Joint problems are inevitable as horses advance in age. These, and a host of others, like ulcers, cracked hoofs, and diseases like thrush can make the golden years of equines almost unbearable. For you and your horse’s peace of mind, you need to find a great supplement to address the problem. But, is it possible to get the best joint supplement for older horses? Yes, if you know what you’re looking for. In this article, we’ll go over some of the things you need to know before searching for supplements for your equine. We’ll also recommend products that have been tried, tested and trusted by equestrians worldwide
Contents
Guide to Choosing Joint Supplements for Horses
For the most part, joint supplements for equines are usually very effective at restoring your horse’s health. As long as they contain active ingredients like Chondroitin sulfate, MSM, hyaluronic acid, and Yucca, they will heal your horse’s joints.
However, the nature of the supplement also matters. There are:
- Powders
- Pellets
- Wafers
- Liquid
Each of these has its advantages. Wafers can be fed to your horse directly, and so, you can avoid wastage. Pellets and powders, on the other hand, can be mixed with the feed and are very useful for horses that don’t like taking supplements. Liquids can be combined with the water, and they usually have the highest bioavailability. The ball is in your court to decide which kind of supplement to go for.
Top 15 Best Joint Supplement for Older Horses
It’s essential to know what you’re looking to buy before you actually do. Thankfully, the short guide has told you most of what you need to know. All that’s left is for you to review the best supplements available today.
Manna Pro Fast Acting Equine Joint Rapid Flex Supplement
This supplement is known as Rapid Flex in the market, and in a way, its name describes what it’s capable of. The product has a fast-acting formula that uses a combination of building block compounds, including Glucosamine HCL, Chondroitin Sulphate, and of course, Hyaluronic acid. It has a palatable taste, and horses can’t get enough of it.
Rapid Flex by Manna Pro has a natural blend of 9 different herbs, and it combines the best of these herbs for maximum joint function. This supplement can deliver improved performance in your older horses in almost no time at all. It is also just as effective in younger horses.
Freedom Calmer Supplement for Horses
Pilot Equines Freedom is our top joint supplement as it contains a blend of reputable and effective ingredients to protect your horses joints.
Freedom also contains no bulk or fillers, making it a worthy investment of your money. MSM and Glucosamine at the doses in Freedom can certainly help ease your horses joints and provide comfort for older horses.
Pilot offer free shipping on all orders and this product is registered and manufactured in the UK. Meaning you know exactly what supplement you are buying from your horse. Pilot also offer a free guide on making the most of Freedom, ensuring you don’t just buy a supplement, but also a complete blueprint on how to protect your horses joints.
Majesty’s Flex Wafers – Horse/Equine Hip & Joint Support Supplement
Majesty’s Flex Wafers has a cocktail of ingredients that are fantastic for healing old and painful joints in horses. The supplement has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce the swelling in the joints and promote pain relief. It is also just as effective in minimizing stiffness and tension, and it improves mobility.
Majesty’s Flex wafers contains premium ingredients like MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Vitamin C, as well as several amino acids. Additionally, the supplement is made out of molasses, oats, and apple sauce, which ensure that it is irresistible for horses. One of Majesty’s Flex Wafers’ most alluring qualities is that it comes in wafers, which are easy to feed to horses.
Hyalogic Hyaluronic Acid Horse Joint Supplement
Unlike many of the other supplements on this list, Hyaluronic Acid Horse Joint Supplement comes in the form of an oral paste. There’s no need to mix it with the horse’s feed and hope it eats it all. Another benefit of the oral paste is that you can administer it more effectively, maximizing the benefits that your horse derives from it.
This supplement is designed to counter all the adverse effects associated with being heavy and active as a horse. It contains Hyaluronic acid and Zinc Citrate in sufficient quantities. You’ll also be glad to know that the taste isn’t so bad that your horse will reject it.
Corta-Flx Equine Pellets Joint Flex Supplements
You can get this supplement in a small size of 2.5 lbs. or large size of 12 lb. Whatever size you buy, you can expect vitality and joint support from the supplement. It helps to maintain health in the connective tissue (not just joints) of horses, ensuring that your horse stays in optimal health and wellbeing.
The supplement is made of Micro-sized amino acids, supportive vitamins, and minerals, as well as joint building ingredients. These joint building ingredients include collagen hydrolysate, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid. The pellets are great tasting, which is good because bitter pellets can make your horse reject its feed altogether.
The Missing Link 5-Pound Equine Plus Formula
The Missing Link contains a handful of ingredients that are very effective at supporting joint function. It contains Glucosamine that helps to support healthy joints and improve their flexibility. It also contains Omega fatty acids, which will enhance the horse’s rate of absorbing fat-soluble vitamins for nutritional support.
The Missing Link contains a rich deposit of fat-soluble vitamins that can support the ligaments, joints, tendons, and boost the function of the immune system. All the nutrients in this supplement work together in delicate balance, giving your horse the best possible treatment.
Ramard Total Joint Care Performance Supplement
Ramard Total Joint Care Performance contains an incredible blend of ingredients that perform a variety of joint functions. From reducing inflammation to easing discomfort t and promoting activity, Ramard Total Joint Care does it all. It supports the entire joint, including synovial fluid cartilage and tissue tendons.
This supplement was developed by a team of veterinarians, trainers, and biochemists. Their goal was to arrive at a complete joint supplement. Some of its ingredients include Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM.
