A Comprehensive List of the Best Horse Supplements Your Equine Needs

Horse supplements are vital for the maintenance and improvement of your equine's over-all health. They might need specific supplements depending on several factors such as their diet, workload, health status, stress levels and environment. Supplements help with their dietary gaps, nutritional demands, forage quality, workload, stress and additional support for health. In this post, we will detail what supplements horses need, what the top supplements are, and what our recommended products for each situation would be.

Top 10 Most Common Equine Supplements

1. Joint Supplements - Joint supplements are designed to support joint health, reduce inflammation, and improve mobility in horses, especially those that are aging, in heavy work, or recovering from injury. Key ingredients often include glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), and hyaluronic acid, which work together to maintain cartilage and lubricate joints. These supplements can help prevent joint deterioration and support comfort and performance.

   Recommended products:

   Jeffers Motion Potion Joint Supplement Pellets for Horses

   Mojo Horse Supplement 

   AniMed Pure MSM Joint Supplement for Horses 

    

2. Electrolytes - Electrolyte supplements replace essential minerals (like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) lost through sweat during exercise, heat, or stress. They are crucial for maintaining hydration, nerve function, and muscle contractions. Proper electrolyte balance helps prevent dehydration, muscle cramps, and fatigue in working horses.

   Recommended products:

   Vitamins & Electrolytes PLUS, 4 oz pkg 

   Apple-A-Day Electrolyte Supplement for Horses 

   Red Cell Horse Supplement for Energy & Stamina 

    

    

3. Probiotics and prebiotics - These supplements promote a healthy gut environment by encouraging beneficial bacteria growth (probiotics) and feeding those bacteria (prebiotics). A balanced gut flora improves digestion, nutrient absorption, and helps prevent colic and digestive upset. They’re especially useful when transitioning feeds, during stress, or antibiotic use.

   Recommended products:

   Probios Dispersible Powder Veterinary Probiotic Supplement 

   Probiotic Plus Paste 

   Farnam® Probiotic Digestive Paste for Horses, 30 cc 

    

4. Vitamin and Mineral Balancers - Vitamin and mineral balancers help fill nutritional gaps in a horse’s diet, ensuring they get the right amounts of essential micronutrients like vitamins A, D, E, selenium, zinc, and copper. These supplements support immune health, bone strength, and overall metabolic functions, especially when feeding forage-only diets or lower-quality hay.

   Recommended products:

   Jeffers Healthy Gut Gastric Support Liquid Supplement for Horses 

   Health-E Maximum Strength Vitamin E Supplement 

   Vita Flex E-5000 Premium Quality Vitamin E, 128 Day Supply 

    

5. Biotin and Hoof Supplements - Biotin, a B-vitamin, along with other nutrients like methionine, zinc, and amino acids, supports hoof growth, strength, and integrity. These supplements are commonly used to improve brittle, cracked, or slow-growing hooves and help maintain healthy hoof horn quality.

   Recommended products:

   Nu-Foot Concentrated Equine Supplement 

   Biotin 800 Pellets Equine Supplement 

   Farrier's Formula Double Strength Pelleted Hoof and Coat Supplement for Horses 

    

6. Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Omega-3 fatty acids, found in sources like flaxseed or fish oil, help reduce inflammation, improve coat shine, and support cardiovascular and immune health. They are also beneficial for horses with allergies or inflammatory conditions.

   Recommended products:

   SmartEquine SmartOmega 3 & E Ultra Wellness Support for Horses 

   Omega Horseshine 

   dac Oil Fatty Acid Supplement for Horses, 7.5 lb 

    

7. Calcium and Phosphorus Supplements - Calcium and phosphorus are vital minerals for bone development and maintenance. Supplements are often given to growing foals, lactating mares, or horses with mineral imbalances to ensure proper skeletal growth and function. The balance between calcium and phosphorus is critical for absorption and utilization.

   Recommended products:

   Lixotinic Vitamin Iron Supplement for Horses, Foals, Cats, & Dogs, Gallon (Glass) 

   Purina Amplify 

   Equi-Base Grass, Vitamin & Mineral Supplement for Horses, Pellets 

    

8. Digestive Enzymes - Digestive enzymes help break down feed components like starch, fiber, and protein, enhancing nutrient absorption and reducing digestive stress. These are beneficial for horses with sensitive digestion or those fed high-grain diets, helping prevent colic and supporting gut health.

