Hyaluronic acid for the older horse

[sweetsalute]

Per previous threads, I have a 20yo mare who has a slight neurological condition of some sort (didn’t go down the diagnostic rabbit hole due to age). It’s very mild, she’s 100% paddock sound and is still ridden lightly. I also suspect she is a touch arthritic.

Obviously all this will be discussed with my vet at the next checkup, but just wondering whether people have seen positive results from supplementing with hyaluronic acid? The price seems reasonable and I want to do everything I can to keep (or maybe even improve) her soundness levels as she’s still an absolute gun of a horse.

Or alternately, anything else people have found works well? Obviously injections are something to be discussed with the vet. She had a course of Previcox last year when the neuro stuff was giving her alot of trouble, we trialled taking her off it once there was substantial improvement, and giving another round of that a go is also something I’ll be discussing with the vet, putting her back on was always an option left on the table.

This is all something I should know more about but I’ve been so fortunate in my 12 years of horse ownership that this mare has been such an easy maintenance horse and I’ve never had to learn about it.

[ABookworm]

I double dose with Acti-Flex for all my horses (9, 17 and 24) which is about 250 mg of hyaluronic acid. It seems to have made a bit of a difference for my 24 year old’s arthritis to the point where I would consider lightly riding him if he were taller but it isn’t a miracle by any stretch.

I picked Acti-Flex over other things because it also has Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM along with being budget friendly for me.

[JB]

yep, ActiFlex is always a good starting point, and it’s pretty economical as well. Big Dee Web often has a free quart with a gallon purchase.

[Simkie]

HA doesn’t help my neuro horse, but extra vit e does. I keep her on 4000 iu throughout the year. There’s a difference at that dose vs 2000 iu.

[sweetsalute]

Thanks. I don’t believe I can get Acti Flex here down under, but I have found a company that do the HA and then an MSM one as well, which further reading has suggested can also be pretty helpful! Haven’t looked into Vit E, so I’ll do that as well. It’s not super expensive to get small amounts to try, so it might be worth giving it a shot and seeing if there’s any difference.

[JB]

@sweetsalute

Haven’t looked into Vit E, so I’ll do that as well. It’s not super expensive to get small amounts to try, so it might be worth giving it a shot and seeing if there’s any difference.

Is he on fresh grass (knowing you’re coming into Summer)? Is there any E in any feeds and supplements?

[sweetsalute]

@JB

Is he on fresh grass (knowing you’re coming into Summer)? Is there any E in any feeds and supplements?

Yep lots of fresh grass coming through, we’re apparently in for a wet summer too so it’ll be plentiful. She’s on a vit/min supp that has vit E, but as she’s a fat pony, that’s just mixed in with a bit of chaff, she doesn’t get any hard feed. I will say that the supp has only come about thanks to the other horse who does need feeding, this pony has been on pasture only for 12 years! And I do think since I’ve started giving her the supp, she has actually shown some improvement. On the lunge yesterday she her movement looked really good.