Connecticut River Equine Massage

08/05/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬? 🦴🐴

Equine osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting horses (Baccarin et al., 2022). So naturally, we’re always looking for ways to manage it, especially in our equine athletes and aging horses who experience higher joint strain.

One of the most common questions I get during consults is about oral joint supplements. They’re appealing for good reason: non-invasive, easy to feed, and widely available. But they’re also expensive and the science behind them has been mixed.

In fact, one study found 48% of horse owners felt there wasn’t enough research to support joint supplement efficacy, yet 90% were still willing to use them for prevention or treatment (Swirsley et al., 2017). That gap likely comes from the mindset “They might not help, but they won’t hurt.”

And that’s understandable when you’re dealing with a condition as common and impactful as osteoarthritis, doing something feels better than doing nothing.

But here’s the good news 👇
Researchers at Michigan State University have been working to give us clearer answers, and a newly published study is helping move the conversation forward (Harbowy et al., 2026). Article linked in comments!

➡️ Let’s break down what this new research actually tells us…

🔬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬!)
Researchers at Michigan State University evaluated 40 horses with chronic lameness (AAEP 2–4) associated with osteoarthritis.

Horses were carefully balanced by age, body condition, weight, and anticipated workload, then assigned to:
• A joint supplement group (Cosequin ASU)
• A control group (placebo; all-purpose flour)

To strengthen the study, each of these groups were further divided into two sub-groups and assigned different colors and scented additives to keep the treatments blinded and also create the perception there were four treatments to rule out any bias.

This is a strong experimental design addressing common issues seen in supplement research such as small sample sizes, lack of controls, and bias. This is important because the quality of the design determines how well we can interpret and ultimately trust the results.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬
Horses were evaluated every other week over 6 weeks and numerous variables were considered at each timepoint:

Lameness Grade: Treatment did not impact lameness grade (P>0.05) but all horses showed improvements between day 0 and 28 (P=0.045).

Forelimb Vector Sum: Horses on the oral joint supplement had greater forelimb asymmetry than those in the control group (P=0.042).

Pelvic Height: Treatment did not impact minimum or maximum pelvic height.

Stride Length: The stride length at the walk and trot did not differ between treatments.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏?
Overall, the oral joint supplement did not contribute to any positive changes in horses with osteoarthritis. These findings are not surprising and do align with previous research. While in vitro (cell culture) studies showed promise, studies completed in vivo (in the horse) had unclear clinical implications.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓?
Joint supplements are a huge supplement category and historically have contributed to 34% of supplement sales (Oke et al., 2010). This is likely because equine osteoarthritis is the leading cause of lameness in horses (McIlwraith et al. 2012). This degenerative joint disease has been shown to affect an estimated 50% of horses over the age of 15 and up to 90% of horses 30 years and older (van Weeren et al., 2016).

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬
Overall, the evidence suggests that joint supplements may not be a worthwhile investment. Instead, focus on:

🥗 Balancing the diet to ensure nutrient requirements are met and the horse maintains a healthy weight.

🏡 Ensuring housing emphasizes adequate turnout time instead of prolonged stall confinement

🐎 Building exercise programs that include warm-up and cool down-periods and focus on consistent low impact movement, strengthening exercises, cross training, and proper conditioning

𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞: While feeding a joint supplement may be easy, a well-rounded and holistic management approach is more likely to support your horse’s joint health in the long run.

* I’ll add that, yes, this study evaluated a single supplement. However, many joint supplements on the market contain similar ingredients, often at even lower inclusion rates. While I’ll continue digging into the literature, there currently isn’t strong, consistent evidence identifying a specific ingredient or combination that reliably improves osteoarthritis outcomes in horses. And realistically, if a clearly effective option existed, it would be widely recognized and supported by the research at this point.

But now I am curious - Do you currently feed a joint supplement and will this impact your decision to use one in the future?

Cheers,
Dr. DeBoer

Baccarin, RYA, Seidel SRT, Michelacci YM, Tokawa PKA, Oliveira TM. Osteoarthritis: A common disease that should be avoided in the athletic horse’s life. Anim. Front. 2022;12:25–36.

Swirsley N, Spooner HS, Hoffman RM. Supplement use and perceptions: a study of US horse owners. Journal of equine veterinary science. 2017 Dec 1;59:34-39.

Harbowy RM, Robison CI, Tillman I, Manfredi JM, Nielsen BD. Efficacy of an oral chondroprotective joint supplement on stride length and gait symmetry in aged geldings with chronic lameness. Animals. 2026;6(8):1230.

Oke S, McIlwraith CW. Review of the economic impact of osteoarthritis and oral joint supplement use in horses. AAEP Proc. 2010;56:12-16.

McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE. The horse as a model of naturally occurring osteoarthritis. Bone Joint Res. 2012;1(11):297–309.

van Weeren PR, Back W. Musculoskeletal disease in aged horses and its management. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Equine Pract. 2016;32:229-247.

