I’ve been using Bute-less for a long time. Started it when it was touted as Vets #1 choice. Is it still or is there something better?
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Depends on what you are treating. Bute-less is usually chosen for horses that cannot tolerate Bute in either long or short term for osteoarthritis, etc. Sort of a niche market. Some folks swear by it and it seems to do nothing for others. Not sure what the literature says about devils claw (active ingredient in Bute-less).
The longterm tx pharmaceutical of choice for OA is now Equioxx (firocoxib). It is marketed for longterm use and some horses that don’t tolerate Bute do well on it. Like everything else, it works very well for a lot of horses and is a real game changer, but does diddlysquat for others. YMMV
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Basic maintenance, joint comfort in mature gelding that has been on cosequin which I haven’t heard much good about.
If it’s for joint problems, I’ve had great success with Cartrophen. I also know a few people who swear by Legend, but I have no experience with it.
How mature is mature? And, what are you trying to do?
In theory, glucosamine and chondroitin (the compounds in Cosequin and many other joint supplements) may help to slow cartilage degeneration. That said, they do not stop time.
Hyaluronic acid promotes new cell growth and reduces joint inflammation. From what I recall, the research on oral administration is a bit murky- some studies indicate potential benefit but not statistically significant differences in inflammation, others suggest it’s more promising, but there’s probably all kinds of variables in that, including the supplement formulation, combination with other ingredients (or not,) is it a liquid administered under the tongue or baked into a pellet, etc. Legend is injectable HA and that has more consistent research findings.
My vet was delighted that my horse’s joint supplement contains resveratrol, also anti-inflammatory.
But again, none of this stuff stops time. If you have a gentleman of a certain age, you probably want something with research behind it that suggests things like how much your horse should get and how often to repeat treatment. Adequan, Legend, etc. I prefer firocoxib to bute for the health of the gut (but it may be harder on the liver and kidneys, which you should be aware of if your horse has a pre-existing issue with these systems.)
I can tell you that my “mature” 26-year-old gets a daily Previcox, polyglycan IV injections PRN (every 2-4 weeks,) and Smart Stride Ultra in his feed. “I feel that” the oral HA supplement has helped in his day to day comfort and capabilities but I haven’t exactly done a double-blind study. I first put him on Previcox while he was recovering from a suspensory injury, and I do know that helps because I tried taking him off of it and there was a noticeable difference in his joint flexion. And I know the polyglycan helps because when he gets to the end of that he can’t swap his lead behind, and 24 hours after administration he can, and I haven’t learned to ride measurably better in 24 hours. 
A topical option is diclofenac gel- marketed as Surpass for horses but available OTC in the US and Canada. If you have a small target close below the skin (sticky knees, hocks, fetlocks, etc.) it’s pretty cost-effective to just rub that on every day. I use this for my guy’s hocks in the winter. Probably not so useful for targeting inflammation of the sacro-iliac!
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