   Recommended products:

   UlcerGard (omeprazole) Oral Paste Ulcer Treatment for Horses 

   SUCCEED Digestive Horse Supplement 

   Animed ALL-PRO Probiotic Supplement for Multi-Species Animals 

9. Antioxidants - Antioxidants like Vitamin E and selenium protect cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals, supporting immune function and reducing inflammation. These are particularly important for performance horses, older horses, or those under stress.

   Recommended products:

   Ultra-Sel Selenium & Vitamin E Supplement 

   Vita Flex E and Selenium Supplement for Horses, Balanced Essential Antioxidants 

   Vitamin E and Selenium Crumbles

    

    

10. Calming Supplements - Horse calming supplements are nutritional or herbal formulas intended to help reduce anxiety, excitability, or stress in horses. These supplements don’t sedate the horse—they're meant to promote a calmer, more focused demeanor without affecting performance or alertness. They typically support the nervous system and help balance the horse’s natural stress response through ingredients that influence neurotransmitter function, muscle relaxation, and adrenal support.

    Recommended products:

    Mare Magic Calming Horse Supplement 

    B-Kalm Horse Calming Supplement Paste 

    Mega-Calm Equine Calming Supplement 

    Via-Calm Horse Calming Supplement 

     

     

Do horses really need supplements?

The top reasons for equine supplements are the following:

1. To fill nutritional gaps Not all horses get a perfectly balanced diet from forage and feed alone. Supplements help provide essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that might be lacking, supporting normal body functions.
2. To support specific health needs Supplements can target particular concerns like joint health, hoof strength, digestion, or immune function, helping horses recover or maintain these systems as they age or face stress.
3. To enhance performance and promote faster recovery For horses in intense training or competition, supplements like electrolytes, antioxidants, and amino acids help maintain energy, reduce fatigue, and speed recovery.
4. To provide extra support for growth and development Growing foals and young horses have higher nutrient demands, and supplements can help support healthy bone, muscle, and organ development.
5. To help manage health conditions Some supplements support horses with specific medical or metabolic issues, improving their quality of life

What supplements should I give my horse?

For young, growing horses, they would need supplements that support bone growth, development, and overall nutrition. Recommended supplements for them would be calcium and phosphorus, vitamins, biotin and hoof supplements. Also try trace mineral supplements and amino acid supplements.

For performing and working horses, they need to maintain a good level of energy, joint health, hydration and recovery. The supplements they can take would be electrolytes, joint supplements, antioxidants like Vitamin E and Selenium.

For senior horses, they would need joint supplements, hyaluronic acid, and digestive enzymes because at this stage, they need additional joint support, joint lubrication, immune function, and for weight maintenance.

If your horse has poor hoof quality, you should look for biotin and hoof supplements that contain methionine, zinc, and other hoof-supporting nutrients. These will help their hooves improve in growth, strength and reduce the chances of cracking. Zinc and copper can also help to promote keratin production.

For horses with digestive issues, solutions like digestive enzymes, probiotics and prebiotics supplements would be great. These are a great support for gut health in terms of promoting gut lining repair, soothing the stomach lining and the gut itself, and for toxin binding in digestive upset.

If you are travelling with your horse, introducing a diet change or if the horse is ill, look for electrolyte paste, immune boosters including colostrum powder, vitamin C, magnesium and antioxidants to provide rapid hydration, proper support equine gut health and immune function.

If you want your horse to have a shinier, healther skin and coat, skin and coat horse supplements are available such as zinc and copper, vitamin A, and vitamin E, to name a few.

Are horse supplements worth it?

Horse supplements can be worth it when used appropriately and for the right reasons. They are especially valuable when a horse’s basic diet (forage and grain) doesn’t meet specific nutritional needs—such as for performance horses, seniors, horses with medical issues, or those recovering from illness. Supplements can support joint health, digestion, hoof strength, coat condition, weight gain, and calm behavior, among other benefits. However, they are not a cure-all and should complement—not replace—a balanced diet and good management.

That said, not every horse needs supplements. Many horses in light to moderate work with access to quality forage and balanced feed do perfectly well without them. Over-supplementing can be wasteful or even harmful, leading to imbalances or health issues. The key is to identify real needs—ideally with the help of a vet or equine nutritionist—and choose supplements backed by sound research and appropriate for the individual horse.