On average, horses live between 25 to 33 years. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t susceptible to health issues, just like humans are. In fact, joint pain in horses is quite common.

If you’re wondering about joint pain and arthritis in horses, then keep reading. Here is some information about the symptoms, causes, and natural pain relief.

Symptoms of Joint Pain in Horses

When your horse has joint pain, it may start walking around with stiffness. It may also stop putting weight on the affected leg(s), which can cause lameness.

You can also do a physical examination yourself. If your horse’s leg is swollen, tender to the touch, and/or feels hot, it probably has joint pain. If the joint is stiff when you try flexing it, that can be indicative of something like arthritis.

Causes of Equine Joint Pain

The causes of equine joint pain can be from arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, or tenosynovitis. All of these conditions are actually commonly found in humans too, so if you’ve experienced any of these health issues, then you may be able to keep a better eye out on your horse.

All of the above are inflammatory conditions. Arthritis is inflammation in your horse’s joints, while bursitis is an inflammatory reaction in a bursa, which is usually fluid-filled to reduce friction when joints are used.

As the name suggests, tendinitis is where the tendon is inflamed, and tenosynovitis is similar, but in the tendon sheath.

As you can see, joint pain mainly flares up from inflammatory conditions. These usually result from overuse of the joint.

Natural Pain Relief for Equine Joint Pain

The first thing you should do in how to help a horse with arthritis is to reduce physical activity so it can rest. In most cases, this should alleviate swelling and tenderness, plus allow the joint to get some rest.

In addition, you can use some natural pain relief methods to help horses with arthritis feel more comfortable. For example, there’s our copper flex product, which contains natural ingredients, including copper. Copper is an essential element that helps with healing.

For long-term arthritis treatment for horses, consider a weight loss plan, especially if it’s overweight. The less weight it has to carry around, the less strain there will be on its joints.

Physical therapy can also be useful in managing joint pain. This can teach your horse ways to walk correctly and strengthen their legs effectively to put less strain on their joints.

Relieve Joint Pain for Your Horses

Now that you know how to spot joint pain in horses, you can figure out the cause (such as equine arthritis) and treat it naturally with the information from our article. Keep your horse healthy and strong by knowing what to look out for, and then get the right treatment promptly to help keep your horse happy.

Do you suffer from joint pain as well? Then shop our selection of copper products now. They offer great natural pain relief!