Joint supplements for horses: what’s on the market?

Joint supplements for horses provide additional nutritional support for normal and healthy joint function to help keep them comfortable and moving at his best. There’s a lot for your horse’s joints to contend with throughout the year. In the winter, the increased likelihood of restricted turnout means he’s likely to be moving less and when this is combined with colder temperatures, stiffness is a common result. If the ground’s not hard then it’s wet, which can lead to more roadwork and increased concussive forces on the joint, too. Whereas in the summer hard ground is also unavoidable if you’re not confined to a school.

Common ingredients found in joint supplements for horses include:

glucosamine
MSM (methyl sulphonyl methane)
HA (hyaluronic acid)

If you compete with your horse then it is important you make sure any supplements you use do not contain any prohibited substances.

Joint supplements for horses: what are your options?

Here is a selection of the best joint supplements for horses that are currently available below in our alphabetical list, which includes the manufacturers’ descriptions of their products…

NB: Cost per day has been calculated using the maintenance measure for a 500kg horse in light work (where there was variation) and the RRP of the smallest available tub. Some products require you to feed more with a higher workload, which will increase the cost per daily measure, while buying a larger tub will likely decrease it – these costs per day are a guide only.

Animalife Vetroflex Original

This supplement is a pure peptide protein and works by protecting the cartilage and synovial fluid against deterioration. It also stimulates the cartilage cells to promote more collagen, which helps maintain movement and flexibility by protecting the joints from friction.

Audevard Ekyflex Arthro

This formula contains more than 70% approved and innovative ingredients, including glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and turmeric to help optimise joint function.

Aviform Suppleaze VS

This is a combination of Aviform’s Suppleaze Gold and Suppleaze Progen for horses that require the highest specification of supplement. It contains full clinical levels of glucosamine HCL, chondroitin, MSM, HA, bioactive collagen peptides, curcumin, boswellia and vitamin C. Available in a 100% compostable pouch.

Betta Life PharmaQuin Joint Complete HA

This high-specification formula contains a 10:10:4 ratio of glucosamine HCL, MSM and chondroitin, with no additives or bulking agents.

Blue Chip Joint-RLF

This supplement contains 100% natural ingredients that help to nourish the joints and maintain joint comfort.

Cavalor Arti Motion

This supplement helps to maintain healthy and flexible joints in all horses and ponies, whether they are going through a growth phase, in their senior years or in hard competition work.

Dodson & Horrell Joint Support

A pelleted supplement that supports the nutritional maintenance of your horse’s musculoskeletal system, designed to support healthy joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Also contains herbs from Dodson & Horrell Mobility.

Elite Equine organic rosehip

This powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant helps to promote recovery after a busy summer competition season. The ingredient is picked by hand in the mountains of Lesotho.

Equiform Easy Joint Liquid

This supplement includes a broad range of ingredients, all of which are involved in the maintenance and repair of the joint structure. Vitamins and minerals, in addition to the glucosamine and MSM, act on a broader role within the joint, as well as supporting the production of important molecules, ensuring all functions relating to the joint are catered for.

Equine America Cortaflex HA Super Fenn

This supplement now has enhanced levels of key compounds and nutrients associated with supporting joint health and comfort, including increased levels of the key minerals copper and silicon. This supplement has been specially formulated to provide optimum joint support for performance, racing and competition horses, or older horses with significant levels of wear and tear.

Equine Products UK Flexivite HA

Combining the very best ingredients with new chemistry advances, FlexiVite HA provides a unique combination of biologically active substances to maintain joint suppleness, enhance lubrication, shock absorption and elasticity.

Equitop GLME

Manufactured by the world’s largest equine veterinary health company, Equitop GLME contains high quality green-lipped mussel extract (GLME), which provides nutrients to support optimal joint health. It is tested free of prohibited substances and can be used confidently in competition.

Feedmark Best-Flex HA

This proven supplement contains high levels of joint-supporting nutrients to optimise your horse’s mobility, comfort and performance

Foran Equine Ost-O-Flex

This syrup helps to maintain joint mobility and health. It contains glucosamine, MSM and marine collagen.

Global Herbs MoveFree Plus

This supplement helps to maintain joints, tendons and ligaments. A highly concentrated herbal mix, it supports freedom of movement and helps maintain the natural production of joint fluid.

