Have you heard of CurOST? Until a few years ago, I hadn’t either.
In 2010, I had the privilege of watching the World Equestrian Games with friends and family. As we walked the aisles of gift shops and exhibits, I picked up several samples. Over the last few years, Nouvelle Research has emailed articles about their product line, and if I can be honest, I often deleted them. After all, my horse was sound and going beautifully.
A former barn-mate, show-buddy, and friend, Beth Stelzleni, has become an expert equine nutritionist, eventer, and trainer. I vaguely remember her posting glowing reviews about this product, but I did not realize that Beth is actually an ambassador for and routine user of Cur-OST.
Cur-OST EQ Plus
When my mare suffered severe injuries to two ligaments last August, she started a regime of joint and ligament supplements. She was healing nicely while on stall rest and for the first few months under saddle. When we began trot, she came up lame again: first on the left hind, then her back, the left fore, and most recently the right fore. Based on ultrasound and X-rays, it seems she may have some residual inflammation in the original injury (lateral collateral ligament) and mild arthritic changes in the left hock, right fore navicular bone, and both fore coffin joints.
Daily Previcox brought some relief, but the mare was not sound. After consulting with my vet, we turned her out, stopped the Previcox, and purchased Cur-OST EQ Plus GTF formula. Per Nouvelle’s research, a spice you may find more often in Indian food than in your barn may reduce the inflammatory processes that degenerate joints or slow the healing process in soft tissue. Curcumin, a principle ingredient in Cur-OST, comes from the turmeric plant.
Dosing out the Cur-OST has been on my “to-do” list for weeks now. My mare gets a daily SmartPak, which I have found is the most effective and convenient method to ensure my mare gets an accurate and consistent dose of her supplements. Cur-OST does not come in SmartPaks (yet).
First, I needed 30 small containers. With Christmas around the corner and the steady stream of vet bills I’ve received over the last year, I was not about to shell out full price. Take note: if you give daily supplements, keep an eye on grocery store mailers for a good deal. I joined “Just for U,” a savings club at Safeway, and downloaded the app to my iPhone. Lo and behold, the “XSmall” size Ziploc brand containers had a store discount and had a manufacturers coupon attached that Safeway doubled! I bought 30, and paid less than half price.
Discount + Manufacturer’s Coupon = Savvy Supplements
Next, the dosing: Cur-OST recommends a loading dose for a 1000-lb. horse of 1 ounce (1 scoop) twice daily for 10-14 days. The bag claims to have 28 ounces. Some of the powder spilled out as I scooped. As a result, I wound up with 27 doses.
The powder is a rich yellow and smells fruity-sweet. Like turmeric, it leaves a bright stain (on fingers and clothes too!) At this point, it isn’t clear what is causing my mare to be lame, but the Nouvelle studies suggest that Cur-OST may be effective at addressing both soft tissue injury and arthritis. With three run-ins with the product, there’s no time like the present to give it a try. Wish us luck!
One ounce of Cur-OST EQ Plus
Capital Cowgirl 
I haven’t heard of this stuff either. It’s got Boswellia also which should help with the inflammation. I’m so sorry that your mare is lame, and quite lame at that. I had a horse once that went quite lame like this and I rented a Cold Laser Therapy machine for a month. It really helped a lot. Google it and you can read lots on it. Good luck with her!
Thanks for the tip. I hope you’re right! How often did you use the laser?
I used it nearly daily for the month. I believe you can use it a few times per day. You’ve got soft tissue damage right?
I’m amazed you were able to keep her on stall rest for a year. That’s a tough thing to do.
Yes, two ligaments. The stall rest was difficult for us both, but this mare is an absolute doll. I cannot imagine what it would have been like if she didn’t have such a sound mind.
Got another one for you – for her sore back, I have purchased a hand-held ultrasound machine for about $200 and used it on my boy when his back was sore. You can use that several times a day too. It made an immediate difference.
Also, any chiropractic work done on her back?
She has not had chiropractic, but I have been considering whether to try it. There is an equine practitioner who comes every few months for others in the barn. I may try to get out and speak with her. Thanks for the tips! Sounds like you have been in my shoes 🙂
I have ! Had a gelding that strained both tendons and also had navicular issues. I know that they hold their weight differently and can easily put the back out of alignment. Both of my horses have had adjustments and I notice a difference in how they are within a day.
I hope the Cur-OST works for your girl! I had never heard of it either. I’m so sorry to hear she is still not sound. Have you considered acupuncture for her? Just because the chiropractor you’re considering does do acupuncture as well. I didn’t use to believe in it until I needed it myself: several years ago, I tripped and fell on the pavement during a run, injuring my right knee. I hobbled around for 2 weeks, waiting for it to get better, but it was not improving. The pain was pretty excruciating. X-rays showed no damage to the bony structures of the knee; I honestly thought I’d fractured my patella, it hurt that much. I went to my GP at the time, who happened to have certification in alternative therapies. He asked about trying acupuncture for my knee, since RICE had not worked so far. I told him to go ahead. He inserted the needles in my knee and added a heat element (it looks like a cut cigar, which he attached to the ends of the needles and then lit. This caused the needles to warm up.) It did not hurt at all; all I felt was a pleasant warmth in my knee. The needles were in for a few minutes, then he removed them.
I walked into that office with 50% range of motion in that leg. I didn’t believe in this kind of alternative therapy, and had not been expecting to receive it when I went to see my doctor. I walked out of there with 100% range of motion and no pain whatsoever. The knee has never bothered me again. This was over 10 years ago.
I’ve seen it have similar benefits in animals over the years. Here is another blogger’s experience with it (it’s a great blog regardless; Karen has a terrific sense of humor): http://theeashke.blogspot.com/2013/12/long-day.html
Sorry for the super long comment! Just adding more options for the list, in case you should need them. 🙂 I’m all for traditional medicine, but sometimes Eastern medicine really can fill the gaps that Western medicine is unable to resolve.
Thanks for the tip, Saiph! I’m impressed to hear about your results with acupuncture, and I agree: complementary therapies can provide effective relief in some instances. I will absolutely check out your friend’s blog. I plan to update on the Cur-OST next week once we complete the loading doses, but here’s a preview so far: the horses were in due to weather Sunday and Monday. My mare’s left hind always stocks up, even within 10 hours. I was certain it would be quite puffy. When I got to the barn last night, all four legs were beautifully clean and tight. It was a welcome sight.
this is very interesting and i can’t wait to hear how it works! i am a BIG fan of natural. the body is an amazing thing and if we can support it naturally it can and often does heal itself 🙂
Thanks Ladybug Farm! I hope it will do the trick, and I will certainly update the blog when I know more.
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Looking forward to hearing it this works for you. I have a gelding with leg issues and I am considering this product. I have a vet coming to look at him next week. We’ll take it from there. I did e-mail Dr. Schell and he had some informative comments so I am leaning toward giving this a try.
Hey Chris, how did it go? Did you decide to try the Cur-OST? I know how frustrating it is to track down lameness. Hope you find out what’s going on with your gelding.