Supplement Musings

The weather here has been pretty shitty over the last month. That, and the fact that I was gone for holidays, means that I haven't been doing a whole lot with Cherry lately. It's kind of her "winter break", but I can't lie, it's more about me being lazy and cold than giving her a respite.

That doesn't mean I've been neglecting her, just not riding nearly as much. I've also come to the conclusion that I don't need to go to the barn every day. Six days a week is plenty. Going every. single. day. really wears on me after awhile, I've found. It's not that I don't want to see my horse, it's that I don't want to deal with the crap that goes with it. Putting on warm clothes, driving through slush/ice/snow, mixing her feed, trekking through the icy muck to her paddock, etc, then doing it all in reverse.

So I don't go sometimes. But the next day I'm that much happier to do all of the above just to see her fuzzy little face. Like today. She felt pretty good and went tearing ass around the arena after a good roll in the dirt. It was so fun just to watch her and remember how nice her gaits are when she puts a little bounce into them.

I'm starting to question the efficacy of the joint supplement I've had her on. Past tense because, well, she hasn't been getting it these past couple weeks. We ran out and I haven't ordered more. Two reasons for that, one is that since I didn't work much in December I have no money (and it costs 90 freaking dollars), the other is that I'm curious to see if there's a difference with or without it.

So far, I can't really tell. Perhaps this means that she doesn't need it, or that she won't need it for awhile. I'd love to do what a "natural" vet (he does homeopathy and other such alternative remedies as well as conventional medicine) suggested, which is to do a 3 months on, 3 months off thing as opposed to continuous supplementation.

I'm also looking into other alternatives. I've heard the gelatin (Jello actually, but I'm not about to feed sugar to my horse) can help with joint stiffness and paprika is an anti-inflammatory for those bad days where the arthritis flares up. Obviously I need to do more research on this.

Perhaps the money that would have gone to the joint supplement would be better spent on new literature on barefoot trimming. I feel comfortable with the knowledge I have and the super basic trim, and now I want to advance my knowledge and skills. I've noticed that after a trim her arthritis seems to be "eased" for lack of a better term. Maybe by keeping her feet in better balance and health I'll be able to keep the stiffness at bay for longer with less need for supplements.

Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.