What is the best joint supplement for my horse?

Question

I am an eventer and heading off to ride at college and have started to look at supplements for my horse. I would like to get some form of cosequin, but don't want to overload him with levels of chondroiton and other stuff that his body will just end up having to flush out anyways... so how much is too much or too little? Any supplements I should know about?

Answer 1

I keep my show horse on MSM.  Its great for joints, and very cheap.  I think its like $7 for a 45 day supply where I buy it.  I use it for growing horses, and for maintenance on my show horses.  You might want to look into it.

Answer 2

I agree with the person above me: MSM

Answer 3

Have you considered Glucosamine?  This is one of the main active ingredients in many joint suppliments, and is also used in dogs and humans as well.  Go to some feed stores and look at their suppliments and see what dosage of Glucosamine they provide.  In my experience most suppliments provide about 5000 gms of Glucosamine, at least for the first month.  Some then suggest you cut back to 2500 grams as the standard dose after the first month (By the way you are supposed to feed it divided in two doses)  The cost can be as high as $70 a month if you buy a big brand name of some suppliments, so what I did was go to the human quality Glucosamine, after talking to my local vet.

I went to Walmart and bought 300 capsules of Glucosamine 500 gms.  You need caplets so you can open then and extract the powder.  Your horse will require 10 caplettes a day at first, so give him 5 in the morning and 5 at night mixed in his grain.  I add a bit of cooking oil to the oats to help the Glucosamine stick to the grain.  The cost of a months supply going this route is about $15, much better than $70.  And there is no reason to expect that the human quality stuff will be less effective than the horse!  The only downside is the 2 minutes or so it takes to split the capsules and pour it into the grain, it does become a bit of a pain when you're in the rush.  But the savings of money makes it worthwhile for me!

Good luck.  I'd suggest talking to your vet before following my advice or anyone else's either - but I think you'll find there are things you can do to help your horse's joints somewhat.

Answer 4

i like using the platform joint formula, i use it on my horse

Answer 5

MSM...my Arabian is on it and my friend's Appendix...you can get it in a Smartpak or buy it online/in a tackstore. It really does wonders :)

Answer 6

i have always had good luck with Corta-Flex, but I recomend a high quailty feed with any suppliment. MSM is also and excellent choice.

Answer 7

I event also and I use Fluid Action HA by Finish Line on my horse. It's a really good supplement and not too expensive.