Sponsored by NoltrexVet

What does it take to make a winning run? Everything.

The right horse.The right relationship with that horse. The top feeds, farriers, trainers and veterinarians. It takes everything to be on top. Yet, nothing stops a successful barrel racing program harder in its tracks than a sore joint.

“When you have an experienced barrel horse starting to show new problems in their run, chances are high that it isn’t a training problem. Rather, the horse is likely experiencing pain or soreness,” said Dr. Craig Roberts, DVM, veterinary director for Nucleus ProVets. “If that source of pain isn’t identified and addressed, the problems usually escalate.”

The root cause of this performance issue is often joint related. Certainly, a good rider can hold a sore horse together in the short term, however, if the origin of the problem isn’t addressed, the whole effort starts to unwind. A joint ignored for too long can result in an unrecoverable case for the horse, affecting them physically due to tissue injury, and causing them to lose confidence in the arena. Pushing through these situations in the short term may result in that 1D horse losing its chance at a long-term career. Thus, having a good joint management plan with your veterinarian is critical for your horse to remain competitive.

Most joint conditions are managed, not cured.

“The fastest horses are the ones requiring the best management because they work their joints the hardest. These are the athletes that need NoltrexVet,” Roberts said. “Last-minute treatments are rarely the answer in a successful program. When we consider the concept of long-term joint management, injections should be predictable, planned events so that only a small amount of training is missed, and we ensure that all training is quality training.”

horse receiving joint therapy
Dr. Jessica Huntington, DVM, performing a carpal (knee) injection with NoltrexVet
at The Equine Lameness Center in Stephenville, Texas.

These goals are now more achievable due to the introduction of NoltrexVet to the USA and Canada.

NoltrexVet is not a drug. It is a long-acting joint lubricant that is safely reabsorbed by the horse, leaving no residue. 

“NoltrexVet has a major advantage over traditional therapies because it lasts a very long time in comparison. Longer comfort means more quality training and better performance,” Roberts said.

“We need to get away from the last minute inject and go mindset because of concerns the joint injection may wear off. Using NoltrexVet we can get back to good training, having confidence in the reliability of athletic performance, through better joint management,” Roberts said.

Horses with certain medical concerns also require more care when selecting joint therapy. Traditional injections with corticosteroids are often not appropriate for horses with pre-existing conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome (PPID), metabolic issues, gastric ulcers, or laminitis. Steroids can worsen these conditions, even with as small an amount that is injected into a joint. NoltrexVet is not a drug and is a safe alternative to reduce or eliminate the need for steroids in these horses. 

NoltrexVet has a major advantage over traditional therapies because it lasts a very long time.

“NoltrexVet is an excellent therapy to consider for any joint that your veterinarian has determined will require long-term management,” Roberts said.  

The human variation of this product, Noltrex, has been used in more than 1 million people in Europe; while NoltrexVet has been safely used in more than 25,000 horses.

Next-gen joint lubrication for effects that last, try NoltrexVet.

Ask your veterinarian if NoltrexVet is right for your horse.

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