Horse Guard Trifecta Equine Vitamin Mineral Joint Hoof & Probiotic Supplement
Instead of addressing just the joints and connective tissues, Horse Guard addresses all the needs of the horse, including even the vitamins and trace minerals typically missing from hay. It promotes the development of healthy and stronger hooves by delivering a dose of at least 32 mg of biotin.
It also promotes healthy gut health by introducing pro and pre-biotic supplements. For the joints, it provides supplements featuring 100mg of Hyaluronic Acid, Glucosamine and MSM. Horse Guard is straightforward to feed to horses, as it comes in easy to scoop powder.
Vitaminsea Horse Supplement Organic Kelp – Seaweed
Vitaminsea is a concentrate of Kelp dissolved in ocean water, combined with various other beneficial compounds, vitamins, and minerals. By loading the horse with vegetables and vitamins, Organic Kelp horse supplement arrests arthritis and caters to the different bodily needs as well.
The supplement contains over 69 vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and amino acids in a readily available form. It also contains Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and White Willow Bark. Organic Kelp is easy to feed to your horse, meaning that your horse can get every ounce of nutrients from it.
LubriSyn Joint Supplement for Canine & Equine
LubriSyn Joint Supplement specializes in providing cushioning for your animal’s joints. It acts based on the fact that older horses have less cartilage and synovial fluid in their joints. This reduction leads to unhealthy and painful bone-to-bone contact.
By providing cushioning, it reduces pain, inflammation, and any limitations in activity that your animal might experience. LybriSyn also introduces helpful compounds like Hyaluronic acid into the joint and body of horses.
AniMed Pureflex W/HA 90640
Even though AniMed doesn’t specifically designate this product for older horses, don’t ever let anyone tell you that it’s not effective. It can get your horse from barely moving around and in pain to energetic and active. The supplement is as effective for mares as it is for male equines.
It contains all the ingredients you can expect from a joint supplement, like chondroitin, MSM, and hyaluronic acid. It also includes a rich deposit of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Animed Pureflex promotes joint and cartilage health while decreasing pain and inflammation.
RICHDEL Legacy Pellets Joint Support for Senior Horses
If you’re looking for a product that combines excellent performance and quality with an affordable price, this is the one for you. Like many others on this list, it was explicitly designed for performance in older horses. It contains compounds that support the joints, muscles, and other connective tissues in the horse’s body.
Some of these ingredients include Glucosamine HCL, MSM, Chondroitin sulfate, and Yucca. It is also loaded with antioxidants and amino acids for good health. For taste and palatability, it is pelleted with a yeast culture and stabilized rice bran.
Acti Flex Powder
Here’s another product by Acti Flex, and this one is just as effective as the first. It is the result of a search for safe and effective alternatives for joint pain that don’t cause harmful side effects to the horse. And as you can expect, the supplement is 100% organic, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so popular. It’s also popular because of how effective it is.
This supplement is an alfalfa-based powder, and it contains the same formulations as the other joint supplements by Acti Flex. Glucosamine Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, MSM, and Superoxide Dismutase are some of the ingredients. Acti Flex Powder is just as useful for older horses as it is for younger ones.
NUSENTIA Horse Joint Supplement – New Larger Size
NUSENTIA Horse Joint Supplement is basically all you’ve been looking for in a joint supplement for older horses, but this time, in liquid form. It was manufactured by NUSENTIA to tackle the problem of joint pain and degeneration in horses, and thus, it is packed with ingredients that tackle the problem head-on.
Chondroitin, MSM, Hyaluronic acid, and Yucca are its main active ingredients. It also contains a unique form of manganese that can support excellent joint health, flexibility, and overall healthy performance in your older horse. The supplement’s liquid formula makes it easy to administer, and all you need to do is mix it with your horse’s water. Another benefit of the liquid form is that it is easier to absorb by the body, which is good because it needs all the nutrients it can get.
Custom Collagen Equine Support Gelatin + Biotin
Manufactured by Custom Collagen, this supplement is nothing but Gelatin and Biotin. But, before you decide that it’s not as potent as the other products on this list, wait until you hear what it can do. First of all, it provides incredible hoof support. Gelatin is instrumental to the growth of strong hoofs, and it can even aid in the repair of cracked ones.
Moving to the joint, it can also tackle and alleviate a lot of joint disorders. Improving the production of synovial fluid, promoting the healing of joint tissue and cartilage, as well as boosting overall activity. Custom Collagen recommends one ounce of supplement for every 1000 pounds of body weight in your horse, for best results.
Nutramax, Cosequin Equine Powder
Nutramax boasts of Cosequin Equine Powder being the number one joint supplement recommended by veterinarians, and it’s not hard to see why. It combines 3,600 mg of Glucosamine with 1,200 mg of low-molecular-weight chondroitin sulfate, giving you one mean joint supplement. These ingredients improve the joint structure in older horses, so, the changes may occur gradually.
Nutramax estimates that if you stick to the recommended dosage, you should see changes in your older horse within a month. It may take up to six weeks in horses with advanced joint conditions.
Conclusion
The truth is that joint diseases are very painful for human beings. They cause limitations and restrictions in your movement. And, since you know how painful those can be, you can’t even begin to imagine how they must feel for equines. Luckily, there are numerous best joint supplement for older horses that can solve the problem. There are wafers and pellets, powders, and even liquid supplements. If you need a supplement that combines excellent quality with a great price, RICHDEL Legacy Pellets Joint Support for Senior Horses is your best bet. On the other hand, if you’re more concerned about getting the most out of the supplement, then you need one that doesn’t just address joint needs but other bodily needs as well. In essence, you need something like Horse Guard Supplement or Custom Collagen Equine Gelatin + Biotin supplement.
