The number of joint supplements available can make choosing the right one for your horse a challenge. Luckily, with knowledge of how the key ingredients in joint supplements work, along with an understanding of your horse’s workload, finding the right support is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Know your ingredients
Every horse’s joints are under stress. Your horse’s body has the ability to repair and rebuild after moderate “wear and tear” from light activity, but research has shown that even wild mustangs can develop joint degeneration. When you add in the increased demands of riding and training, it’s easy to see how your horse’s joints may be experiencing more damage than his body can keep up with. Joint supplements can help support your horse by providing a steady supply of the ingredients he needs to cope with the demands of his workload.

If you’ve looked for a joint supplement before, you know that there are many ingredients available. Below, we’ll dig deeper into some of the common ingredients to get a better understanding of how they can help your horse.

• Glucosamine plays an important role in the protection of joints. Research suggests it supports the production of new cartilage and it has also been shown to inhibit the free radicals and enzymes that break down cartilage.
• Chondroitin sulfate stimulates the production of hyaluronic acid and proteoglycans. In addition, it inhibits the enzymes that break down cartilage.
• MSM is a bioavailable form of sulfur for building and repairing cartilage. It also helps support a normal inflammatory response.
• Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is an integral component of joint fluid and articular cartilage that provides both lubrication and shock absorption.
• Collagen and silica help maintain strong, resilient connective tissues, like tendons and ligaments.
• Herbs like devil’s claw, yucca, and boswellia are used to fight discomfort in joints and other tissues and support a normal inflammatory response.

2. Consider your horse’s workload and age
Your horse’s age can play a key role in your selection of a joint supplement. If your horse is showing signs of stiffness and discomfort as he gets older, you may want to look for a senior-specific supplement to help keep him comfortable.

Similarly, your horse’s workload can help determine how much joint support he needs. More work equals more stress, which in turn requires more support. But how do you decide how hard your horse is working? The NRC (National Research Council) has defined four workload levels: light, moderate, heavy, and very heavy. When determining which category your horse falls into, you want to consider what type of work he does, how often he works, and how long he works. Let’s take a look at two different horses and see how their workloads measure up.

Chance

• Beginner/intermediate lessons
• One hour four times per week
• Spends about half his time in the trotting, does a little cantering, and sometimes gets to pop over a few small fences

Because he works for four hours a week and the majority of his rides are spent walking and trotting, he’s considered to be in light work.

Bella

• Trail riding
• One hour four times per week
• Her rides consist mainly of work at the trot, along with loping and galloping when they find an open field.

Even though Bella’s working the same number of hours each week as Chance, the time she spends loping and galloping helps determine that she’s in moderate work.

As you can tell from these examples, what type of work your horse does is just as important as how often he works when it comes to defining his workload. Think about how your horse spends his average week and then use our chart to determine his workload and choose the right level of support.

3. Choose your Flex
Whether your horse is hitting the trails or keeping up with a rigorous show schedule, we’ve got a joint supplement designed to meet his needs. Use this chart or visit SmartPak.com/FlexFinder to find the right support for your horse.

Light Work
Your Goal: Maintain healthy joint tissue; avoid future problems
Your Flex:

Moderate Work
Your Goal: Support joints that are under day-to-day stress
Your Flex:

Heavy Work
Your Goal: Provide comprehensive support for joint, tendon, and ligament health; avoid discomfort and stiffness
Your Flex:

Very Heavy Work
Your Goal: Provide aggressive support for joint, tendon, and ligament health; minimize discomfort and stiffness caused by intense training and competition
Your Flex:

Recovery
Your Goal: Help minimize inflammation associated with normal healing and recovery; help alleviate discomfort
Your Flex:

Senior
Your Goal: Ease the stiffness and discomfort associated with aging; support joint and digestive health; provide antioxidants
Your Flex: