Horse Supplements Blog

Joints and Your Horse

Reprinted from Grand Meadows:

Everything hinges – literally – on the joints. If it’s not the horse joints themselves, it’s the bands of tissue or the tendons that provide joint stability and mobility. Joint disease often starts with inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the joint, called the synovial membrane. Without timely intervention, age and work will inevitable thin and degrade the quality of the synovial fluid. When this happens, the joint loses its ability to protect itself against friction, concussion, and the invasion of destructive inflammatory cells. 

Joint stress and joint disease are prevalent conditions with horses for one simple reason: horses’ joints are complex structures that must handle extreme weight loads on a very small surface area. The result is that these joints are very prone to inflammation, swelling, or the long-term effects of degenerative joint disease – particularly among aging and performance horses. 

To keep the joints sound and healthy …
Because that makes the difference between
A long and rewarding career
On the one hand, and a short
Painful life history on the other…Dr. John Peters

These factors lead to erosions of articular cartilage and chronic irritation and thickening of the synovial membrane and joint capsule. Left untreated, the problem will progress into osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, the leading cause of lameness and loss of use in horses. 

Joints stressed by work or age threatens the vulnerable complex balance between breakdown and repair – when physically stressed an imbalance occurs and the demand for joint-building nutrients outstrips the natural supply leading to progressive deterioration of joint cartilage,
Bone and soft tissues … Dr. Mark Olsen

For years, many people who ride, own and train horses have chosen one of two approaches to joint disease and lameness.  Either they do nothing, accepting the belief that horses “wear down” as they age or are worked hard, or they rely on “quickfix” solution such as costly injections or NSAIDs – nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Bute, Banamine).  NSAIDSs actually inhibit cartilage metabolism, can cause gastric upset/ulcers with long term use and mask the pain without addressing the underlying problems – allowing the horse to remain active on an injured limb, leading to further break down of the cartilage and exacerbating arthritis. These reactive approaches are often too little too late.

Glucosamine and Hyaluronic Acid are equine supplements that provide the matrix of all connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and synovial fluid. These horse supplements are responsible for maintaining a healthy viscosity to the synovial fluid and membrane inside the joint capsule. The synovial fluid works as a cushion and circulatory system taking impurities out and bringing important joint care nutrients into the joint capsule to restore the fragile balance. Glucosamine also works as an anti-inflammatory by neutralizing destructive cells that penetrate into the joint capsule and attack the articular cartilage that causes the onset of degenerating arthritis. By supplying these crucial joint nutrients to your horse you can help inhibit this degenerative process, without any side effects, and stimulate the cartilage synthesis and build and repair healthy joint structures.

Why Do Hooves Need Additional Nutritional Help

Reprinted from Grand Meadows:

"Hoof growth and regeneration is very much an “inside out” process. The hoof must receive nutrients from the blood in order to stimulate growth and repair. The wall of the hoof is a dermal tissue, much like skin and hair.  Dermal tissue is considered an organ, and it is one of the hungriest when it comes to nutrients. Like every other part of a horse’s body, the hoof is a living structure that depends on nutrients provided through the blood for its growth, strength and repair. 

Grand Hoof horse supplement formulas were based on research by a number of university studies conducted over the last 20 years. These studies all showed that Biotin horse products signicantly improved the hoof horn condition of horses. Biotin is a B vitamin that stimulates keratin production in the hoof laminae and coronary band, strengthening and improving the periople, hoof wall, sole, frog and white line. Like all B vitamins, Biotin is water soluble, and not stored in the body. It must be taken in on a daily basis.

Studies emphasized the benecial e-ects of a Biotin based supplement of 12-15 mg/day for 1,000 lb horse for improving the hoof integrity within 3-5 months and having maximum benet up to one year of supplementation:

Increased tensile strength the entire hoof wall
Less cracking and splitting of horn
Signicant improvement of the hoof horn hardness and thickness
Improved condition of the white line
Improved hoof growth after 90 day period
Horses with tender feet moved more freely and condently

Contrary to popular opinion, Biotin is not the magic answer to every hoof problem. Growing healthy hooves is a complex process requiring a therapeutic formula of high levels of Biotin, Methionine, Lysine, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Vitamin B-6 and correct ratios of chelated minerals.  Methionine and MSM, are natural, organic sources of important sulfurbearing nutrients, and are key players along with Biotin. The protein structure of the hoof contains large amounts of sulfur. These sulfur bearing nutrients stimulate the production and improve the keratinous tissue in the hoof wall development. Keratin is necessary for skin, hair and hoof integrity, giving strength and hardness to these important protein tissues. Sulfur is often marginal or deficient in normal diets when accelerated hoof growth is occurring. Including a sufficient amount of these sulfur-bearing components is critical to aid in the effectiveness of biotin equine supplementation for maximum improvement of the hoof integrity."

