Saving Young Joints

From the moment of birth, adaptive changes begin in the musculoskeletal structures of a growing horse. As soon as a newborn foal stands on its gangly legs, pressures and stresses placed along the bones and joints stimulate them, with changes in the first several months of life imparting strength and durability to the limbs. In the wild, this adaptive advantage may be life-saving, as it can help a horse flee from predators and keep up with the herd. In domestic horses, these adaptive principles can work to our advantage by stimulating optimal musculoskeletal health and averting orthopedic injury during a horse’s athletic career.

Starting With a "Blank Slate" At birth, a neonate's joint cartilage is like a blank slate, ready for adaptive change. Articular cartilage in the juvenile horse is a dynamic tissue that continuously remodels, gradually assuming characteristics that will last throughout the horse's life. By five months of age, joint cartilage more closely resembles that of a mature horse, as areas within the joints have made functional changes related to weight-bearing. Functional adaptation of the "impressionable" cartilage progresses to a "mature" state by 18 months of age. This ability of cartilage to respond to mechanical stimulation gives an owner an invaluable tool to "shape" a durable athlete. The most optimal changes—those important to a joint's future strength and resistance to injury—occur before five months of age. Knowing this, a horse owner can take advantage of a window of opportunity. Providing a newborn and growing foal regular turnout and exercise dictates future resilience and durability of joints.

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