We are pleased to have a guest veterinarian provide an answer today. At SmartPak, we realize the importance of staying on top of the latest research, nutritional products and horse health issues, while helping to promote increased involvement of veterinarians in the nutritional management of horses. Dr. Jay Merriam was kind enough to respond to this question for us.
My horse is 3, TB and grew quickly. She has clicking in her joints. She clicks every time she steps in both her back fetlocks. Can you suggest a good supplement for her joints? Is EquinylCM a good one? Any others that you can think of that might be helpful or HARMFUL to a young horse? I don’t want to do any damage either! – AV, Connecticut
Dear AV:
“Clicking of the joints” is one of the more common questions we get and is a frequent cause for horses to visit our clinic. In most cases it is related to immaturity, lack of conditioning and sometimes size. It is also (rarely) associated with OCD, but not usually. The mechanism of the sounds is the subject of a lot of speculation and some research. Think of the people you know who can crack their knuckles! It’s the same thing. If you cause a closed hydraulic system to suddenly expand by stretching the membrane, there isn’t enough fluid to fill the space, so oxygen will actually form bubbles and come out of solution and form an air interface with the joint. This is the sound you hear in most cases. It is harmless. One of the other sounds you hear is the cartilages slipping over each other and then falling back into place.
So what to do? Usually, after we’ve ascertained that there is no cartilage damage, lameness or inflammation, we recommend lots of turn out, conditioning and steady regular work. Any lameness should be explored, but the sounds themselves almost never correlate with injury.
Most horses grow out of it, but many continue to click their entire lives.
Jay Merriam DVM
Massachusetts Equine Clinic
Lydia Gray, DVM MA, is the Staff Veterinarian for SmartPak. Prior to joining SmartPak, Dr. Gray served as the first-ever Director of Owner Education for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. She has authored numerous articles in publications such as The Horse, Horse Illustrated, Western Horseman and a variety of veterinary journals and magazines. Dr. Gray is also a frequent speaker at horse expos, veterinary conventions and other events. After graduating with honors from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and receiving her Master's Degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, she practiced at the Tremont Veterinary Clinic for several years. Dr. Gray is active in the American Veterinary Medical Association and Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association. She enjoys training and showing her Trakehner, Newman, in both combined driving and dressage, and is a USDF “L” Program Graduate (with distinction). Find Dr. Gray on Google+
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What about supplementing with Yucca?
Hi Shoshana, thanks for your question! Since clicking of the joints can be related to physical immaturity, a lack of conditioning and occasionally size of the horse, and can indicate joint issues or be a completely insignificant finding, we suggest working with your veterinarian to determine if your horse is experiencing problems or not. Yucca is sometimes supplemented to support a normal response to inflammation, so if your vet finds evidence of joint or other discomfort, it may be recommended along with other common joint supplement ingredients like glucosamine or chondroitin. Your vet will also be able to provide advice on turnout, conditioning, and training. Hope this helps! – Dr. Lydia Gray
This is such a relief… my 10 yr old OTTB just started clicking for the first time (after a lot of jumping) and I panicked. I spoke with his chiropractor and he reassured me some, but this article, reiterating everything he already said, just makes me feel that much better. This article couldn’t have better timing! THANK YOU, Smartpak! Love you guys!
Also, I did tell my Chiro that I put my TB on Smartpak’s Resilience III and he praised it highly, saying it was probably one of the best I could give to my boy. So, that’s also an idea for anyone wondering what to supplement!
I have an ex-race horse, Standardbred. He makes a clicking sound at the walk, it goes away when he travel’s in other gaits. My vet explained it similar to above “cartilages slipping over each other and then falling back into place” and told me not to worry, as long as he was traveling ok and not lame. This article is very reassuring.
Thank you Smart-Pak for posting it…