As a lifelong barrel racer, Kansas City's Tina Svoboda has traveled all across the Midwest with her Quarter Horse mare, Cee that Booger, whom she fondly calls Bella. With their time on the road, and years owning horses alongside her husband Jim, Tina has witnessed her fair share of joint health problems.
Joint issues can impact all horses, ages and disciplines. And the severity can range from minor to career ending.
"The horses I've known with joint problems have all retired early or were otherwise forced to change careers," Tina said. "To help prevent joint problems, we started Bella as a 4 year old on Adequan Equine. She's 12 now and is the first horse we've had that has never had joint issues."
Adequan Equine is FDA-approved and proven to diminish the destructive processes of degenerative joint disease, while reversing the loss of cartilage components and improving the overall joint health for horses. Heathy cartilage is crucial to the performance of a horse's joints. Using Adequan Equine, new cartilage is quickly produced and any inflammation is decreased.
"When you've had a number of consecutive horses and barrel horses, joint issues are a common occurrence," Tina said. "Bella is the first who hasn't, and I attribute that to introducing her to Adequan Equine early on in her life."
Help horses avoid joint problems by:
- Incorporating a joint health supplement like Cosequin to help maintain joints and cartilage
- Prioritizing hoof care and keeping horses on a regular trim schedule
- Keeping horses at optimum weight and avoiding obesity, which stresses the joints
- Offering quality nutrition for strong bones and healthy cartilage
- Riding on softer footing and limiting work on hard surfaces
- Using Adequan Equine to help prevent and repair joint problems
- Using Equioxx, which is often prescribed by veterinarians for joint pain relief, as well.
- "Adequan Equine has a really good reputation for working on horses, regardless of their discipline," Tina said.
Tina purchased Bella as a green-broke filly, and now riding together for more than eight years, the pair recently switched gears from running the barrel pattern to competing in AQHA ranch riding. "She's one in a million," Tina said, referring to her stunningly versatile grey mare. "Not many horses could have made the transition from a barrel horse to an arena horse so easily. She's willing to try whatever you can do. She's phenomenal."
All photos courtesy of Valley Vet.
This article originally appeared on Valley Vet and is published here with permission.
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