We are very excited about our two new sponsored horses. Two stallions, Fiderfurst and Premonition owned by Arnage Warmbloods (the amazing stud of Madonna and Lars Hedberg). The Stud is located in the beautiful Mary Valley of the Sunshine Coast.

Both horses are having super charged careers. Fiderfurst is a major dressage competitor and winner. Premonition is also a successful dressage horse. Ridden by Brett Cantle, he is now having many successes in the Eventing world. We are looking forward to watching these two horses throughout their successful careers.
Visit the Stud’s website http://arnagewarmbloodstud.com.au

Come join us for 4 days of wonderful competition at the Dressage NSW Inc Clarendon Winter Festival ❄️

There will be everything from Preparatory to Grand Prix and plenty of trade stands for all your retail therapy needs!

Stop by to say Hi and find out about all our show specials and discounts!

Joints are a relatively simple structures composed of articular surfaces (moving surfaces) that come together within a capsule called a joint capsule.

It should be noted that there are no blood vessels, lymphatic channels, or nerves that enter or pass through joints. The two articular surfaces of the bone are covered in a very tough and sheer resistant tissue called hyaline articular cartilage (HAC).  In order for joints to move, the two opposing surfaces need to glide over each other with minimal effort, and lubrication is central to this process. The cartilage covering the bone has a thin layer of hyper-hydrated proteinaceous material adherening to the surface of the cartilage. This proteinaceous material is made of proteoglycans, which is essentially a combination of proteins and a special type of sugar molecule called glycosaminoglycan (GAG).  It is the proteoglycan within the proteinaceous layer that provides hydration and lubrication to the cartilage surface. What this means is that when the joint is ‘functionally normal’, cartilage does not touch cartilage. Instead the layer of hyper-hydrated proteinaceous molecules interfaces with similar material on the opposing surface. Under load bearing conditions this boundary “weeps” water into the synovial fluid thereby dissipating the pressure. When load bearing conditions cease, the water is reabsorbed and the proteoglycans are again hyper-hydrated.

The other aspect to lubrication and protection of the joint is synovial fluid.The synovial membrane is the inner layer of the joint capsule. This membrane secretes a thick fluid called synovia that serves to lubricate moving parts and nourish the cartilage surface. Healthy synovial fluid is essentially a thick viscous substance made up of plasma filtrate (blood) along with synovia, and is the major source of nutrients for the cartilage tissue and its repair.

This is a mechanism by which neuromuscular information is fed back to the brain and informs us and our horses where our bodies and limbs are in space.

In a way this is a mechanism by which a 3D image is created for the horse or rider. When you stand on one leg with your eyes open you are likely to be able to manage this and you may wobble a little, when you close you eyes you are likely to wobble a lot or not be able to stand safely on one leg. This is made even worse when you stand on a pillow. When you complete these simple exercises it’s easy to understand how proprioception works. Proprioception is not about ‘seeing’ it’s about ‘feeling’. A normal human or equine brain receives proprioceptive signals from the body through specific cells that are called muscle spindles, Golgi organs and joint angle receptors.

1. Muscle spindles are highly sensitive and can tell our brain about the length of a muscle as we move and the speed of that lengthening process. If this system did not exist we would need to look at our legs as we move.

2. Golgi organs are located in tendons (which join muscle to bone) and monitor muscle tension, thereby allowing us to increase or decrease tension to remain balanced and upright.

3. Joint angle receptors as the name suggest are located at joints and they tell us about how joint angles change as we move along different surfaces, terrains and gradients. They are essential in helping to remain balanced and to protect joints from damage.

So what’s the big deal about proprioception?
It’s pretty clear that without it or when it is not well tuned movement and balance become compromised. The down side is that poorly tuned proprioception prevents joints from loading correctly; in effect leading to micro-damage of the joint. If this continues long enough joints will suffer degenerative joint disease at a greater rate than if this system had been working effectively. When horses are not worked on varied surfaces, terrains or gradients we effectively turn off the protective benefit of proprioception. This highlights the importance of cross training our horses regardless of discipline…not only does it protect your horses joints but it also makes for a better and more balanced equine athlete.

Like proprioreception, Joint Performance Equine Joint Support Formula 2 assists in future proofing your horse’s joint health.