There are two main factors that influence the joint health of young horses--- diet and workload. Your horse’s diet and the forces received by its bones can have a great influence on the skeletal form and joint function for the rest of the animal’s life.

Young horses should be given a pre-mixed concentrate feed that contains good quality protein sources. The total protein intake should be around 12% from a well-balanced ration of good quality roughage and concentrate.

The skeletal system of a growing horse is a very dynamic system—growth regions at the end of its long bones are still closing and the bones are still extremely malleable to the forces that are applied to it. Research studies have demonstrated that young horses spending at least 12 hours a day on pasture have better bone density than those horses of the same age that spend more than half of the day in their stall. Thus, it is recommended to keep your growing horse outside as much as possible.

Talk with your Park County vet to guarantee proper amounts of trace minerals as well as calcium to phosphorus ratios in your horse’s daily ration. Check out the website of Teller Park Veterinary Service.