The Golden Paste Company TurmerAid

This joint supplement also supports the body’s natural inflammation process, aids digestion and promotes a healthy skin and coat. It contains turmeric (5.1% curcumin), linseed oil, black pepper, apple cider vinegar and yucca.

Hack Up Bespoke

This bespoke supplement can be refined throughout the year to ensure it’s always including the right ingredients for your horse — all Bespokes are hand-made in a dedicated, accredited factory the day you order. The supplements are free from fillers, preservatives or chemical caking agents, which makes every grain in every scoop powerful, effective and highly affordable. Glucosamine, MSM and boswellia are used pure when aiming to support the joints. This product is now billed monthly, rather than pouch by pouch.

Hi Form Proflamaid Plus

ProflamAid helps to maintain healthy joints and supports general metabolism and red blood cell formation, while also maintaining normal nitrogen balance in tissues.

Hilton Herbs Multi-Flex Gold

Multi-Flex Gold is a fast-absorbing liquid supplement containing herbs such as devil’s claw root and cleaver, which helps support mobility and the lymphatic system. Multi-Flex Gold was formulated to maintain and support supple joints and muscles as well as a healthy circulatory system.

Horse First My Joints Plus

This mobility supplement is formulated to provide all-round care and protection for joints, tendons and ligaments. It contains a range of ingredients that aid the core building blocks of the joint and connective tissue, as well as have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

Lincoln Glucosamine Premier Concentrate

This concentrated glucosamine supplement is enhanced with MSM and vitamin C to support healthy joints, tendons and cartilage.

Lintbells YuMove Horse

This new and improved formula has increased levels of high-strength Glucosamine, MSM and omega-3, providing even more support, encouraging joint health and muscle recovery.

The Little Feed Company Flex Free

This supplement combines five major key ingredients – MSM, glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid and boswellia – with micronised hemp meal to provide the building blocks of cartilage and support the body’s anti-inflammatory systems and muscle health.

Mastacare Glucosamine 5000

This supplement helps to maintain healthy tendons, cartilage and joints. It contains readily absorbed glucosamine combined with MSM to promote healing and to act as a natural anti-inflammatory.

Maxavita Maxaflex

This supplement combines the soothing power of green-lipped mussel with other key ingredients to offer short- and long-term support for joint health in horses and ponies. The key active ingredient, a patented green-lipped mussel extract, contains high levels of omega-3 that are known for their natural soothing properties. Glucosamine, MSM and HA help with the long-term maintenance of connective tissue.

NAF Five Star Superflex

A scientifically balanced ratio of readily absorbed glucosamine, chondroitin and the highest quality MSM, which support the cartilage — the first part of the joint to show wear and tear. It also contains a powerful anti-oxidant formula, which tackles excess free radical build-up around the joint. Five Star Superflex contains the right combination of key nutrients in the optimum ratios and is also available in liquid form.

Nettex Joint & Muscle Maintenance Powder

Formulated to help horses maintain healthy joints and muscles to reduce the effects of concussion and everyday wear and tear.

Nupafeed Flex GLM

This supplement helps to soothe and nourish joints with the power of green-lipped mussel, which is nature’s most potent source of omega-3. Combined with anti-oxidants to support tissue recovery, Flex GLM helps to keep joints moving freely.

NutriScience Arthri Aid

A glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and HA supplement that aids joint lubrication and helps to promote regeneration of the important shock-absorbing joint tissue. Also available in powder form.

Plusvital Flex Supp

This supplement combines glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, MSM and rosehip with antioxidants to support the mobility and joint health of the performance horse.

Rowen Barbary Supple

This supplement contains the five most highly effective ingredients associated with improving joint mobility to help ensure optimum joint health and flexibility.

Saracen KER Synovate HA

This supplements delivers high molecular weight of sodium hyaluronate, which helps to maintain cartilage health and elasticity, joint fluid viscoelasticity and lubrication of joint, in an easy-to-administer liquid

Science Supplements FlexAbility Plus+

The only joint supplement in the UK with a published peer-reviewed paper in The Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, it contains optimum levels of scientifically proven ingredients.

Synovium Motion JMT

This supplement helps support optimal joint mobility and performance. It contains the required levels of the three most effective ingredients in equine joint health – glucosamine, MSM and chondroitin.

TopSpec 10:10 Joint Support

A caramel-flavoured additive that includes an excellent specification of nutrients to help maintain health in and around joints. It includes a generous combination of natural sources of glucosamine and MSM.

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