Horse Joint Supplements

Joint issues are common in horses, with Osteoarthritis contributing to 60% of lameness issues. When pressure is placed upon joints during exercise, an inflammatory response is triggered to protect the joint from trauma.

Breaking this cycle is key to managing a horse’s comfort and longevity through promoting a healthy joint environment. Feeding joint nutraceuticals support healthy joint structures leading to improved comfort, consistent performance, and a reduction in lameness.

Feeding a supplement containing proven joint nutrients will offer your horse the best support. Glucosamine^1,2,3,4 delays the breakdown of and repairs damaged cartilage. Chondroitin^1,3,4 is a vital part of cartilage which can stimulate cartilage repair mechanisms. MSM⁵ provides sulphur which is important for building collagen and Hyaluronic Acid⁶ lubricates joints and reduces inflammation.

Best-Flex HA® is the highest specification joint supplement on the market containing the highest levels of proven joint supporting nutrients Glucosamine HCl, Chondroitin Sulphate, MSM and Hyaluronic Acid. Best-Flex HA® also contains Boswellia to help soothe active or tired horse joints, Omega-3 fatty acids to maintain supple horse joints and the antioxidant Vitamin C that helps to neutralise free radicals. Best-Flex HA is suitable for all horses, especially performance horses and horses suffering with joint or mobility challenges. 

Extra-Flex HA provides high levels of proven joint nutrients to maintain supple and flexible joints of horses in training or for those that want to maintain healthy joints to reduce the risk of joint injury. Glucosamine HCl, Chondroitin sulphate and Methyl sulphonyl methane (MSM) are included to maintain healthy articular cartilage and joint function, as well as Hyaluronic acid which works within the joint capsule to aid shock absorption and stability. A generous helping of Rosehips is added to provide comfort to worn or tired joints.

Flexamine 10:10 is a highly concentrated formula which is suitable for all horses. This product provides Glucosamine and MSM to help maintain articular cartilage, joint function, and support connective tissue. This is an excellent product for young horses or those requiring a maintenance level joint support.

To further support joint function, Boswellium provides 80% Boswellic Acids to soothe worn and tired joints. Boswellic Acids significantly reduce glycosaminoglycan degradation and reduce inflammation.

ZeroBute is an alternative to using NSAID’s and provides comfort to joints. ZeroBute is an effective blend of herbs combined with MSM to soothe your horse’s musculoskeletal system.

For further advice and nutritional support, please contact our Registered Nutritionist Stephanie Hyland MSc RNutr. on 0800 585525 or email [email protected] ⁠

1 Dechant, J.E. and Baxter, G.M. (2007) Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate as structure modifying agents in horses. Equine Veterinary Education 19 (2) 90-96, 2 Oke, S. Aghazadeh-Habashi, A. Wesse, J.S. Jamali, F. (2006) Evaluation of glucosamine levels in commercial equine oral supplements for joints. Equine Veterinary Journal 38 (1) 93-95, 3 Forsythe, R.K. Brigden, C.V. Northrop, A.J. (2006) Double blind investigation of the effects of oral supplementation of combined glucosamine hydrochloride (GHCL) and chondroitin sulphate (CS) on stride characteristics of veteran horses. Equine Exercise Physiology 36 622-625, 4 Welch, C.A. et al. (2012) Plasma concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate in horses after an oral dose. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 32 (1) 60-64, 5 Maranon, G. et al. (2008) The effect of methyl sulphonyl methane supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in sport horses following jumping exercise. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. 50 (1) 45, 6 Bergin, B. et al. (2006) Oral hyaluronan gel reduces post-operative tarsocrural effusion in the yearling Thoroughbred. Equine Veterinary Journal. 38 (4) 375-378, 7 Sengupta, K., et al. (2008). A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin® for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Arthritis Research & Therapy. 10 (4) , 8 Roy, N,K. et al. (2019). An Update on Pharmacological Potential of Boswellic Acids against Chronic Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Science, 20 (17), 9 Murray, R. et al. (2009) Neither age nor osteoarthritis is associated with synovial fluid antioxidant disturbance or depletion in the horse. Comparative Exercise Physiology. 6 (3) 121-128, 10 Ross-Jones,T.N. et al. (2016) Influence of an n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched diet on experimentally induced synovitis in horses. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. 100 (3) 565-77, 11 Dechant, J.E., Baxter, G.M., Frisbie, D.D., Trotter, G.W. and McIlwraith, C.W. (2005) Effects of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate. alone and in   combination.   on   normal   and   interleukin-I   conditioned equine articular cartilage explant metabolism. Equine vet. J. 32, 227-231.