Natural eggshell membrane supplementation for chronic lameness in warmblood horses: a 12-week prospective before–after study

TL;DR

A 12-week study found that natural eggshell membrane supplementation may improve lameness and gait in Warmblood horses with chronic lameness.

Contribution

This is the first prospective before–after study evaluating natural eggshell membrane in horses with chronic lameness.

Findings

Rider-reported function improved by half a grade at walk and trot.

Owner-rated palatability improved significantly.

Moderate changes were observed in joint angle and examiner composite grades.

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of equine lameness, yet pragmatic evidence for nutraceuticals in horses remains limited.

We prospectively evaluated 12 weeks of daily natural eggshell membrane (NEM; 12 mg/kg, orally) supplementation in Warmblood horses with chronic lameness using a single-arm before–after design. Ten horses were enrolled and prespecified paired contrasts compared visit 3 (V3, week 12) with baseline (V1). Outcomes included rider-reported under-saddle function (walk and trot), examiner-graded lameness (rest and walk–trot composite), simple joint-angle kinematics (degrees), and owner-rated palatability.

Rider-reported function improved by approximately half a grade at both walk and trot, and owner-rated palatability improved markedly. Examiner walk-trot scores showed a small trend toward improvement, while rest lameness remained unchanged. Statistical inference supported these patterns, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) excluding zero for rider scores (Δ = −0.50) and palatability (Δ = −1.50). Moderate changes were observed in right-fore joint angle (Δ = +3.06°) and examiner composite grades (Δ = −0.11). These effects were supported by small-sample inference (permutation tests, bootstrap CIs) and complementary Bayesian estimation.

NEM showed potential short-term improvements in owner-reported function and examiner-graded gait, but larger controlled studies are needed.

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