MSM: Strong Addition To Equine Joint Nutraceuticals

It's an excellent partner to your horse's glucosamine and chondroitin, but MSM is also powerful on its own.

MSM. It’s inexpensive and readily available. 

Look for “pure powdered MSM” sources when you shop for an MSM supplement. This sulfur-based molecule is in the same family as DMSO and garlic, although it doesn’t bear the harsh smell. 

MSM is known for binding free-radicals (harmful chemicals released from inflamed tissue) and having a good anti-inflammatory effect in the body. It works well in combination with other ingredients, like glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, and you may have noticed it on the supplement label. It’s a good choice even on its own for sore muscles and inflammation as well.

But, did you know that, at high concentrations, MSM has even been shown to be a pain-killer? It has been shown to numb nerve endings to lessen the body’s sensation of pain. MSM is absorbed quite well, but it needs to be fed to horses in high concentrations in order to achieve the effects noted. 

Some companies have caught on to the research regarding MSM and are marketing it in effective higher concentrations. But many still don’t. These manufacturers sell their products at a cheaper price, but their relatively low recommended feeding levels of MSM are likely why many horse owners report that they don’t see an improvement from using MSM. You also have to be patient, even at our recommended levels (see below), it can take 2 to 6 weeks to see a difference. 

You may hear people claiming MSM doesn’t work, even some veterinarians. Frankly, we find the results we see in field trials and clinical settings with MSM are far more powerful than any research regarding its poor efficacy. 

Yes, of course, there’s value in statistical analysis. But statistics can’t explain the undeniable positive results that owners who give MSM to their horses (at the optimum dose) report. We’ve heard claims that the placebo effect is in play, but horses can’t experience a placebo effect since they don’t know what they’re being fed in the first place.

So what is the optimal dose? 20,000 mg MSM per day. If you check your package label, you’ll see that most scoops hold around 10,000 mg. 

Look for the NASC label on your supplement to ensure quality.

When you shop, also look for the NASC label on your supplement, because it indicates that the company submits to third-party audits, checks and reporting rules, all to ensure the consumer gets what he or she is paying for.

We like these MSM products:

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