Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Joint Health
Joint health in horses involves the study of anatomical structures such as cartilage, synovial fluid, ligaments, and bones that contribute to the function and mobility of equine joints. Research in this area focuses on understanding the physiology of equine joints, the mechanisms of joint disorders, and the effects of wear and tear over time. Common joint issues in horses include osteoarthritis, synovitis, and joint effusion, which can impact performance and quality of life. Diagnostic techniques often involve imaging, synovial fluid analysis, and clinical evaluation to assess joint condition. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomy, pathology, diagnostics, and therapeutic approaches related to joint health in horses.
Harnessing the Horse for Human Osteoarthritis: microRNA-181a-5p Antisense Oligonucleotides in Clinically Normal Equine Fetlock Joints Are Safe and Well Tolerated. Horses serve as a translational model for human osteoarthritis (OA) due to their comparable joint size, cartilage thickness, and incidence of naturally occurring disease. Overexpression of microRNA-181a-5p has been implicated in cartilage degradation in OA, and its inhibition using locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (LNA-miR-181a-5p ASOs) represents a potential therapeutic strategy. This study evaluated the safety of intraarticular (IA) LNA-miR-181a-5p ASO injection in clinically normal horse fetlock joints. Twelve horses were randomized to receive two IA injections, 28 days apart,...
Medical Therapies for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis in the Horse – 20 years later…. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease, characterized by a degenerative catabolic cascade resulting in detrimental changes to all aspects of the joint including the irreversible destruction of articular cartilage. In 2006, a narrative review by Goodrich and Nixon outlined the available treatments for the medical management of OA; however, since that time substantial progress has been made. In recent years the therapeutic options for veterinarians managing horses with OA has increased significantly with a multitude of products available on the market. While many of the conventional...
Multimodal characterization of equine synovitis: Correlation between arthroscopic, histopathological, and biomarker assessments in septic vs. aseptic cases. Endoscopy and synovial membrane histology are complementary modalities for evaluating synovial inflammation. Cytokine involvement in non-septic arthritis is well documented but remains poorly characterized in septic synovitis. Objective: This study aimed to characterize the inflammatory cytokine profile associated with septic and non-septic synovitis and assess correlations among endoscopic, histological, and synovial fluid biomarker findings. Methods: Three groups were defined: horses undergoing elective or therapeutic endoscopy (Group 1, n=26), horses with confirmed septic synovitis (Group 2...
Cervical articular process joint versus ventral cervical stabilization in horses: A biomechanical study. To determine the biomechanical properties and modes of failure of a single level equine cervical spine immobilized with unilateral or bilateral articular process joint (APJ) stabilization, ventral cervical stabilization (VCS) and non-stabilized controls. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study. Methods: A total of 24 equine cadaver cervical spines. Methods: Cervical spinal units (C4-C5) were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 6/group): unilateral APJ stabilization, bilateral APJ stabilization, VCS using pedicle screws and rod constructs, or non-stabilized. Non-destructive testing assessed k...
Diagnostic Performance of Digital Tomosynthesis for Detecting Osteophytes and Subchondral Bone Changes in the Equine Distal Interphalangeal and Metacarpophalangeal Joints. Osteoarthritis is a common cause of equine lameness and can involve periarticular osteophytes and subchondral bone (SB) changes. This exploratory ex vivo study evaluated the diagnostic performance of digital tomosynthesis (DT) for detecting these findings in the distal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints, using computed tomography (CT) classifications as the reference. Sixteen distal forelimbs from nine adult horses underwent imaging with both modalities under simulated weight-bearing conditions. Three independent observers graded osteophytes and SB changes, and the scores were dich...
Correlation of 2D Linear and 3D Volumetric Measurement Techniques for Subchondral Bone Sclerosis in the Equine Distal Limb Using Standing Computed Tomography. Subchondral bone sclerosis of the distal third palmar/plantar metacarpal/metatarsal condyles is a common radiographic finding in Thoroughbred racehorses. Traditionally, assessment has relied on two-dimensional (2D) linear measurements; however, advances in imaging software now allow three-dimensional (3D) volumetric quantification of subchondral bone. This study aimed to assess the relationship and agreement between computed tomography (CT)-derived 2D linear and volumetric measurements of condylar sclerosis and computer-generated 3D volumetric measurements and determine whether 2D measurements...
