The following is a letter to farrier Darren Owen CF, APF and has been reproduced with the author’s permission.

Hi Darren,
I wanted to give you an update on my observations on both Suri and Pooter since they both started on Farriers Formula DS with Joint. I have just now finished the first tub you so kindly arranged for us to try.

As you know, Suri was pulled out of the kill pen at New Holland, PA at the age of 22. She had been used as a broodmare in her younger years but her history was lost after the age of 8 when her AMHA registration papers disappeared. When I got her, she was in good flesh and did not manifest any lameness issues although she showed some visible irregularities in her knees.  She was stiff, especially in the mornings, and would sometimes trot but not canter. When crossing the concrete aisle, her pace would slow and she was hesitant when going downhill from the concrete to the dirt when exiting the barn to the fields. I put her on a joint supplement and for the 2 1/2 years I have had her, she has received an AM and PM dose with her feed. There has been no appreciable change in her other than an incident of laminitis earlier in the year. After that, I decided to put her on Farriers Formula Double Strength. We did that for a few months before changing over to the joint formula. While now pushing 25, her movement is that of a younger horse, better than when she first came to me. I ran out of the joint supplement over a month ago and decided not to purchase another tub. I have noticed NO deterioration in her movement, only a continuation of the fluidity of her walk and trot. The mare rarely cantered and galloped only a few times in the last 2 ½ years. Yesterday, she galloped out of the backfield to be the first into the barn for dinner. Even with the extremely low temperatures and the harder ground, the mare still moves like a horse half her age. I am thrilled to say the least and hope it continues throughout the winter. Hopefully, you are seeing a change/improvement in her feet to go along with her improvement in movement.  

Pooter, now going on 21, has had a much more documented past with bouts of laminitis and frequent abscesses. It took a while to figure out that a lot of her issues were caused by an advanced case of osteoarthritis. We believe her compensation for her significant discomfort led to many of her hoof problems. Since loading her on Adequan and continuing maintenance on a monthly basis, I have seen significant improvement in her movement and her overall body makeup. Historically, the fall has been her downfall, but this year she has sailed thru with minor issues. Like Suri, I put her on Farriers Formula Double Strength in the hope of improving her feet once we saw the improvement from the Adequan. When the joint formulation was offered, I put her on the recommended dosage and let her joint supplement run out.  The mare is trotting, occasionally cantering and generally seems to feel well.  Unlike Suri, Pooter gets a dose of anti-inflammatory meds on a daily basis and still gets monthly Adequan injections. At some point, I would like to pull her off the anti-inflammatory and see if there are any changes.  She shows minor stiffness in the early morning but seems to “walk out of it” in a few steps.  Something she was not regularly doing on the joint supplement.

I truly appreciate your thinking of these two mares when looking for someone to try the new Life Data formulation for the joints.  I would definitely say it has improved the overall wellbeing of both these aged mares.  As stoic Morgans, we all know that they are usually in pretty bad shape by the time they show outward signs. Recognizing both of these mares were showing signs of discomfort that have diminished significantly, I would say I am sold on Farriers Formula DS with Joint.

 Thank you again for helping keep these 4-legged therapists in work with the veterans.  It has made a world of difference in the lives of not only the animals but the wounded warriors they work with.

 Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas,

Debi, Suri and Pooter 

Debi Demick
Program Director
Horses Helping Heroes Project
Smithfield, VA  23430