51. Equine Joint Health: What Works and What Doesn’t

If you are spending money on joint supplements for your horse, or wondering whether that corticosteroid injection is really helping, this episode is essential listening.

Dr. Nerida is joined by Renee Harbowy and Dr. Brian Nielsen from Michigan State University, two of the leading researchers in equine joint and bone health, for an honest, science-based conversation about what actually keeps horses sound for life.

Renee shares the findings from her recently published research study examining whether glucosamine and chondroitin supplements improve lameness in horses with osteoarthritis, and what the results mean for every horse owner standing in front of a wall of joint supplements at the feed store.

From there, the conversation covers equine joint health from the ground up.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What osteoarthritis actually does to joint tissue and why understanding this changes how you manage it
• Why movement is non-negotiable for cartilage health, and what happens to joints when horses are stalled
• The research on pastured versus stalled horses and what it means for how you manage your horse day to day
• Why nutrition from conception onwards is the foundation of lifetime joint soundness
• The trace minerals most commonly deficient in horse diets and why deficiencies during development cause problems that show up years later
• Dr Brian’s research on bone strength and the surprisingly small amount of exercise needed to maintain it
• The five things Renee considers most important for long-term joint health
• The truth about corticosteroid injections; what they actually do, and the risk of masking pain in performance horses
• Early warning signs that your horse’s joints may be struggling before obvious lameness appears
• Practical, actionable strategies for joint health regardless of your horse’s age, breed, or living situation

Whether you have a young horse you are bringing up right, a performance horse in hard work, or an older horse starting to show their age, this conversation will change how you think about joint health and what you can actually do to help your horses have a long, sound, happy life!

🧪 Renee's full research paper can be found here (and it is well worth the read, beautifully written and a brilliant piece of science!): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13113781/

🌟 If this episode helps you look at joint health a little differently, please follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

💛 And we'd love you to share it with a horse friend, especially someone with a young horse, an older horse, or a horse already struggling with joint issues. These are the conversations that can genuinely change how we manage horses for the better.

📲 And if you want help getting the nutrition side right, download the MyHappy.Horse app. It’s like having a practical, science-based equine nutritionist in your pocket, helping you feed with more confidence and less second-guessing.

⁠https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324⁠