Functional and biochemical inflammatory responses to a 75 ng intra-articular recombinant equine interleukin-1β (reIL-1β) synovitis model. Recently, a synovitis model using 75 ng intra-articular recombinant equine interleukin-1 (reIL 1β), showed promise for inducing a mild, self-limiting inflammatory response without overtly altering upper-body movement asymmetry in = 3 horses. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of this 75 ng reIL-1β model on gait biomechanics and synovial fluid (SF) inflammatory, pro-resolution, and cartilage turnover biomarkers in a larger equine sample. SF samples were collected from the left intercarpal joint of = 11 horses at baseline and at 6- and 12-hours following 75 ng reIL-1β injection and...
Single-cell sequencing reveals synovial fluid γδ T-cell expansion in equine experimental osteoarthritis. Define temporal cellular changes following joint injury using single-cell RNA sequencing in experimental equine posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Unassigned: PTOA was induced in 4 Quarter Horses (3 to 5 years) via carpal osteochondral fragmentation and high-speed treadmill exercise. Synovial fluid (SF) cells and synovium were sampled over 18 weeks (November 2023 to April 2024). Single-cell suspensions were processed (10x Genomics Chromium iX), then aligned to the equine genome (Cell Ranger). Downstream analysis was completed in the R Seurat package. Differential gene expression (log2[fold c...
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Standing Needle Arthroscopy of the Distal Interphalangeal Joint in 36 Horses. The objective of this study is to describe the technique, complications, and outcomes of standing needle arthroscopy of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) in horses. Unassigned: This is a retrospective study. Unassigned: Five cadaver forelimbs; 36 client-owned horses. Unassigned: A 1.9-mm needle arthroscope was used to evaluate the DIPJ in cadaver limbs and clinical cases. Horses underwent diagnostic and/or therapeutic arthroscopy under standing sedation and local anaesthesia. Data collected included signalment, diagnostic imaging findings, intraoperative findings, complications, and outc...
Race Performance Following Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoropatellar and Tarsocrural Osteochondrosis in Juvenile Thoroughbreds. The objective of this study is to evaluate racing performance of Thoroughbred yearlings following arthroscopic surgery for osteochondrosis (OC) of the femoropatellar (FP) and tarsocrural (TC) joints. Unassigned: This is a retrospective study of Thoroughbreds 0.05). In both groups, no significant performance differences were found between unilateral and bilateral cases ( > 0.05). Unassigned: Racing performance after FP or TC OC surgery was comparable to that of unaffected controls. Bilateral cases performed as successfully as unilateral.
Successful outcome of open distal interphalangeal joint luxation in equids treated by surgical debridement without internal implants. The distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) plays a crucial role in the function of the hoof and digit. Dislocations and subluxations in this region are rare and primarily of traumatic origin. Methods: This case report aims to describe two unusual cases of open DIPJ dislocation, including clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, treatment, and long-term follow-up. Both animals presented with open traumatic distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) luxation. In Case 1, the animal received initial care on the property 5 h post-trauma and presented with joint exposure and articular surface contact with th...
Hidden Tarsal Lesions: The Role of Flexed and Oblique Radiographs in Young Horses. Radiographically apparent tarsal lesions associated with developmental orthopedic disease and joint sepsis are common in young horses. Standard radiographic projections are routinely used to identify osseous changes but may fail to detect lesions due to superimposition and complex anatomy. This retrospective case series describes plantar trochlear ridge lesions in young horses that were not identified on standard four projection radiograph series but were detected using flexed lateromedial and flexed oblique projections. Cases were selected based on persistent clinical signs localizing to the ...
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin-Enriched Plasma Modulates Inflammatory and Proteolytic Pathways in Experimental Equine Musculoskeletal Models. Joint inflammation and extracellular matrix degradation are major contributors to the development of equine osteoarthritis and reduced athletic performance. Alpha-2-macroglobulin is a naturally occurring broad-spectrum inhibitor of proteases and inflammatory mediators that has emerged as a promising orthobiologic therapy. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory and matrix-protective effects of alpha-2-macroglobulin-enriched plasma in complementary in vitro and ex vivo equine models. Primary equine chondrocytes and synoviocytes isolated from healthy horses were stimulated with interleukin...
