Pippi has been on Osteo-Max for 6 weeks as of today April 14th.
To refresh your memory, and mine, this is video from after week one, and two.
In the last 6 weeks we have also worked hard on her fitness, with the goal of strengthening her stifles and abdominals. Lots walking over groundpoles, and then trotting over ground poles. Lots of transitions, lots and lots of transitions from walk and trot, with some canter mixed in. I am not fond of cantering horses on the lunge line, so we keep that at a minimum. I realize that some horses may need that, but Pippi is 20 years old, and so a circle or two in each direction will do. Let me also say that by "circle" I mean using the arena to the max, and so it becomes a rounded oval with me running around inside. Good exercise for both horse and rider. By going as big as we can in our arena, we put as little stress on joints and tendons as we can.
I start each work session with a good groom (checking her all over for heat, swelling, pain etc). Then I do a stifle release triggerpoint massage (not sure massage is the right word really), and after walking in hand for a few strolls around the arena, I let her out on the lunge line. We still walk just on the flat for another few circles, before I guide her over the groundpoles. Once we have walked the poles 4-5 times, we do some short trot sessions (not over the poles), before finally having her trot the poles. Lots of walk/trot transitions, before just trot. Then we canter (not over poles) just a little, before doing the entire thing in reverse order. Including the stifle releases. We have slowly inreased the total time of the workout, and are now up to 40 minutes. And I have raised some of the poles at an angle recently.
After the work out, weather premitting, I have taken her out to graze. We stand on the steepest part of the grass, making sure she grazes uphill (loading those back legs), downhill (stretches her out), and sideways (loading one side). I have no idea if this helps, but theoretically it should, right? I see her muscles tighten as described so I am going with it.
So what does Pippi look like now?
That was as you can see, April 9th, so five weeks after starting Osteo-Max and the new routine. There is clearly great improvement, and I plan to start doing some work under saddle. Just a lot of walking to begin with.
Based on these 6 weeks, I will say that I recommend Osteo-Max. It is not a magic potion, and I can't say how much of the improvement was Osteo-Max and how much was the fitness training. But there is great improvement, and Osteo-Max is part of that package.
I have not been paid by Osteo-Max for this review, I do not have a relationship with them, and no special coupon code for you that somehow benefts me. This is my honest experience this far with this product, and my honest review.
