United States Eventing Association

For Gwen Patterson and Jade Anderson, their perceptions and riding changed dramatically this past spring. Gwen is a novice eventer, who has been taking lessons from Jade for more than five years. Jade has been riding and training horses for more than 25 years and has been working on upper level dressage over the past five years. Both Gwen and Jade found changing a paradigm involved trying again.

“I'll never forget that day,” recalls Gwen, who competes in eventing during the spring and fall. “It was early March, Jade rode her horse Logan that morning and I rode my mare later that day. Jade didn't say anything to me, but after I rode, I went over to her and said, ‘What the heck was that?’ She looked at me and said, ‘I know, I had the same experience.’ Our horses, who had been struggling with joint pain, were fluid and comfortable.”

This experience actually started in December at the 2011 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in Nashville, Tenn., their first USEA convention even though both have been riding for years. They decided to go this time because it was a manageable distance from their homes near Atlanta.

“I really liked the information,” said Gwen. “The presentations and the range of information were great. But being able to go and talk to experts and say this has been my experience and get feedback was really valuable. I realize that was really a big benefit of going to the conference.”

One valuable resource Gwen and Jade met was Allyn Mann, Director of Luitpold’s Animal Health Division. They had attended his presentation on “Navigating through the world of joint treatments.”While they enjoyed the science and the information he shared, their personal experience with Adequan^® i.m. (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) had been different from what he described.

During a reception at the convention, Gwen and Jade located Allyn and explained that Adequan did not work for them. The ensuing discussion was eye-opening for both.

“We said, ‘Allyn, What is this?’” recalls Jade, trainer at Happy Valley Farm in Newnan, GA. “‘Is this for real? We've invested in Adequan over the years. We did it because we thought it might help our horses last longer, but we never really saw a difference.’”

“We were very open with him. We explained that we had used his product once a month,” Gwen continues. “He asked us to try the product again and use it according to the FDA approved label: one 5 mL injection i.m. every four days for seven treatments.”

After a discussion with their veterinarian regarding Adequan, Gwen and Jade started the series of seven shots so they would finish the treatments before the next competition. The results surprised them both.

“I started the treatments in February, and took Logan to a dressage event in March,” says Jade, who has trained with Olympic riders and trainers over the years. “I gave him one dose every four days for seven treatments. The troubles that I had been having with the upper level dressage movements have gone away. It's really been black and white with this horse. I thought maybe it was because he was a Thoroughbred and not a Warmblood, or because he wasn't bred for it, that maybe he just wasn't going to be able to do those movements. His joints were sore.

“After the Adequan treatment,” she continues, “it was like flipping on a light switch. He obviously was free of joint pain and able to execute the movements. It made me a believer.”

Gwen’s horse improved as well. Jade watched Gwen ride and noticed the mare looked more amiable.

“Gwen's mare was more receptive to pressure being put on her, whereas before she would fight and put up a lot of resistance,” Jade says. “That reluctance is gone. I think she is just more comfortable in her body and joints.”

Gwen and Jade weren’t totally sold yet, they thought these results probably wouldn’t last. Many other treatments they had tried seemed to make a little difference at first but would fade quickly.

“We wondered if it was going to wear off,” Gwen says. “So we started our season in March and showed through May. There is no doubt that our horses feel better. There is no doubt that their scores improved. It has taken our results to another level.”

Gwen and Jade know hundreds of other horse owners who use Adequan once a month. In fact, they said they had never heard of anyone using it correctly and in accordance to the FDA label: one 5 mL injection every four days for seven treatments.

“The major benefit of attending the USEA convention is it changed my perception of lameness management,” Jade says. “I told Gwen that between the two of us we attended probably 15 forums and lectures, and learned many things out of each one. Allyn's forum addressing lameness and the Adequan therapy was the biggest for us. It was worth the whole trip to go up and learn how to use Adequan correctly.”

Both Gwen and Jade look forward to future conventions where they will get to hear from the experts and share stories with other riders. They will probably even share a story how trying again made a big difference.

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