Epidural 0.125% ropivacaine is safe but insufficient for induced tibiotarsal joint pain. Epidural injection of a low concentration of the local anaesthetic ropivacaine produces analgesia without neurological deficits or ileus in people. Objective: To determine if epidural 0.125% ropivacaine mitigates induced hindlimb lameness in horses while preserving neurological function and gastrointestinal (GI) motility. Methods: Randomised, blinded, controlled, crossover study. Methods: Eight healthy, sound horses underwent two treatments in random order, separated by at least 3 weeks: epidural saline or epidural ropivacaine. For each treatment, an epidural catheter was inserted at the fir...
Cord blood mesenchymal stromal cells combined with hyaluronic acid show symptom-modifying and potential disease-modifying effects in an equine osteoarthritis fetlock chip model. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of lameness in horses, and current therapies largely address clinical signs rather than disease progression. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have shown promise as disease-modifying biologics, but their effects on joint structure and immunologic phenotype remain incompletely characterized. Unassigned: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of pooled cryopreserved equine umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (eCB-MSCs) combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) for surgically induced fetlock OA in horses, using integrated clinical, imaging, and synovial biomarker outcomes....
Neosaxitoxin Downregulates Inflammation in an Equine In Vivo Model of Osteoarthritis. Chronic synovial inflammation is a hallmark of osteoarthritis progression and is tightly regulated by synovial macrophages. Recently, voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV) have emerged as potent modulators of macrophage-driven inflammation, positioning them as novel therapeutic targets. Among selective NaV channel blockers, neosaxitoxin exerts remarkable anesthetic and immunomodulatory effects; however, its effects on joint inflammation upon intra-articular delivery remain unexplored. Using an equine model of bilateral carpal osteoarthritis, this study evaluated the immunomodulatory and tissue-p...
Cryopreserved umbilical allograft (equicenta® CTM) improves clinical outcomes compared with clinician-selected standard of care in performance horses: a pragmatic prospective controlled trial. This multicenter, prospective, controlled clinical study and client survey evaluated the safety and effectiveness of an equine umbilical tissue suspension (equicenta® CTM; eCTM, 2:1) compared with clinician-selected standard of care (SOC) for treating lame performance horses. Unassigned: This pragmatic, real-world, open-label study enrolled horses diagnosed with appendicular musculoskeletal conditions affecting the joints, tendons, or ligaments under owner consent and an intention-to-treat design with an optional crossover after no improvement at 12 weeks and per-protocol analyses at 26 ...
A postmortem grading system for articular cartilage loss of the dorsoproximal aspect of the proximal phalanx of Thoroughbred racehorses. The metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints in Thoroughbred racehorses are common injury sites, given their high range of motion and compression during galloping. In New Zealand, the proximal phalanx (P1) is a common site for race-day fracture, but the lesions of this bone have not been described. Therefore, we created a scoring system to describe cartilage on the dorsoproximal aspect of P1 in New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorses. We collected 102 P1s from racehorses submitted for postmortem examination. Horses were categorized into 2 cohorts: 1) fracture (18 horses euthanized becaus...
Equine upper limb kinematics: Comparison between biplanar high-speed fluoroscopic kinematography and optoelectronic motion capture in one Mini Shetland Pony. There are no studies describing the kinematics of the proximal limb skeleton in living equids. In horses like in all other therian mammals studied so far, the scapula rotates around an instantaneous center of rotation rather than a fixed pivot point, which increases the susceptibility of skin marker-based methods to inaccuracies. Objective: The aim of the study was to describe the skeletal movement of the proximal equine limb and to overcome limitations traditionally associated with skin marker displacement errors. Methods: Optoelectronic motion capture (OMC) and biplanar high-speed fluoroscop...
Synovial fluid oxidative stress index as a biomarker for arthritis severity in thoroughbred racehorses. Arthritis is a major cause of lameness in racehorses. Even when lameness improves, it may recur after training resumes, making it difficult to determine the disease state and when to end treatment. This retrospective observational study examined whether oxidative stress in synovial fluid could assess arthritis status in racehorses. Synovial fluid samples obtained during routine clinical practice from horses with arthritis and control samples obtained from horses without clinical or radiographic evidence of carpal joint disease were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 72 Thoroughbreds in Japan...
Correction: Phenylbutazone concentrations in synovial fluid following administration via intravenous regional limb perfusion in the forelimbs of six adult horses. [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1810077.].