EQUINE SUPPLEMENT DELIVERY SYSTEMS – POWDER, PELLET, LIQUID

Should I buy a horse supplement in liquid, pellet or powdered form?

Liquid equine supplements have issues of shelf stability and dosage accuracy. Many ingredients, particularly vitamins, are unstable in water. Vitamins lose their potency from heat, light and oxygen and water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Vitamin C for example will disappear within 24 hours; the chelation of minerals dissipates in 48-72 hours etc.. As for dosage accuracy – (how many times do you need to shake the bottle to ensure an accurate dose, and perhaps more importantly in many barn operations, how many times does the groom shake the bottle when feeding twenty or more horses?) Murky areas such as these are the reason 95% of the supplements sold in the much larger human supplements industry are sold in tablet or powder form and in dark bottles.

Pellets are another popular form of delivery system for joint supplements but it is important again to look at the types of ingredients in the formula. Pelleting is a heat process where the premix is added to fillers and then steamed and forced through a die that produces the pellets. This process, in particular, will again dramatically affect Vitamin C potency, unless the manufacturer uses a form of Vitamin C called Ascorbyl Phosphate that is heat resistant; it is also considerably more expensive than normal Vitamin C. No form of glucosamine has been found to hold its activity level and will breakdown with temperatures above 110 degrees.

Powders offer the best option in many situations.  They tend to be stable and have long shelf lives depending on the supplement or horse vitamin contained within.  Heat is not needed to form most powders so product potency is easily preserved.  The only rub is top dressing powders over feed.  Many horse do not like the taste of powdered supplements.  Victory recommends the use of Cocosoya Oil squirted onto feed prior to the addition of a powdered supplement in order to enhance palatability.

Hyaluronic Acid Horse Supplements

HYALURONIC ACID

One of the hottest ingredients in the horse supplements marketplace is Sodium Hyaluronic Acid, or “HA.” Hyaluronic acid (HA) originally was developed as a drug to be injected into the horse joints or intravenously, and previously there was little clinical data on oral forms of HA. The original HA products that are currently on the market use Sodium Hyaluronate, which has a very large molecular structure and extremely poor oral absorption. Also, most of the dosage levels on these HA products are far too low to provide the body with support to cartilage that is needed for healthy joint function.

Similar to chondroitin sulfate (see section above), the HA molecule is quite large (much larger, in fact, than chondroitin), and there was no evidence that the simple HA molecule could be absorbed through the stomach.

As with other ingredients, many makers of equine supplements see HA not as a viable, effective ingredient in improving horse supplements, but as an easy marketing hook and following on the shirttails of the successful injectable form of sodium

hyaluronic acid.  As more and more HA products came to market, the actual level of HA dropped dramatically, plus it was now blended with horse Glucosamine, MSM, ChondroitinSulfate and other co-factors. The levels of HA in these products dropped dramatically from an average of 100 mg HA in HA only products to 15mg - 20mg in blended products – (a classic case of window dressing. Selecting a form of HA that could be absorbed into the bloodstream is a key requirement. The HA found in Grand Meadows is 1/90th the size of a standard HA molecule found in most horse products.  This means much, much greater absorption. Grand HA Synergy offers 

the first patented HA oral supplement that has been clinically proven for absorption and efficacy.

The reason is simple, HA is primarily harvested from rooster combs and is extremely expensive, a hundred times the cost of Glucosamine. Once HA became branded as a viable ingredient manufacturers felt comfortable putting token amounts of HA in their product so they could claim HA on their labels.

Effective recommended HA levels for 1,000 lb equines should be 150 – 200 mg per day.  There is no doubt that HA is a vital and major constituent of healthy articular cartilage and synovial fluid. Its structure is the simplest of all glycosaminoglycans and forms the backbone of proteoglycans. Hyaluronic acid is found in connective tissue and manufactured in the synovial membrane and by the chondrocytes. As a major component of synovial fluid it is also essential for proper nutrient delivery.

