My 5yo is doing great, really coming along nicely. I'm planning on taking him to a lot of places this season, as it will be his first year seasoning. Planning on a 3 day barrel race once a month, and a few jackpots weekly. I ride 6 days a week, and take 2 lessons a week. He is on an oral joint supplement at the moment, and gets chiro done every 2 months. I'm just very worried about doing everything I can for him, specifically for joints. I have his vet coming out on the 27th for spring shots, and will be talking to him about other preventative options (possibly Adequan). 

I think after having ongoing severe lameness issues with my previous horse, I'm paranoid. What other preventative measures can I be doing? Is Adequan the best for a young horse? 

I will try to attach a picture of him! 

Mine's on the Exceed 6-Way and that's it. I don't feel like I need anything else 

I have a 5 year old your horses age. Had this exact conversation with my vet. Ditch the oral joint supplement and go injectable. Mine gets 2 full Adequan 7 shot series a year, 6 months apart. Actually cheaper than most oral supplements and I know they are getting 100% of it. I also use legend IV on long weekends. 

I use injectable glucosamine. Costs about $4.50 for a 10cc dosage which I give once a week. 

/thread 

Conditioning conditioning conditioning. 

Consistent regular exercise will keep them in shape and when they are in shape they are less likely to get sore and stiff.  Lots of walking before and after workouts.  Turn out time as much as possible.   

I am a fan of the Equithrive joint supplement. The active ingredient is Resveratrol, which is the active ingredient in red wine and grapeseed extract.  It's a potent antioxidant and was clinically proven in a double blinded study to reduce hock lameness.  While I don't have a ton of faith in joint supplements to replace joint injections, I can wrap my head around how this joint supplement can be helpful.  

Farrier- The easiest way to screw up a horse is to have a poor hoof trim/shoeing.  Make sure your vet is happy with how your horse's feet look. Get a set of laterals and horizontal DPs for your farrier so you can make sure everything looks good with the alignment of bones.  

I also agree if you do adequan do the loading dose 2-3 times a year instead of once a month. It needs to stay at the higher concentration to work and once a month doesnt cut it. 

I 100% agree with this. I had to pull my big guy up out of the pasture yesterday to help catch our neighbors cows that escaped.. I haven't ridden him in several months and I'm not exactly in good physical condition myself.. those cows put us thru hell yesterday running turning plowing thru us.. I can barely walk today I'm so sore, I cant imagine how my boy feels this morning...this is a huge wake up call for me lol! Time to get serious about getting myself and my boys back in shape! I'm actually embarrassed how fat I let my horse get! (& myself) 

NRF2 is I feel the best preventative out there, an I have fed an used it all.

Thank you for your response! I appreciate it! 

He is very much in shape! Ridden on average 6 days a week since I bought him in July. He is on 24/7 turnout, and seems to really enjoy that. 

What does DP stand for? Digital Picture? 

I will definitely be talking to my vet on the 27th about Adequan. You said you recommend 2-3 times per year..is 3 times a year for horses that are being hauled frequently versus 2 times a year? Say someone gives their horse adequan for 5 years..does it eventually not work for the horse anymore if given long term?