08/05/2026

⚠️ Mineral Imbalance: Most horses get 5-10x more iron than they need!

Excess iron is stored in organs, causing oxidative stress and blocking absorption of zinc, copper, and manganese. Well water, red dirt, and some supplements are major culprits. Iron toxicity is more common than iron deficiency in horses.

When did you last test your water? This simple step could transform your horse's health! 💧

07/25/2026

07/24/2026

Owners of aging horses tell me the same thing. The good rides feel numbered, so they back off and ease the horse into retirement. It usually speeds up the decline instead of slowing it.

Senior horses need exercise to offset aging, the same way we do. Treat them like old horses and they will become old horses.

I broke it all down on the blog: what changes in the aging body, why frequency beats intensity, and the small dose of harder work that still earns its place.

Read it if you have a senior in the barn.

07/13/2026

"When you choose to ride a horse that's in pain, you are asking them to choose between protecting themselves or protecting you" - Maria Score, The Western Saddler

I want to talk a little bit about pain because this is a theme that has come up in a lot of consults recently -

Specifically the trope of "it's not pain, it's just behaviour", with the assumption that the horse is actively choosing to be difficult; they're not complying because quite simply they don't want to do the thing.

These horses may present with a spectrum of behaviours that include, but are not limited to, not wanting to stand at the mounting block, laying ears back when the saddle goes on, biting when the girth gets tightened, not wanting to move forward when carrying a rider, having difficulty turning one way versus the other, biting at their chest, bucking, rearing, excessive spookiness.

A reminder: this is not an exhaustive list of behaviours.

The common theme with the statement of "it's not pain, it's just behaviour" is that often the behaviour presented isn't *too* inconvenient for the rider. Yeah it's annoying, but there's often minimal harm for the human outside of aforementioned frustration.

And then these behaviours are in many cases responded to with escalating pressure and/or punishment, whether that is kicking them or hitting them with a stick, or jabbing them in the mouth with the bit - or worse.

And this creates motivational conflict: what pain is worse? The pain they are trying to avoid by expressing the behaviour you don't like, or the pain that follows with the punishment?

Because then you are forcing the horse to choose: looking after themselves or listening to you.

Escalate or submit.

With this in mind, the question that I wish to pose is this: what behaviour would be acceptable for your horse to display to distinguish that they are in pain?

What behaviour would you listen to?

Because the only way a horse can communicate with us is through their action - their facial expressions, their body language and their behaviour (no matter how inconvenient that is to us).

If we respond to this behaviour with escalating pressure or punishment, we are shutting that communication down.

We are telling the horse they don't have a voice.

How else do we wish for them to communicate?

If the above scenarios are reminiscent of a horse you know, the following website has fantastic free resources to help you train your eye, and checklists for you to assess your own horse:

https://www.24horsebehaviors.org/

I understand the difficulty with conflicting information in the industry and I just wanted to share a word of gratitude to my clients for whom I get to have these conversations with, that help me to help their horses and stimulate these thoughts to put down on paper.

-

If you want guidance with supporting your horse, I have some things that may help:

Join my mailing list - for free bodywork and training tutorials.

Get lifetime access to the Modern Centaurian Academy - to redefine how you see and work with horses.

Book a consultation - work directly with me in person or online.

https://www.yasminstuartequinephysio.com/

06/13/2026

06/09/2026

Pole work has become one of those generic prescriptions that gets thrown at almost every horse.

Weak back? Do pole work.
Needs more core? Do pole work.
Needs to lift the legs? Do pole work.
Rehabilitation? Add poles.

And I’m going to say the thing that probably needs saying.

Pole work is not a cure-all.

Putting poles on the ground does not automatically create back strength, core engagement, thoracic sling lift, better posture, or correct connection from the hind leg.

It can.

But only if the horse has the functional ability to use the exercise correctly.

If a horse is already weak, crooked, disconnected, braced, falling through the shoulder, hollowing the back, or compensating through the neck and limbs, then adding poles may not improve the movement pattern at all.

It may simply make the compensation more obvious.

You may see the legs lift higher.
You may see more action.
You may see the horse “try harder.”

But limb lift is not the same as thoracic lift.

Stepping over a pole is not the same as lifting through the body.

A horse can pick the feet up over poles while still dropping through the chest, bracing through the back, loading the forehand, disconnecting the hind leg, and using tension to get the job done.

And this is where we have to be careful, especially in rehabilitation.

Because adding difficulty does not automatically create better function.

If the horse does not yet have the balance, alignment, strength, coordination, or postural control to navigate poles well, then pole work can become another layer of strain. Another task the horse has to survive. Another exercise where the body finds a way around the weakness rather than resolving it.

That does not mean pole work is bad.

It means pole work needs to be appropriate.

It needs to be chosen for that horse, in that body, at that stage, with a clear understanding of what you are trying to improve and what the horse is actually doing while they perform the exercise.

Are they lifting through the thoracic sling?

