Equine Athleticism - It All Hinges on the Joints

 which is often brought on by repetitive “wear and tear.” Since the articular cartilage does not have its own natural blood or nerve supplies, evidence of joint injury is not immediately apparent; therefore, joint problems are not always obvious when they start. Joint disease and injury, especially in performance horses, commonly lead to expensive, often time-consuming diagnostics, treatments and therapies, loss of training time, decreased performance, and even loss of use of the horse.

Osteoarthritis (OA), formerly known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common joint problem in horses, accounting for more than 60 percent of equine lameness. The term “arthritis” refers to joint inflammation, and there are many types and causes in horses. Osteoarthritis can occur in any synovial joint. It is a degeneration of the cartilage that can be precipitated by factors including repetitive trauma, historical fractures or other injuries, and/or poor conformation that can increase stress on joints. High-speed training is also a risk factor. Osteoarthritis gets progressively worse with age, but can affect horses of any age and breed, with males and females equally affected.

variety of treatment options are available, but there is no single standard treatment or known cure for OA. Since there are so many factors involved, the prognosis for affected horses is extremely variable depending on the severity of the disease, single or multiple joint involvement, whether high or low motion joints are involved, historical and intended horse use (see table), as well as clinical signs of OA and how long they have been present.

The physiological processes related to joint disease are extremely complex, making treatment challenging. The multifactorial nature of the disease complicates research and many aspects remain elusive, even in humans where it has been more extensively studied.