Do you condition your horse with his joint health in mind? Do you consider pain before labeling him difficult or unwilling? Do you check with your veterinarian before starting the horse on joint supplements?

If not, you could be making some of the most common mistakes in equine joint health management. Overall, horse owners do a good job managing joint health, says Charlie Barton, BVetMed, MS, Dipl. ACVS-LA, a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, in Fort Collins. But oversights still occur, and they can affect your horse’s performance and welfare, along with long-term costs.

To learn where owners most often go wrong, we asked equine joint health experts to share the mistakes they see most frequently and how to avoid them.

1. Delaying the Start of a Joint Health Plan

Many owners wait until a horse shows signs of joint inflammation before implementing a joint health program, says Lauren Trager, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVSMR, clinical assistant professor of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in Blacksburg, Virginia.

By then, significant damage might already have occurred. “Once your horse has osteoarthritis, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain soundness and—depending on the specific joint and degree of inflammation—can be career-changing or career-ending,” she explains.

Joint support should begin early, Trager says. Breeders can promote lifelong joint health through evidence-based nutrition and exercise programs, along with screening young horses for developmental orthopedic diseases such as osteochondritis dissecans.

As horses age, regular soundness evaluations and joint and soft tissue palpation can help identify problems before they become significant. Monitoring changes in conformation and range of motion can provide additional clues. Owners should also consider each horse’s history and discipline, because different activities place different demands on the joints.

Barton recommends incorporating raised poles, hill work, stretching, and core-strengthening exercises into training programs. “This builds muscle, which in turn reduces forces on tendons and ligaments, improves joint stability, and improves balance, coordination, and proprioception,” she says, the latter being the horse’s awareness of limb and body position.

“It can be hard to think about a potential problem when the horse is happy, sound, and performing well in his current role,” Trager says. “But be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to your horse’s joint health. It’s never too early to start a joint health program and, with the wide variety of therapies and strategies we have in our arsenal, your horse’s joint health plan can be very strategic and individualized.”

2. Letting Horses Become Overweight

Excess weight remains common in horses, often because owners underestimate their horse’s body condition. While obesity increases the risk of metabolic disorders and laminitis, it also places additional stress on joints.

“You’ve got a horse that’s supposed to be an athlete sometimes, and yet it’s super overweight,” says Sarah Le Jeune, DVM, Dipl. ACVSMR, associate professor of surgical and radiological sciences at the University of California, Davis, Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. “Obviously, that’s going to affect the joint.”

“Excess body weight puts extra forces on the joints,” adds Barton.

Owners should learn how to assess body condition score and work with their veterinarian or equine nutritionist to develop a feeding program that supports both performance and a healthy weight.

3. Assuming It’s a Behavior Problem

Joint pain doesn’t always appear as obvious lameness, Le Jeune says. Instead, horses might resist specific tasks, such as jumping, turning, or moving forward.

“Horses with joint problems can show resistance to athletic activities, and people think the horse just has bad behavior,” she explains. “There are a lot of old beliefs that horses can be lazy or bad, and so their riders just push them harder, whereas in fact they’re actually in pain.”

Some horses become difficult to catch or tack up because they associate those activities with discomfort, she adds. Others might kick, buck, rear, or bite. “Riders and trainers just don’t see that the horse is struggling,” Le Jeune says. “I mean, sure, some horses are less energetic than others. But if you really have to kick the horse constantly to get it going, there’s probably something wrong.”

Before labeling a horse as difficult or unwilling, owners should work with their veterinarian to rule out pain, including joint-related issues, Le Jeune says.

4. Waiting Too Long to Call the Veterinarian

Even when owners notice stiffness, joint pain, or lameness, some delay veterinary evaluation. Instead, they take a wait-and-see approach or try home remedies and supplements first.

“Joint diseases such as osteoarthritis often grumble along and get progressively worse over time,” Barton says. “Treating early can slow progress of joint damage and improve the horse’s comfort.”

Prompt treatment can also prevent acute problems from becoming chronic, Le Jeune says. As horses compensate for pain, they often overload other muscles and joints, creating what she describes as a whole cascade of musculoskeletal and behavioral issues.

Untreated joint problems can eventually progress to degenerative joint disease. “You don’t want to get there,” Le Jeune says. “You want to be early in that process, because once cartilage deteriorates, you’re not bringing it back.”

5. Forgetting to Consider Hoof Balance

A painful joint might be only one piece of a larger problem, Barton says. Looking beyond the affected joint can reveal contributing factors elsewhere in the horse’s musculoskeletal system.

Hoof balance often plays a key role. Poorly balanced hooves can create uneven forces throughout the limb, increasing stress on joints, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues. Imbalanced feet also absorb concussion less effectively, potentially contributing to injuries elsewhere in the body as horses compensate.

To help maintain proper balance, Barton recommends working with a farrier who periodically uses radiographs to guide trimming and shoeing decisions, particularly in horses with existing issues.

Taking a broader view of the horse can help you address the root cause of joint pain and reduce the likelihood of future problems. “Sometimes you focus on just that individual joint, and it’s easy to forget about the horse as a whole.”

6. Relying Too Heavily on Joint Supplements

When owners suspect a joint issue, some immediately reach for supplements. But relying on supplements without veterinary guidance can delay diagnosis and treatment.

“People might throw a bunch of supplements at their horse instead of getting the vet out, and meanwhile the joint problem isn’t going away,” says Le Jeune.

Trager adds that supplement quality varies considerably. “While there are many effective, evidence-based joint supplements available, there are also those that have no validity,” she explains. “Plus, nutraceuticals are not FDA-regulated, so it’s important to be mindful of what is (or isn’t) in the joint supplement.”

Evidence-based supplements can play a role in a proactive joint health program, she says. However, horses diagnosed with osteoarthritis or other joint pathology typically need a more comprehensive approach.

Take-Home Message

Common mistakes when managing horses’ joint health often come down to waiting too long to act, missing subtle signs of pain, and relying on supplements instead of a diagnosis. Excess body weight, delayed veterinary care, and and overlooking factors elsewhere in the horse’s musculoskeletal system can all accelerate joint damage. A proactive, whole-horse approach gives horses the best chance at long-term soundness and performance.