Dental disorders are associated with minimal synovial changes in the temporomandibular joint in horses. Dental disorders have been proposed as factors contributing to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) discomfort in horses, but objective evidence linking these conditions to synovial fluid alterations remains limited. This study evaluated whether the severity of dental abnormalities influences the physicochemical and cytological characteristics of TMJ synovial fluid and whether occlusal adjustment induces measurable synovial changes over time. Unassigned: Thirty-three horses were assigned to mild, moderate, or severe dental abnormality groups. Synovial fluid was collected bilaterally from the discotem...
Intra-articular interleukin-1β induces early synovitis in an ex vivo autologously perfused equine forelimb model. To evaluate an ex vivo model of synovitis induced by IA lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and IL-1β in isolated, perfused equine forelimbs. Unassigned: Forelimbs and blood were collected from 12 clinically unremarkable horses following slaughter at a licensed abattoir. In 8 limbs, 2 of 3 phalangeal joints were injected with LPS (0.5 to 5 ng, 4 limbs) or IL-1β (100 ng, 4 limbs) diluted in 1 mL of distilled water. All limbs were perfused with autologous perfusate for 8 hours. Synovial fluid cytology and synovium sample histology scores for synovitis (0 = no changes and 3 = marked changes) were assessed...
Gross and Histopathologic Comparison of the Distal Third Metacarpal Bone and the Proximal First Phalanx with Sodium Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography Radiopharmaceutical Uptake in Five Horses. Injuries of the metacarpophalangeal joint are a major cause of morbidity and catastrophic fracture in racing horses, yet early osseous pathology is often difficult to detect using conventional imaging. This pilot study aimed to correlate sodium fluoride Positron Emission Tomography (F-NaF PET) radiopharmaceutical uptake with gross and histopathologic changes in the distal third metacarpal bone (MC3) and proximal first phalanx (P1). Five horses (three racing Thoroughbreds with fetlock injury and two non-racing controls) underwent ante-mortem F-NaF PET and cone-beam CT imaging (CBCT), followed b...
Synovial transcriptomic biomarkers predict structural severity in equine osteochondral fragment-induced experimental osteoarthritis. Develop a global joint score (GJS) reflecting equine osteoarthritis (OA) structural severity and identify clinical or molecular parameters predicting disease severity. Unassigned: A retrospective analysis was performed using data from horses (n = 104; 58 females and 46 geldings; 2 to 5 years old) undergoing experimental OA induction via surgical osteochondral fragment creation in the middle carpal joint and high-speed treadmill exercise over 70 days. Longitudinal measures included subjective lameness examinations (lameness, effusion, and flexion), synovial fluid (SF) and serum glycosaminoglyca...
A Case of Separate os tarsale primum in a Horse. Anatomical variation in the equine tarsus may involve either fusion of the with the or the presence of a separate . The distal row of tarsal bones is therefore of particular anatomical interest, as an independent first tarsal bone has been only sporadically documented in previous studies. In this study, twelve equine tarsal joints were examined using macroscopic and radiographic methods. In eleven specimens, six tarsal bones were identified, whereas in one specimen (1/12, 8.3%), seven tarsal bones were observed due to the presence of an independent with an irregular cuboid shape. Radiograph...
Musculoskeletal Burden in German Equestrians: Hip-Specific Symptoms and Risk Factors. Equestrian sport is a major component of German athletics, with broad recreational participation and a strong competitive sector. In 2019, about 2.32 million people identified as active riders, and more than 60,000 competitional licences were issued in 2021, reflecting substantial competitive engagement across the Olympic disciplines and national performance levels. Hip pain is a frequent and clinically relevant complaint among athletes and can stem from structural, degenerative, or overuse-related causes. In riding, the hip joint is crucial for transmitting forces and coordinating rider-horse...
Pilot Study of an Alpha-2-Macroglobulin-Enriched Plasma-Derived Orthobiologic Preparation in Sport Horses with Chronic Degenerative Joint Disease. Chronic joint disease is a major cause of lameness and reduced performance in sport horses and is characterized by persistent synovial inflammation and protease-mediated matrix degradation. This exploratory prospective pilot study investigated clinical outcomes and synovial biomarker changes following intra-articular administration of an α-2-macroglobulin plasma-derived preparation. Twenty client-owned sport horses were observed in the treatment group (n = 10) or a comparison group (n = 10) and monitored for up to 180 days under field conditions. Clinical outcomes were assessed longitudinally...
