Cortaflex/Superflex etc - how do they compare?

milliepops

milliepops

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Have recently been umming and ahhing over whether to start my mare on something like Cortaflex. She is cob x WB, 15h 12yo, competing BE Novice and BD Elementary and hoping to progress a bit more this year. I'd really like to keep her going as long as I can and have become increasingly paranoid about her after a tweak last spring!

So - I'm leaning towards Cortaflex just cos it seems to have been around longest
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but now more and more supplements are popping up, I wonder whether any are significantly better than the others. Price-wise they all seem much of a muchness, except Cortaflex HA.

Any thoughts/experiences welcomed! If none of them REALLY work, then also happy to be told to stop worrying about her.
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It depends on the horse, as it seems that individuals metabolise glucosamine differently. Cortaflex works for some, and does nothing for others.

Personally, I use either ArthriAid or Mobifor - having done the sums, these provide the highest spec ingredients for the money.
 
Having had my horse x-rayed last week and finding some small arthritic changes in his joints, my vet suggested I put him on a Glucosamine suppliment. When I told him that my boy had been on Cortaflex or Cortaflex HA for the last 6 years he said to carry on as I was. So I questioned him on what he thought was the best, as I'm open to suggestions and would change if there was something else he thought better.

His answer was that he thinks Glucosamine itself is a good suppliment but that so far he has found that Cortaflex HA is the best all round.
 
There was a huge long post in here about joint supplements. I think it was generally agreed that most joint supplements didnt have sufficient amount of the ingredients required to actually make a difference, bar a few such as Riaflex complete.

My boy's hock clicks die to a sacroiliac injury. I put him on cortaflex and there was no difference, so I tried glucosamine and again no difference. I then tried 5 star superflex and one hock has stopped clicking and he is generally less stiff. I took him off, and hock started clicking again and he was stiff behind so I put him back on it.

I then began trialing riaflex complete alongside the superflex and there has been difference (3 weeks later). I will continue it for 2 months, and then reassess. I suppose it would be more conclusive if I stopped the superflex but I am too scared to take him off it now!

I think it is like calmers - a case of trial and error. If the riaflex doesnt do anything, I will also try suppleaze and newmarket joint supplement, then go for the vet grade supplements such as cosequin/synequin.
 
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Personally, I use either ArthriAid or Mobifor - having done the sums, these provide the highest spec ingredients for the money.

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I too have done the sums and use arthriaid. You need to feed at least 10g of glucosamine hydrochloride (not sulphate) per day for a horse. It is better in conjunction with chondroitin sulphate, rather than glucosamine on its own.
I am personally very sceptical about cortaflex. The amount of active ingredients in one tub are very small, the rest is a filler. IMO the research done into cortaflex had flawed methodology, even though it was carried out by a respected scientist.
Arthriaid gives you the right ingredients at the right levels and is actually cheaper than many other products.
 
Superflex has done my boys so well, i have my old advanced medium horse on it and also my 4 yr old as he has weak stifles.
The difference ( i swapped from cortaflex as i was concerned it only seemed to contain alfalfa meal!) has been very noticable.
The old boy can flex his hocks so much more freely (the farrier has even commented) and the youngster it defiantely more mobile, i think this is because it contains msm which is good for soft tissue inflamation.
It has HA in as well. Highly recomended!
 
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Tried loads - Feedmark Extraflex HA has full range of ingredients and very effective in my experience x

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Its also half price at the moment if you order online.

Also if you look here David Marlin has very helpfully tested everything on the market and done a product comparison. The Feedmark suppliment comes out well.
http://www.sciencesupplements.co.uk/flex-info.html
 
Depends on the horse as with anything, but I tried a horse on Cortaflex - did bugger all, tried 3 horses on Superflex and its been brilliant and they remain on it. This was for 1 competition horse (purely as maintenence but actually it solved his cold back somehow!!!) and 2 veteran ponies who are much more agile since.
 
Interestingly I have recently read an article claiming that the combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin is not so effective, and that Glucosamine should be used alone.
Personally, I use Extraflex HA
 
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