I supplement with Vitamin E, MSM, salt, Remission, and Flax. I added Remission when he was having issues with foundering after his surgery, it actually helped his breathing so much that I kept him on it. I do feed Zyrtec in the spring with his allergies start back.
How much MSM are you feeding for those that are feeding it to help with heaves? I have a friend with a horse that foundered on dex and as such canāt have steroids anymore. She has tried all sorts of things to help with the heaves: Vitamin E, Cough Free, Inhalers, Trihist, clenbuterol, and nothing seems to help (or the horse wonāt eat/tolerate). I mentioned this thread to her. Just wondering how much MSM you would feed to get the heaves under control? I also have 2 horses with heaves, but mine are well controlled with Dex and clenbuterol as needed. I have had to deal with the heaves much longer than she has, so I have run through everything I know to try. I never would have thought about using MSM for that, but it totally makes sense.
To keep it on topic: I currently feed Optizyme for my one colic-prone mare and Elevate powder Vitamin E for the draft cross with Shivers.
I have fed Omega Horseshine and was very happy with the results, but the cost has gone up and I canāt afford to keep 5 on it anymore. When I just had a couple of horses, it was much easier. ExcelEQ is another product I really liked for the extra Vitamin E support, but again itās spendy and with no heated barn space at the time, it was tricky to feed (in MN so we were unable to leave it in the barn in the winter and had to ferry the jug back and forth). Might start that one up again, now that we have a feed room we keep above freezing.
I have also fed Mare Magic, Cosequin, TriHist, Cough Free, and ACES by ADM with little to know noticeable benefits.
I feed Triple Crown Complete with ADM HealthyGlo to one horse, ADM PrimeGlo to another horse, and then the other three get ADM StayStrong (a ration balancer).
I feed 30g of pure MSM powder. Not the pellets!(usually the included scoop is for 10,000 mg = 10g, so 3 scoops). However my mare that I use it on does NOT have heaves, just mild-moderate seasonal allergies and sensitivity to dust when fed round bales.
MSM does appear to work to reduce systemic inflammation, which is why its good as a joint supplement AND can aid in airway support and muscle recovery. Unfortunately, like most equine supplements, there arenāt a ton of firm studies indicating what MSM is really able to do for the horse. I have read at least two articles indicating that āat least 20gā is necessary to have an effect, so I play it safe with 30g for my 900lb pony.
I donāt know if MSM is an effective treatment for true heaves, as that is another level of inflammation entirely. However it is a fairly harmless supplement, quite palatable, and it is relatively inexpensive. I buy it in the massive 5kg buckets to be most cost effective.
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I have a 6 year old OTTB, easy keeper, pasture kept 24/7.
Since it is winter and my pastures are dormant he gets high quality coastal hay. 1 flak of alfalfa once per day.
I previously had him on dumor hoof and platinum performance for 6 months. The dumor sped hoof growth but did nothing to strengthen the hoof wall.
Now I feel Stride Animal Health Nutrimix Plus which is a complete supplement that replaces both the Dumor and the Platinum, and is less expensive. This was recommended by my farrier. I have only recently just started it. It is not palatable so I have since added beet pulp to his alfalfa pellets (soaked) in order to get him to eat it. On high work days I add some electrolytes.
I am also considering Omega Equine Complete.
I have fed KER Equisure in the past to a different horse.
Since I am doing the nexium treatment for ulcers with my current horse I am considering RiteTrac as a maintenance supplement.
One of mine gets a top dress of Triple Crown 30% ration balancer, MSM, and 2,000 IUs Vit E. His grain ration isnāt enough on its own and he gets only hay 6 months of the year and hay & not great quality pasture the rest of the time.
The other gets Tri-Amino, MSM, 3,000 IU Vit E, and magnesium. Sheās on the same pasture situation as the other one, but works hard and gets a full grain ration. Sheās mag deficient (or was, really), the tri-amino is for topline.
They both get Adequan monthly. Iām thinking of supplementing copper and zinc for the first horse as he bleaches a ton in the summer. The other one looks fantastic on what she gets currently, so no need to rock the boat.
I have a horse who has been very hot.
For ME:
Mag Restore: didnāt change his temperament
CoolCal/CoolCalories (?) didnāt work to add weight to my horse
Oil: I added the max of 2 cups/day, he got oil all over his lips and everything his lips touched.
Alfalfa hay: He had ulcers - minimal after shipping - alfalfa adds high quality nutrients and lots of cations to buffer stomach acid.
NOW: I officially analyzed his forage and his diet.
Iām adding less than a half-dose of copper to his diet because he bleaches alot, but pasture and feed analysis shows heās not deficient in anything. My vet recommends against this so Iām adding minimal amounts. This is an experiment to see what grows after this spring shedding and into the summer.
I add crushed human multi-vitamins more to appease me.
Both horses are on dry lot and get grass hay for dinner and alfalfa for breakfast.
My mare gets MSM for stocking up (really helps), SmatPakās Leg Up joint supplement, the Leg Up cranky mare supplement (I canāt remember what itās called but itās definitely helping!), loose salt, Elevate for vitamin E, and Triple Crownās flax, all on a very small portion of TC Sr. Iāve had her on RBs and just havenāt been impressed. My gelding with Cushingās had a nicer coat. So I put her on the TC Sr. and added the Elevate and some funky skin issues sheās had have cleared up. Sheās around 23.
My geldingā¦ I donāt know where to start, lol. Heās around 25 and tore his meniscus a few years ago and has been on a variety of joint supplements. I also really like the Flex Max, but itās pretty pricy. With the Prascend and meloxicam and injections, it just got to be too much. Heās currently on Cosequin ASU because I got a container for $40 on Amazon because it was going to expire in March. I should have bought them all because now they are gone and back up to the regular price!
