The demands placed on a horse's joints vary enormously depending on what that horse is actually doing day to day, and it is worth thinking about discipline specific joint stress when considering supplementation.
Dressage horses experience repeated, controlled loading through collected work, lateral movements and transitions. The hocks and stifles in particular come under sustained pressure during work such as piaffe, passage and collected canter. The nature of dressage means the same joints are loaded in very specific, repetitive ways over long periods, which is why many dressage horses benefit from consistent, long term joint support rather than supplementation only during intense competition periods.
Show jumpers face a different pattern of stress. The forelimbs absorb significant concussive force on landing after each fence, and the hindlimbs generate the power for takeoff. This combination of concussion and explosive effort places considerable demand on the fetlocks, knees and hocks. Jumping horses often show joint stress earlier in their careers than other disciplines purely because of the repeated impact involved.
Eventers face perhaps the broadest combination of joint stress, since they are asked to perform dressage, showjumping and the additional demands of galloping and jumping across varied terrain at speed. The unpredictable ground conditions found on a cross country course, combined with sudden changes of direction, mean eventers are managing both concussive and rotational stress on their joints.
Hacking and leisure horses are sometimes assumed to need less joint support, but this is not always accurate. Horses ridden regularly on hard tracks or roads, or older leisure horses who may have accumulated wear over many years, can benefit just as much from proactive joint support, even without the intensity of competition work.
What this means practically is that the right approach to Horse Joint Supplements should reflect the actual workload of your horse, not simply their age or breed. A young eventer in full training may benefit from full strength joint support earlier than expected, while an older hacking pony in light work may do very well on a lower maintenance dose.
Horse Joint Right Supreme is available in multiple tub sizes specifically because feeding needs vary so much between horses in different work. Reviewing your horse's actual training and competition load, rather than assumptions based on age alone, is the most sensible way to decide on the right level of joint support.
Horse Joint Right Supreme contains optimum levels of Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, HA and Oils to keep Horses's Joints moving and healthy.