CHONDROITIN FOR HORSES

Reprinted from the Grand Meadows website:

"CHONDROITIN SULFATE

While Glucosamine is clearly the leading ingredient on the market when it comes to equine joint supplements, Chondroitin Sulfate has long been considered the other half of the formula needed for joint products to be effective. Chondroitin sulfate is a major constituent of cartilage, providing structure, holding water and nutrients, and allowing other molecules to move through cartilage—an important property,as there is no blood supply to cartilage.

In degenerative joint disease, such as osteoarthritis, there is a loss of chondroitin sulfate as the cartilage erodes. Studies indicate that chondroitin sulfate may support healing of bone, which is consistent with the fact that the majority of glycosaminoglycans found in bone consist of chondroitin sulfate.

There is no question to the function of this ingredient when produced naturally in the body however there is significant research to show that when administered as a horse supplement, the rate of absorption results for chondroitin sulfate are less than favorable due to its molecular size (anywhere from 250 times the size of a glucosamine molecule).manufacturers raced to add chondroitin sulfate to their products, or introduced “new” formulas that contained chondroitin sulfate. This was largely because so many people were and have been convinced of the necessity of feeding Glucosamine and chondroitin together."

There have been a number of major studies to support this theory; the New England Medical Journal has concluded the oral absorption of Chondroitin to be less than 12%. The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine states “…the absorption of intact chondroitin sulfate is estimated to be anywhere from zero to thirteen percent.” Dr Ian Wright, a leading veterinary orthopedic surgeon in the UK, wrote in Horse and Hounds “…you can feed supplements containing chondroitin sulfate to horses at the recommended dose rate…none will be absorbed.”

Here at Victory Equine we deal with many horse supplies, we feel that Chrondroitin does offer some benefit when combined with glucosamine.  Many horse supplements that contain one, also contain the other.  Since it is relatively inexpensive to produce, Chrondroitin when added to a glucosamine product adds very little increase to the product price.  And even with low absorption rates, a little is probably better than none at all.

Overview of Equine Glucosamine

Adapted from Grand Meadows dot com.

GLUCOSAMINE

"If you’re familiar at all with horse supplements, chances are you’ve come across equine glucosamine. The predominant ingredient in horse joint products for the past several years, glucosamine is derived from “chitin” – which in turn is derived mainly from shrimp and crab shells.

Glucosamine helps keep joints and cartilage lubricated, as well as stimulating the substances necessary for the formation of joint tissue, called glycosaminoglycans, key structural components in cartilage that line the joints. This is important because as a horse’s body ages or is subjected to punishing riding disciplines, it may not produce a sufficient amount of glucosamine. This can result in cartilage that loses its ability to act as a shock absorber in the joints. The joints then become stiff and painful, resulting in alimited range of motion and even deformation.

Glucosamine is the most widely researched of the many “nutraceutical” ingredients. Absorption and efficacy studies have shown it to be highly effective

when administered orally to horses. Numerous university studies on horse health, most notably, Professor Setnikar, University of Rome Pharmokinetics of Glucosamine

, conducted research which determined that “…tissue distribution and excretion patterns were consistent with those found after intravenous administration,” meaning the ingredient was absorbed very efficiently in the horse’s gastrointestinal system, in the range of 96-98%."

Victory Equine offers numerous equine supplements containing glucosamine.  Glucosamine is a very potent and effective joint supplement especially when double dosed and given for a minimum of 30 days.

Uckele CocoSoya Oil A Stable Favorite

There's a reason Victory Equine sells pallet after pallet of Uckele Cocosoya Oil.  The product works.  It's that simple.

Cocosoya oil adds digestible calories through fat, providing both Omega Fatty Acids and Vitamin E.  Hard keepers that could use a little weight are great candidates for Cocosoya oil.  Almost all horses love the taste of the Cocosoya so appetites are stimulated on even the pickiest equine eaters.

But Cocosoya is more than a horse supplement for hard keepers.  If you use other supplements to top-dress feed, Cocosoya will enable the powders to stick to the feed instead of falling through the bottom of the trough.  This helps insure that your expensive joint supplement actually gets inside the horse! 

In addition, the Cocosoya can mask the bad flavor found in some equine supplements.  Nothing is more discouraging than buying a tub of XYZ wonder supplement only to find your horse won't touch it.  We've found in our testing barn that a few squirts of Cocosoya gets our racehorses to eat just about anything.

