When it comes to equine joint health, there are a lot of things being actively researched. One of those things, which is sometimes a hotly debated topic around the barn, is the area of joint supplement ingredients. Most commonly, horse owners are wondering if joint supplement ingredients can be absorbed by the horse and if they actually provide any benefits to the horse’s joint health. To clear up the confusion, we’ve gathered several examples of research that helps answer those two questions.

There are misconceptions abound in the area of the absorption of supplement ingredients, but fortunately several studies show that all the major joint supplement ingredients – glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid (HA, and MSM – are absorbed from the digestive tract and available for use throughout the body.^{1, 2} You can check out the papers listed below to learn more about the research that’s been done in this area.

When it comes to the question of whether joint supplements work, there are several studies that show benefits to joint health from the oral supplementation of common joint supplement ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and MSM.

One study provides objective evidence that oral HA reduces joint swelling after surgery to remove an OCD in the hock.³ In the study, 48 young horses underwent arthroscopic surgery to correct OCD lesions in the hock with half receiving an oral HA gel and half serving as controls. The ones that were supplemented orally with HA had less swelling of the joint after surgery than those that didn’t.

An eight-year study demonstrated that consistent use of an oral glucosamine/chondroitin supplement resulted in a decreased need for hock joint injections to maintain soundness in a group of show hunters/jumpers.⁴ Or, in non-vet speak, the supplement helped keep the joint structures healthy enough that the horses required fewer joint injections.

Finally, a group of researchers in Europe showed that MSM exerts a protective effect on oxidative and inflammatory exercise induced injury in the horse.⁵ In layman’s terms, that means that MSM has been shown to help reduce the wear and tear of joint tissues caused by exercise.

And research hasn’t just been done on the fundamental joint ingredients that we all know and love – new, innovative ingredients are also being researched. In fact, a team of veterinarians recently studied the effect of giving resveratrol to performance horses with hock lameness. They found that the horses that received joint injections and the supplement containing resveratrol were significantly less lame on the basis of objective criteria (i.e. Lameness Locator) and subjective criteria (i.e. rider assessment of horse performance) than the horses that received joint injections and the placebo.⁶ This suggests that supplementing with resveratrol may be beneficial in horses with hock lameness.

¹ Biopharm Drug Dispos. 2004 Apr;25(3):109-16. The bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate after oral and intravenous single dose administration in the horse. Du J, White N, Eddington ND.

² Proc 17th Equine Nutr Physiol Soc:141-2. A study of the absorption of methylsulfonylmethane in horses. Pratt SE, Clarke AF, Riddolls L, McKee S.

³ Equine Vet J. 2006 Jul;38(4):375-8. Oral hyaluronan gel reduces post operative tarsocrural effusion in the yearling Thoroughbred. Bergin BJ, Pierce SW, Bramlage LR, Stromberg A.

⁴ Intern J Appl Res Vet Med. Vol. 4, No. 2, 2006. Effects of oral glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplementation on frequency of intra-articular therapy of the horse tarsus. Martha R. Rodgers, VMD.

⁵ Acta Vet Scand. 2008 Nov 7;50:45. The effect of methyl sulphonyl methane supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in sport horses following jumping exercise. Maranon G, Munoz-Escassi B, Manley W, et al.

⁶ Watts, AE, Dabareiner R, Marsh C, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of resveratrol administration in performance horses with lameness localized to the distal tarsal joints. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2016 Sep 15;249(6):650-9.