amounts bones and cartilage is weaker than it should be. Wear and tear that is normal in any horse is not repaired like it should be and little areas of damage get bigger eventually causing inflammation because the joint cannot work like it should. This inflammation is what causes pain.

Arthritis in horses is treated by vets most commonly by the use of ’Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ’ NSAIDs like Bute (phenylbutazone). This drug reduces the amount of inflammation that the body produces in relation to damage to the joint. Inflammation is in fact part of the healing process but sometimes it gets out of hand and the pain associated with it reduces joint use that is part of the healing process. So Bute can be useful but unfortunately it does also interfere with natural healing processes and will in the end make arthritis worse. In addition many NSAIDs damage the lining of the intestines and the liver making the horse prone to lots of other diseases. Other drugs used by vets are compounds like sodium hyaluronate and PSGAG which are injected into knee and fetlock joints and muscles to promote regeneration and reduce inflammation. Chemicals like DMSO can also be rubbed into the outside of joints to reduce inflammation.

When feeding supplements for horse arthritis the idea is to improve the nutrition to the whole body but in particular improve nutrition to the fluids inside the joint so that there is some chance that the joints can repair themselves more efficiently. With proper nutrition and supplementation and strategic use of veterinary drugs it is possible in many cases to stabilise degenerating joints and prevent further wear while at the same time reduce pain and inflammation to near zero.