Horse Journal Rates Perfect Balance Electrolyte Product of the Year

Peak Performance Nutrition's Perfect Balance Electrolyte has received the much coveted Product of the Year 2007 by Horse Journal.  With thousands of competing products in the the equine supplement business, this is no small feat.

"Perfectly balanced to match sweat losses. Very concentrated formula with no sugars or other fillers."

"Perfect Balance Electrolite is our top choice when we need a horse supplement."

- March 2007 Horse Journal
- Chelated minerals for improved absorption
- Sugar, filler and Dextrose free
- Perfect for re-hydration before and after strenuous exercise
- Made with only high quality, food grade ingredients
- Concentrated to save money - low cost per serving

Perfect Balance Electrolite provides rapid re-hydration by including proper levels of sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, magnesium, calcium and chelated minerals in a highly concentrated and highly effective formula designed to match the proportion of electrolytes lost in your horse's sweat. This helps ensure proper electrolyte absorption and balance.  Peak Perform is horse nutrition at its best!

Victory Equine Purchases Tierra Bella Ranch

Press Release 12/3/2007

Victory Equine, Inc best known for marketing performance horse supplements and supplies has acquired property formerly owned by the Tierra Bella Land and Cattle Company.   Plans are for a full-service equine layup and boarding facility serving Northern California.  This newest aquisition is located just north of Oakdale, adjacent to Highway 120.  Victory Equine's principals also own a 50% stake in the Tumbledown Farm Racing, LLC stable.

"With depressed real estate values combined with a resurgence in Norcal racing, we feel the industry here has bottomed-out and the time is right for this latest expansion," according to Rob Miller, CEO. 

Shortly after the deal was inked last month, Tumbledown's broodmares and other non-racing equine assets were moved to the new location.  The facility will open to the public once the first set of improvements to upgrade fencing, new barns, exercisers, and owner' picnic area are in place later in 2008.  "We plan to offer a premium facility emphasizing equine safety, rehabilitation, and nutrition," said Miller.

Seabuck Complete Equine Supplement Now Available

Seabuck Complete the famed anti-ulcer equine supplement is now available at Victory Equine. Clinical studies at the University of Tennessee have shown this horse supplement can help prevent and help heal digestive ulcers in horses. In addition, Seabuck Complete promotes a number of important facets of equine nutrition, including:

Improved Mental Focus

Creates a Healthy, Natural Coat

Assists in Proper Bone Growth and Development

Increased Immunity Joint and Ligament Strength

Aids in Proper Digestion Increases Fertility Promotes Hoof Growth

Here's the 10/12/2007 University of Tennessee Press Release:

Seabuck™ Effective in Preventing Increased Ulcer Severity

"MIDVALE October 12, 2007:  Clinical studies conducted at the University of Tennessee showed that Seabuck Complete™ added to your horse's diet can aid in preventing gastric ulcers from increased severity during times of stress and should be considered as part of a daily ulcer preventative program. 

In a blinded 2-period crossover study performed at the University’s College of Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Frank M. Andrews, 3 ounces of Seabuck Complete™, mixed in grain and fed twice daily to horses, was shown to prevent gastric ulcers from increased severity in 88% of the horses during stall confinement and intermittent feeding, when compared to control horses. 

Seabuck Complete™ was effective in preventing ulcers from increased severity while maintaining natural stomach PH levels at below 4.0.  Dr. Andrews is excited to see a product that prevents this condition. 

In further analysis of Seabuck Complete™ acting as a preventative source it was found that one of the horses on Seabuck™ did not develop ulcers after intermittent feeding. According to Dr. Andrews, "I've never seen a horse not develop ulcers after intermittent feeding.”

Dr. Andrews, considered an international expert on gastric ulcers in horses, conducted his research over a period of nearly five months.  One of his most influential articles was published in the Journal of Animal Science, following a presentation at the ASAS Symposium in St. Louis, MO.  His research has shed additional light on ulcers and their causes.  As per relevancy, Dr. Andrews estimates that gastric ulcers affect 53 to 93% of horses, depending on varying populations and athletic activity type. 

Seabuck Complete™ is an all-natural equine feed supplement for all classes and breeds of horses.  The product’s main ingredient is fruit extracts from seabuckthorn, a plant found in the high-mountain meadows of the Himalayas.  It contains Omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9, as well as all 22 micro and macro essential minerals.  Seabuck Complete™ is distributed by Seabuck Equine™ of Salt Lake City, UT, a company specializing in animal health."