I have a recently turned 16 year old who I have on SmartFlex Senior Herb Free Pellets. I think it does okay but I don’t notice a huge difference, just looking for other suggestions? I’m tempted to try cosequin.
Does he need a joint supplement?
He does have some stiffness that my trainer and myself feel he would benefit from a joint supplement.
Add MSM and if that doesn’t work look at an injectable. I don’t have much faith is the supplements.
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Absorbine Flex Max is great!
Recovery EQ - not cheap but definitely works and resulted in significant, visible improvement in comfort from shoulder arthritis in one of my family’s horses. We even could tell when the BO accidentally stopped feeding it for a few days without our knowledge.
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friend who is a vet recommended actiflex 4000. I’ve seen noticeable results in both a 16 year old dog with disc disease and a semi retired gelding with a big arthritic knee.
Forcyte epitalis - backed up by clinical trials. Experienced real and meaningful difference with my school master type gelding - like he lost 6 years in a few days. Adopted on vet recommndation.
His response was so marked and significant that now 8 other horses (various ages and training) have been put on it following vet advice and marked differencs with all.
I know you were asking for ORAL suggestions, but have you considered injectable supplements?
If I were to spend my money on one or the other, I would absolutely choose an injectable such as Adequan or pentosan.
With that said … I do also give my horses an oral (along with an injectable). I really like either Platinum Performance CJ or T.H.E. Muscle Mass (custom blend with joint and inflammation support). Both are a bit spendy but I’ve liked the results.
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I’m assuming this isn’t available in the US or Canada yet?
Lubrisyn (Hyaluronic Acid ) HA is what I use for my horses, my old, arthritic dog and myself. I’ve used many other
supplements over the years but now I stick w/ this one. It does take away pain very quickly, like within 1/2 hr. and
continues throughout the day. Not cheap, but does work.
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Cosequin HA+, hands down. Lubrisyn worked okay but still wan’t getting the whole job done. The Smartpak products were okay, but not a 100 percent fix. The Cosequin HA+ has been fabulous. The 24 year old appy/TB is sailing around the pasture without any problems now whatsoever. If you look on Chewy.com they often have sales on the Cosequin products for horses, and shipping is free.
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I second Recovery EQ. It’s my go-to for years, and all of my horses are on it. And it you want to see how well it works I’ll show you a video of my 35+ year old sailing around the pasture 
I know a few horses that respond really well to Cosequin ASU. You’ll see a difference in one tub so it isn’t a huge investment. If they don’t respond, I just put them on cheap MSM.
I give my horses a supplement called GLC 5500 Max. One reason many people don’t like oral supplements is that of how little the body actually absorbs the ingredients. This one has an absorption rating of 63% (industry standard is usually around 8-10%). It has 3 patents & 2 clinical studies. It also helps the body increase its own production of HA.
I had a horse with several fused CV improve tremendously on this supplement. I paired it with Pentosan and I think they both worked really well together. Total price is about $50/month, depending on the dosage.
I became a rep because of how well it worked for my last horse (I nearly cried when he jumped a 4’ fence into his pasture & trotted away with a ton of spring in his step).
Sorry, done my plug for the day
I like HylaLube. It is straight HA, 325 mg per oz. You can get it from Horse.com for $75/gallon. Even doubling the dose to 2 oz per day is 56 days, so nearly 2 mos. That makes it pretty cheap.
Recovery EQ is fabulous - worth every penny especially if you’re rehabbing.
It’s a bit pricey for daily maintenance, but if you can afford it, by all means use it.
Corta Flx is a very good product for daily maintenance and prevention.
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I think MSM is one of the few supplements that is scientifically shown to be effective. Just make sure it’s 10,000 mg or higher, which is the recommended therapeutic dose. It’s pretty inexpensive.
I’ve also wanted to check out one I saw that I can’t remember the name of for the life of me that has some pretty compelling research… but that’s no help. Will edit post if I remember!
I second the Actiflex liquid. It has more of the active ingredients than many more expensive products and my horse loves the flavor–eats it off the top of his food first thing. He’s 23 and acts 5. Vet recommended this brand after ha had an injury a few years ago and he moves better now than he did pre-injury.
That said, my horse wasn’t off at all prior to the injury. If the arthritis is already advanced enough to affect gait, I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Pentosan or another systemic injection.
I use cosequin. I buy it off of eBay or with a statelinetack coupon or wherever it is cheapest. It works for my horses who went through the Legend and Adequan shots when they were young with no noticeable effect. They are more comfortable on ccsequin daily.
