Carriage horses: joint protection when working on hard ground

For me, there is hardly anything better than harnessing up on a sunny Sunday morning and taking a long drive through the fields. The steady trot, the horses snorting, and the wind in your face – it is pure freedom. But as a passionate carriage driver, there is always a slight damper in the back of my mind that accompanies me on almost every drive: the ground.

Anyone who drives a carriage knows the problem. We cannot always choose the surface. Often, the most beautiful routes lead over tarmacked farm roads or gravel tracks. And every time the shoes strike the hard tarmac, I inwardly cringe. You can literally hear the impact travelling up their legs. Of course, we shoe our driving horses appropriately and ensure they have good hoof care, but you cannot trick physics. The constant concussions on hard ground are an enormous challenge for tendons, ligaments, and above all, the joints.

The frustration with powder

Since the long-term health of my team is incredibly important to me, one thing has always been clear: I need to support their joints from the inside. I wanted to act proactively, before the first signs of lameness appear or their movements become stiffer. So I did what we all do – I bought tubs. Large tubs of joint powder.

And that is where the drama began. My gelding, who is absolutely bombproof in harness, turns into a total diva as soon as there is something 'weird' in his manger. I tried everything. First, I simply sprinkled the powder over his oats. The result? The oats were gone, and the fine powder stuck to the bottom of the manger as a dusty residue. Then I tried stirring it into mash. That worked a bit better, but I cannot, and do not want to, make mash every day just to get the supplement into the horse.

The low point was my attempt to hide the powder inside hollowed-out apples. He took one hearty bite, identified the 'contaminated' part, and spat the remains out at my feet. It was enough to make you despair. I knew I had expensive active ingredients in the cupboard that were supposed to help, but if they are not eaten, the best formula is useless.

The discovery: snacks instead of powder chaos

A fellow livery then brought my attention to nuvallo move Snacks. After a drive, she simply pressed two of them into my hand and said, "See if he takes these."

I was sceptical. Joint supplements often taste bitter or chemical. But these things looked different – more like a pressed block or a large snack. And indeed: my gelding took them, chewed with relish, and immediately looked for more. No sorting out, no blowing, no sceptical looks.

What finally convinced me was a look at the ingredients. The nuvallo move Snacks are not simply expensive snacks, but highly dosed functional nutrition. A daily ration of 6 snacks contains exactly the building blocks I had been looking for:

• Glucosamine (1,500 mg) and collagen (2,550 mg) for the cartilage and structure.
• MSM (2,250 mg) for the regeneration of tendons, which is incredibly important, especially when pulling.
• Hyaluronic acid (150 mg) to support the synovial fluid.

Why the 'snack format' is a game-changer for me

Since switching to nuvallo, feeding is the most relaxed part of the day. After unharnessing and seeing to him, he gets the nuvallo move Snacks straight from the hand. It is our little reward after work.

Another plus point that is important to me as an owner: the base of the snacks is free from wheat and corn. They consist of linseed cake, rice bran, and linseed. As my gelding has a slightly sensitive stomach, I am glad that wheat, corn, and unnecessary sugar have been left out here. It just feels healthy, and acceptance is incredibly high thanks to these ingredients.

For my horse (approx. 600 kg warmblood), I usually feed 7 snacks, which is just over the standard recommendation for 500 kg horses, as he has to work quite hard in carriage driving. The beauty of it is: no weighing, no counting little scoops, no dust. Just reach into your pocket and feed.

The result after three months

I have now been feeding the nuvallo move Snacks consistently for about 12 weeks. Of course, you cannot expect miracles overnight; joint metabolism takes time. But I have observed a clear change in recent weeks.

In the past, I often had the feeling that he came out of his stable a bit 'stiff' the morning after a long tarmac drive. He needed a longer warm-up phase until he was truly loose. Since we started feeding nuvallo, he seems noticeably more supple in the mornings. When we harness up, he steps out with more impulsion and enthusiasm right from the start. Even on harder paths, I have the subjective impression that he has more spring in his step and feels much more comfortable in himself.

For me as a competition rider and carriage driver, there is another decisive factor: the snacks are ADMR-compliant. So I do not have to worry if we compete at a driving event – they are competition-safe with no withdrawal period.

Conclusion

Work on hard ground can never be completely avoided with carriage horses. But we can help our partners to cope better with this strain. The nuvallo move Snacks have solved my problem – not just the issue of joint support, but above all, acceptance. It immensely reassures my conscience to know that the essential nutrients are actually getting into the horse and not ending up as dust in the manger. If you love your horse and want to keep them healthy for a long time, you should definitely try these snacks. My gelding, at least, would not give them up for anything.