Why do winter joints need nutrition?
Joint cartilage has no blood supply of its own and so relies on the bone beneath or the joint oil to get the nutrition it requires. It does so through a complicated and slow process called ‘diffusion’, which becomes even slower in cold conditions and particularly in the winter.
Keep Exercising
Regular exercise is just as important in the winter. When the horse is in motion the cartilage, ligaments, joint fluid and joint capsule act much like a sponge squeezed and released in water - the squeeze removes waste products while the release pulls in new nutrients, water and oxygen. Without exercise the ‘feeding’ process slows.
Strong Yet Delicate
Cartilage is a complicated structure. It is both delicate and strong - it has to be to bear the weight of a horse as it runs and jumps, yet it is made up of 75% water and the few cells it has, called chondrocytes, have to do all the work of repairing the matrix.
Hard to Replace
What’s more, 'under-fed' cartilage is more vulnerable to injury and is easily bruised, causing it to fray and lose its depth. Once it has gone cartilage matrix is hard to replace and once it has been scarred, or chronically inflamed, it is almost impossible to regenerate.
The Building Blocks of Cartilage
The main building blocks that make up cartilage are called glycosaminoglycans and rely on a balanced dietary supply of the well recognised essential nutrients, elements like glucosamine, chondroitin, manganese and antioxidants
Joint Support
Don’t wait to see the signs of joint wear and tear. As experts tell us, every horse can benefit from supplementation and sadly many horses experience from joint difficulty at some point in their life. Feed supplements like EquiFlex are the ideal supportive measure for every horse’s joints. By supporting the natural regeneration and resilience of your horse’s joints from an early age you can help to ensure good mobility for the rest of your horse’s life. We’d say that’s a worthwhile investment.
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