Is the back connecting?

Is the neck able to lengthen without collapsing?

Is the hind leg stepping through under the body, or is it just pushing the horse forward?

Is the horse becoming more balanced, more organised, more comfortable?

Or are they just getting over the poles?

Because those are not the same thing.

In rehabilitation, the goal is not to make the exercise look more impressive.

The goal is to improve the way the horse uses their body.

Sometimes that means poles are useful. Sometimes it means one pole is enough. Sometimes it means the horse needs better posture, better balance, better straightness, and better nervous system regulation before poles are even helpful.

More difficulty is not always more therapeutic.

Sometimes it is just more compensation.

And if we are going to use pole work to help horses, we need to stop treating it like a magic solution and start treating it like any other training tool.

Useful when it is understood.

Potentially harmful when it is prescribed without thought.

The question should never be, “Should I do pole work?”

The question should be, “Can my horse use this exercise in a way that improves their body, their balance, their comfort, and their soundness?”

Because that is where the value is.

Not in the poles.

In how the horse moves through them.

06/09/2026

EMS – Equine Metabolic Syndrome. But what does that actually mean?

When owners hear the words Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), the first thought is often:

“My horse is insulin resistant.”

But is that really the whole picture?

EMS is not just one condition. It is a collection of metabolic dysfunctions, and insulin dysregulation is often only one part of a much bigger story.

Many horses with EMS may present with:

🐴 Fat pads or general obesity
🐴 Lethargy and lack of energy
🐴 Reluctance to move or reduced performance
🐴 Strong digital pulses or recurring laminitic episodes
🐴 Poor coat quality or excessive coat changes
🐴 Skin problems and slow healing
🐴 Flat feet or poor hoof quality
🐴 Recurrent coughs or immune challenges
🐴 Digestive issues and difficulty maintaining a healthy weight

The question we should be asking is not simply:

“Is my horse insulin resistant?”

Instead, perhaps we should ask:

“What is causing my horse’s metabolism to struggle?”

Insulin is only the messenger

Insulin’s job is to move glucose from the bloodstream into the body’s cells where it can be used for energy.

If glucose remains elevated for long periods, the system starts to struggle and insulin regulation can become disrupted.

But where is that excess glucose coming from?

It is easy to blame sugar alone, yet the body is far more complex.

Possible contributors include:

🌱 High sugar grasses, including many perennial ryegrass and performance grass varieties

🌱 Hidden sugars and starches in feeds and treats

🌱 Chronic stress, where the sympathetic nervous system remains switched on, encouraging the body to keep releasing glucose to prepare for “fight or flight”

🌱 Mineral imbalances that may interfere with normal metabolic pathways

The gut–liver connection

One area that deserves far more attention is the relationship between the hindgut microbiome and metabolism.

The hindgut is home to billions of microorganisms that ferment fibre, produce beneficial nutrients and communicate continuously with the immune system, liver and endocrine system.

When this microbial ecosystem becomes disrupted (dysbiosis):

• Fibre fermentation changes
• Different metabolic by-products are produced
• The liver may be exposed to an increased detoxification workload
• Normal communication between the gut, liver and metabolism may become impaired

Because the liver plays a central role in glucose regulation, hormone metabolism and detoxification, it is reasonable to ask:

Could hindgut dysbiosis contribute to insulin dysregulation?

Many owners have horses that appear metabolically challenged despite careful sugar management, suggesting there may be more than one pathway leading to metabolic dysfunction.

Looking beyond the feed bucket

Metabolism is influenced by nutrition, stress, movement, mineral balance, liver function and the health of the hindgut ecosystem.

If we focus only on sugar, we may miss important pieces of the puzzle.

And what about behaviour?

One aspect that is rarely discussed is behaviour.

Many owners report that horses experiencing metabolic challenges become:

⚡ Hyper-alert and constantly scanning their environment
⚡ Highly reactive or “wired”
⚡ More protective or defensive
⚡ More prone to separation anxiety
⚡ Unable to cope with simple changes in routine
⚡ Less able to relax, process information and learn

Pain should always be considered and ruled out, but behaviour is also influenced by physiology.

When the body is in a constant state of metabolic stress and elevated glucose availability, the nervous system may remain in a heightened state of readiness, making it difficult for the horse to switch into a calm, parasympathetic state.

Perhaps EMS is not simply a condition of too much sugar.

Perhaps it is a sign that the body’s entire metabolic network – from the hindgut to the liver, endocrine system and nervous system – is asking for support.

Understanding that bigger picture may help us support our horses in a more individual and holistic way.

Every horse is different.

Two horses may have the same diagnosis but arrive there through completely different pathways. Looking at the whole horse, its history, diet, environment, stress levels and gut health can often reveal a much clearer picture than focusing on a single blood result.

If you would like help assessing your horse’s individual situation and exploring a holistic approach to metabolic health, please send me a message and book a video consultation. Together we can look at the bigger picture and create a plan tailored to your horse 🌿