Re: RC: MSM / Glucosamine Sulfate

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

We have an older arab that we took on a week long ride. Since he
has stiffness in the joints and has a hard time with hard
surfaces
and gravel roads, we were told to put him on the glucosomine and
MSM. 
We had him on for two weeks before the ride and during the ride.
He
did great, then right before the end of the ride, I stopped
giving 
it to him to see the results. He was sore and lame after one day
off of it and was the worst that I ever have seen him. It was a
good thing 
we were just about done and I was able to let him rest and ride
another
horse. He had felt so good while on MSM that he had over used
his
joints and was more active. He was prancing and dancing down the
trail
because he could not feel the pain. This got me to thinking. MSM
seemed similar to me like I was giving him Bute. It took us
several
months to get him sound again. Without the MSM he did not over
do it and we were able to get him sound. Anytime you give an
animal or yourself something that relieves the pain in a short
amount of time, seems to me to be similar to a pain killer. Good
for the short term, but very bad for the long term. So I asked a
ride vet if MSM was similar to BUte and he said that they both
basically achieve the same thing. He was
busy, so I didn't get a chance to ask him further on it. 

I also had a friend who was doing well with an older QH in
Competitive. 
He put the horse on MSM and the horses pulse was a lot higher
and
would drop slower. When he took him off the MSM, the horses
pulse
returned to the lower pulse he had always had. We are not sure
why
but one person thought that with the MSM the horse did not feel
the
pain so he would push harder, but the pain was still there and
therefore
the horse was in more pain, therefore the higher pulse, but the
horse
did not act like it. 

There has got to be a reason that MSM is not allowed in
endurance riding, just like Bute is not allowed. 

Just trying to make sense of this "so called"
wonderful product.

Lynette

Merryben@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 9/26/1999 8:06:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> mlaboure@flash.net writes:
> 
> << ridecamp@endurance.net >>
> 
> I have been taking Glucosamine for a number of years and it really works.  I
> changed to another product a month ago and it works great.  It is Grand Flex
> [rider] and I got it at the horse tack store.  It is Glucosamine, methionine,
> MSM, lysine and yucca.  Also has Vitamin C. Niacin, Calcium Zinc and
> Magnesium.  It costs me about $11.00 for 90 caplets.  I use about six a day
> because my dogs take it too.  I have an old shepherd who collapsed from bad
> hip joints 2 years ago and we thought we would have to put him to sleep but
> he is still with us.  He has a lot of problems getting up on my hardwood
> floors but once up he can get around pretty good.  He is also on Rymadel.
> Since I take Calcium/magnes and lysine already, the Grand Flex is really
> quite a bargain.  It is a lot cheaper than the old stuff I bought at the
> health food store......Maryben
> 
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=