Soreness related to joints can develop from trauma, direct or from the concussive effects of the legs striking on hard surfaces, or from age i.e. degenerative loss of cartilage quality. The resulting osteoarthritis, known as degenerative joint disease, is similar in humans and horses.
Joint pain can affect horses of all ages as confirmation defects, work on hard or uneven surfaces can be detrimental at any age.
However, as all horses age, their internal production of glucosamine slows down and that is the active that hydrates the cartilage to keep it like a cushion between the bones of a joint. It is like a kitchen sponge that when it is moist it is soft and spongy, but left to dry out, becomes hard and brittle.
Firstly, reducing work on hard surfaces, ensuring good shoeing with lighter weight shoes and if needed padding the sole. Then feeding a fully formulated nutraceutical can help prevent joint deterioration, especially as a horse ages and in preference as an oral supplement instead of injectable solutions (Rodgers M.R. 2006). Ideally provide it as a prophylactic at around 6 years of age. The formulation is important as feeding glucosamine alone is not as effective and the daily amount is crucial as up to 90% will get absorbed by the liver.
Other actives such as manganese ascorbate (Leach et al., 1969), chondroitin, (Chou et al., 2005) (Dechant et al., 2005) and particularly undenatured collagen type II (Gupta et al., 2009), provide a more efficient response. Gelatin is also supportive, with high levels of glycine and proline, both of which are important components of collagen, the protein found in the cartilage matrix and again science has shown that gelatine improves the homeostasis of those amino acids required for cartilage synthesis (Coenen et al., 2006).
Adding bioavailable support minerals such as copper, zinc again help to improve the outcome.
⟶ Learn more about Equine Arthritis & Degenerative Joint Disease here
While anti-inflammatory drugs can relieve pain and reduce inflammation, it has been scientifically proven that drug free nutraceuticals, containing key ingredients at the right levels, can improve cartilage quality and help relieve the prevalent condition.
When the joints need more glucosamine (Reginster et al., 2012), due to age or concussive damage, the body is unable to speed up production because it is set at a fixed rate. Scientific studies have shown that the body is able to absorb digested glucosamine sulphate and utilises it directly in the joints to repair and maintain the cartilage – 10-12 gm daily is efficacious. While glucosamine HCL is also available, it has been shown that the bioavailability of glucosamine sulphate is far greater and so this is the ingredient in Flex Equine Plus (Meulyzer et al., 2008).
Glucosamine is the major structural component of the principal Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in cartilage. It is the GAGs that maintain the water content of cartilage and its ability to resist the compressive forces during weight bearing (Homandberg et al., 2006).
The mixed Glycosaminoglycans (GAGS) include Chondroitin Sulphate and Keratin Sulphate. Manganese Ascorbate is necessary for the conversion of the Glucosamine to GAGs to occur (Leach et al., 1969).
Science has also shown that the combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin provides a more effective response than either active alone (Yamada et al., 2022; Harlan et al., 2012).
Undenatured Collagen Type ll is a new discovery that has been determined to be effective in relieving osteoarthritis in humans. It has now been independently scientifically tested on horses and showed remarkable positive responses (Gupta et al.,2009).
Flex Equine Plus contains the recommended amounts of the actives to be effective in improving joint elasticity and joint repairs. It puts the spring back into the horse and can assist to prolong the competitive life of the horse.
Each daily dose contains all of the important actives
| Glucosamine sulphate | Undenatured collagen type II2 |
| Manganese ascorbate | Mixed GAGS (Chondroitin Sulphate and Keratin Sulphate) |
| Chelated Copper | Chelated zinc |
| Gelatin |
To be more effective, it is recommended that a double dose is given for the first 4-6 weeks and then reduced to standard daily dose. To assist at times on hard surfaces and greater work demands, a return to the double dose is also recommended.
| Horses (450-500kg) | Ponies (225-350kg) | |
| Loading Dose (first 4-6 weeks) | 26-30gm | 13-20gm |
| Maintenance Dose: | 13-15gm | 7.5-10gm |
Chou, M. M., Vergnolle, N., McDougall, J. J., Wallace, J. L., Marty, S., Teskey, V., & Buret, A. G. (2005). Effects of chondroitin and glucosamine sulfate in a dietary bar formulation on inflammation, interleukin-1β, matrix metalloprotease-9, and cartilage damage in arthritis. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 230(4), 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/153537020523000405
Coenen, M., Appelt, K., Niemeyer, A., & Vervuert, I. (2006). Study of gelatin supplemented diet on amino acid homeostasis in the horse. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement, 36, 606–610. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05612.x
Dechant, J. E., Baxter, G. M., Frisbie, D. D., Trotter, G. W., & McIlwraith, C. W. (2005). Effects of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate, alone and in combination, on normal and interleukin-1 conditioned equine articular cartilage explant metabolism. Equine Veterinary Journal, 37(3), 227–231. https://doi.org/10.2746/0425164054530687
Gupta, R. C., Canerdy, T. D., Skaggs, P., Stocker, A., Zyrkowski, G., Burke, R., Wegford, K., Goad, J. T., Rohde, K., Barnett, D., DeWees, W., Bagchi, M., & Bagchi, D. (2009). Therapeutic efficacy of undenatured type-II collagen (UC-II) in comparison to glucosamine and chondroitin in arthritic horses. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 32(6), 577–584. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2885.2009.01079.x
Harlan, R. S., Haut, R. C., & Orth, M. W. (2012). The effect of glucosamine and chondroitin on stressed equine cartilage explants. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 32(1), 12–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2011.09.004
Homandberg, G. A., Guo, D., Ray, L. M., & Ding, L. (2006). Mixtures of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate reverse fibronectin fragment mediated damage to cartilage more effectively than either agent alone. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 14(8), 793–806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2006.02.003
Leach, R. M., Jr., Muenster, A. M., & Wien, E. M. (1969). Studies on the role of manganese in bone formation: II. Effect upon chondroitin sulfate synthesis in chick epiphyseal cartilage. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 133(1), 22–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-9861(69)90483-4
Meulyzer, M., Vachon, P., Beaudry, F., Vinardell, T., Richard, H., Beauchamp, G., & Laverty, S. (2008). Comparison of pharmacokinetics of glucosamine and synovial fluid levels following administration of glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine hydrochloride. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 16(9), 973–979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2008.01.006
Reginster, J.-Y., Neuprez, A., Lecart, M.-P., Sarlet, N., & Bruyère, O. (2012). Role of glucosamine in the treatment for osteoarthritis. Rheumatology International, 32, 2959–2967. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-012-2416-2
Rodgers, M. R. (2006). Effects of oral glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates supplementation on frequency of intra-articular therapy of the horse tarsus. The International Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, 4(2), 155–162.
Yamada, A. L. M., do Prado Vendruscolo, C., Marsiglia, M. F., Sotelo, E. D. P., Agreste, F. R., Seidel, S. R. T., Fülber, J., Baccarin, R. Y. A., & da Silva, L. C. L. C. (2022). Effects of oral treatment with chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine in an experimental model of metacarpophalangeal osteoarthritis in horses. BMC Veterinary Research, 18(1), Article 215. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-022-03323-3
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