But his daily ālunchā includes about a pound of TC Sr., his meds, MSM for general purposes, whatever joint supplement I am currently trying out :), loose salt, chasteberry powder (helps with his coat), Triple Crown flax, Elevate, and fenugreek powder because he looked at me like I was trying to poison him when I added the Elevate, so the fenugreek hides that. Iām not sure what Iām going to try next on the joint supplements or if I should just give up on those. Adequan works REALLY wells on him, but that too is expensive to give the loading dose regularly. Pentosan does nothing. I may try the plain old acetyl-d glucosamine injections on him since that would be closer to the Adequan but affordable.
Oh, and the cheap Mirra-Coat really makes my mare look nice for some reason, but I wanted to try switching her food and adding the vitamin E to see what would happen 
Since a few people mentioned the Absorbine Flex Max, I just found the 10 lb bucket (60 days) on Stateline Tack for $78 with free shipping for a limited time. Thatās a pretty good deal!
The only supplement that I have ever tried that I can easily see a difference on is Fat Cat. My mareās muscle tone and recovery time was noticeably worse when I took her off of it.
How long have you had your mare on the Uckele cocohoof? Do you notice a difference? How palatable is it?
14 yo han/tb gelding showing 3rd and 4th level dressage, works 4-6 days a week: Equithrive,salt, Let M Sweat, Magrestore, Elevate, Platinum Performance and 6 oz of DAC oil
My barn full of retirees get Smart Digest ultra, salt, sho glo, smart flex senior, and flax.
I use Grand Meadows Complete & I love it. I hated loading baggies and this is an all in one for stomachs, coat, joints, etc. Iāve been really pleased. It is expensive without a coupon code, but with the coupon code itās less expensive than everything else I was feeding.
I havenāt made it thru one bag yet, so not terribly long. About 3 mos? Smells good, and miss maresy doesnāt seem to care about it at all. She isnāt horribly picky tho!
So, too soon to know if itās doing anything.
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Iām not really a supplement person so all I regularly add is Vitamin E in the winter since the grass is dormant (love the Ultra Cruz pellets!). Everyone gets either TC30 ration balancer or the recommended amount of whatever grain theyāre on, I consider them covered on other vitamins and minerals unless I see evidence to the contrary.
I have previously tried:
One AC for my GP dressage horse with anhidrosis: donāt know if it really helped but I kept him on it for a few years in the hopes that it did. Once his level of work backed down I stopped it.
Cosequin ASU for the same horse: vet said it was the only feed-through joint supp with any proper science behind it, but I canāt say I noticed much difference when I took him off it.
SmartHoof for a horse that kept pulling shoes: didnāt really see a difference in his hoof quality even after 6+ months. I have some left if anyone wants to try itā¦
Flaxseed for an itchy horse: no difference but at least it was cheap!
Most of the horses at the barn where we board are on one of the O3 Animal Health products (Equine Omega Complete or Mega Gain). Our trainer is a big fan and says she can tell a difference. Just bought a mare in the fall and put her on Mega Gain and she HAS gained and filled out.
Iāve tried several different Smartpak combos over the years with the OTTB we hadā¦Farrierās Formula, Smart Hoof, Omega Horseshine, and one the Smartpak combos with the 4 different things (hoof, joint, canāt remember). I canāt say I noticed a huge difference with any of those. Our horse improved over time, but did not revert back once we stopped the supplements so I think it was more consistent care & work than anything.
Right now I feed SafeChoice Senior and supplement wise I have my mare on:
-Tri-Amino for smart pak which has really helped her topline
-CoolCalories as she needs some weight right now
Mine is semi-retired at this point. In season, we trail ride. Out of season, I grump and ride her in the indoor, or have trail walks around the farm. Riding happens 3 or 4 times a week, weather allowing. She is almost 21 and has a complicated vet history. Here is her regime currently, and possible changes are noted at the bottom
ā Vitamin E 8000 IU per day (Santa Cruz Naturals) as she has a neuro history. (Vets around here mostly recommend around 1500 IU per day for any horse not on grass.)
ā Remission or Magnesium 5000 for a bit of calming/less distraction. Iāve had her on it for years, and every time Iāve taken her off of it, her behavior has become worse. She is one of those stoic but anxious types.
ā Flax about 1/2 cup per day, could go higher
ā Raspberry leaves about 1/3 cup per dayā¦ She is not especially mare-ish, but can get very sensitive to static electricity on her flanks, and this helps for some reason.
ā Smart Hoof Circulate pellets ā I am a HUGE fan of this one. Sheās had very mild laminitis in the past, and can get footsore. I donāt know what the āmagic ingredientā here is, but it helps. Itās like the mag ā if I take her off it, I notice a difference.
ā SmartStride Ultra pellets ā I have had her on some sort of joint supp since forever (she had arthritic changes in her hocks by age 10). I am not 100% convinced they are that useful, especially since sheās on other things for her joints.
She gets pentosan every 2 weeks, and equioxx daily. I have had her on generic Zyrtec at times because she has allergies, but am considering going back to Respire by HorseTech instead. Itās pricey but seems to work really well. If I did this, Iād cut way back on the flax or drop it entirely.
The question then becomes whether to drop the joint supplement to avoid giving her too much MSM (which makes her hot), and honestly the current joint supp and Respire have a lot of the same ingredients. Or switch joint supp, or maybe not do Respire, but add some of the ingredients in it that are not in the Smart Strideā¦
(Regarding allergies, the best thing I did was move barns. There was something at the previous barn that she was seriously allergic to, or several somethings.I even had her on allergy shots for a while. New barn is much better in this regard.)
Cosequin has research (from dogs) that shows being on it reduces recovery time from injury. Thatās why my guys are on it.
