Keeping Senior Horses Comfortable: Joint Pain and Arthritis
You love your senior horse more than anything, and seeing their comfort change with age is hard to watch - so how do we help them feel better?
Most joint or ‘mobility’ supplements have conflicting and questionable quality research, so you are better suited to focus on nutrition, management and biomechanics. Anti-inflammatory nutritional strategies will only help once you have all of the above nailed down - an imbalanced diet or overweight body condition score will be more pro-inflammatory than any supplement has evidence of resolving.
Supporting Comfort Through Diet: Nutrient deficiencies and imbalances common in hay will impair joint health, so ensure your horse is receiving a balanced diet based on their hay. Every single load of hay has a unique nutritional profile, even the same hay type, so it is important to test your hay and balance the diet accordingly.
Examples:
Calcium imbalances can cause shifting lameness and skeletal weakness.
Zinc imbalances are associated with worsened arthritis in other species.
Insufficient Selenium can contribute to mobility issues, while excess Selenium can be toxic in amounts as small as milligrams.
Gut health issues may promote systemic inflammation and worsens pain signals in the central nervous system.
Electrolyte imbalances alter muscle function and coordination.
Low Vitamin E has been implicated in pain in human subjects, though care should be taken when interpreting human research to horses as there are many physiological differences. In horses, we DO know that low Vitamin E status can contribute to muscle dysfunction and weakness. Test Serum Vitamin E levels to screen for your horse's additional needs (and regular bloodwork screening is a great strategy for your senior horse anyway!).
Managing Body Condition is one of the MOST important strategies: Maintain an appropriate body condition score (4-6) to control excess weight on joints - overloading joints will worsen arthritis pain and contribute to increased joint wear. A reduction in excess fat is associated with a reduction in pain in other species, due to the inflammatory nature of adipose tissue (stored fat).
Long-term studies in dogs have reported that animals kept lean - while still hitting their nutrient requirements - lived longer lives. Not only that, these animals had delayed onset of chronic disease, reduced incidences of joint issues - lean fed group had arthritis prevalence similar to dogs half their age. Over-feeding your animal because you love them might be tempting, but keeping them at a healthy body condition lets you love them longer, and improves their quality of life!
Focus on promoting correct Biomechanics:
Movement is medicine: Provide lots of turnout on SAFE footing with a LOW STRESS herd. I do not want to see your senior horse being chased down hills or through knee deep mud which risks serious injury.
Rest: Your horse should have a clean, dry space to lay down without stress from other horses - a tired horse is more prone to injury.
Topline maintenance: A strong core and topline will help your horse move better, get up and down better, and maintain more correct movement.
Get ahead of compensation with regular bodywork with a qualified professional - they can also help you develop a workout regime that is low-impact, appropriate for your horse’s soundness (ie, stretches while grooming; in-hand work; undersaddle work; etc) and supports your horse's target concerns (do your homework).
Do not underestimate the importance of REGULAR hoof care. I do not want to see long toes on your senior horse - this will alter their biomechanics and contribute to discomfort and wear and tear. While the ideal frequency will vary by horse, many senior horses benefit from more frequent trims to maintain a consistent balance and reduced stress with angle changes (4-6 weeks max).
Quality of life matters - consider Pain Management: The use of medications like Firocoxib has their place when it comes to quality of life. Your horse deserves an existence that is free from pain. As pain can also affect appetite, contribute to ulcer development, cortisol levels (and metabolism), body condition and immunity, managing pain and its downstream effects is imperative. A recently published paper reported long-term use of this drug appeared safe when used appropriately (Buzelato Carli and Fielding, 2025) - work with your vet to determine its appropriateness for your horse. If your horse is requiring pain management, it is time to assess their workload and consider a reduction if their work is painful for them where their body is at.
If you have optimized your senior horse’s base nutrition, management and biomechanics, NOW is when you can consider additional support if it is in your budget - if it’s not, that is 100% okay, because all of these support strategies need more concrete evidence. If these are within budget, use anti-inflammatory strategies with stronger evidence than glucosamine such as antioxidants and long-chain fatty acids that reach synovial fluid (EPA, DHA, GLA). Be cautious of herbal products where limited safety and drug interaction research is available in horses - check with your vet before using herbal-based products, especially for horses who are on medication.
Optimize your horse’s comfort by optimizing their diet, management, body condition, and biomechanics. Quality of life matters most - work with your horse’s care team to ensure their comfort is managed to a humane level.
Need help implementing a suitable diet? Let's work together.
References and Recommended Reading:
Buzelato Carli I, Fielding L. 2025. Long-Term Firocoxib Use in Horses. J Vet Intern Med. 2025;39(3):e70117. doi:10.1111/jvim.70117
Elma et al., 2020. Do Nutritional Factors Interact with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain? A Systematic Review. J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9(3), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9030702
Kealy, R.D., Lawler, D.F., Ballam, J.M., Lust, G., Biery, D.N., Smith, G.K., & Mantz, S.L. (2000). Evaluation of the effect of limited food consumption on radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 217(11), 1678-1680.
Lawler, D.F., Larson, B.T., Ballam, J.M., Smith, G.K., Biery, D.N., Evans, R.H., & Kealy, R.D. (2008). Diet restriction and ageing in the dog: major observations over two decades. British Journal of Nutrition, 99(4), 793-805.
Smith, G. K., Paster, E. R., Powers, M. Y., Lawler, D. F., Biery, D. N., Shofer, F. S., McKelvie, P. J., & Kealy, R. D. (2006). Lifelong diet restriction and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis of the hip joint in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 229(5), 690–693.
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