Study: Start Measures to Prevent Equine Arthritis Early

Researchers found that using anti-inflammatory aids mixed with daily feed rations can help decrease joint inflammation in young horses.
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A series of studies by researchers in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University suggest prevention is the best solution to prevent arthritis in young horses.

Josie Coverdale, MS, PhD, associate professor in equine science, and Jessica Lucia, MS, PhD, a former graduate student under Coverdale and now a professor at Sam Houston State University, found that using anti-inflammatory aids mixed with daily feed rations can help decrease joint inflammation in young horses.

“Arthritis is one of the most common reasons we retire horses, and this study shows that prevention of joint damage in early training may be possible through diet,” Coverdale said. “It’s pretty clear the damage comes during early training and that damage often leads to arthritis later in life. A lot of pharmaceuticals are given to treat pain, but few actually help repair the cartilage. We went with the premise that prevention is the best approach rather than trying to treat an existing condition.”

Coverdale said they used the horse production herd at Texas A&M to develop the model and test several diet additives. Lucia read through numerous journals and read a study that used LPS (lipopolysaccharide) injected into the joint for induction of localized inflammation in horses

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