EquiNatural

02/04/2026

𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀? 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗲𝗺...

The grass is growing properly now. It looks lush, healthy, very yummy - and your horse couldn't be happier!

But here’s the thing… Spring grass isn’t just “more grass” - it’s a completely different nutritional environment - fast growth, full of sugars, and way more energy than a horse actually needs.

And for some horses – especially our carb-intolerant good doers – this is where it starts to tip.

You’ll often see it before anything else, and all accompanied by an underlying sense, because you just know...

This is where EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome) and insulin resistance come in.

And despite what people often think, it's not just about weight - it’s about how your horse handles sugar.

Think of it as a metabolic traffic jam – insulin is trying to do its job (moving glucose into the muscle cells for energy), but the cells are already full.

So glucose keeps circulating… more insulin is produced… and that’s where the metabolic cascade begins.

So what actually helps? Here’s what matters:

🌱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 - Grass intake needs managing. Fibre becomes your anchor.

🌱 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 - Regular movement improves how the body handles glucose – even the gentle kind.

🌱 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 - Blood glucose/insulin and appetite regulation are often the missing pieces, especially in those “always hungry” types.

And this is the bit worth remembering - this isn’t about restricting your horse into starvation misery. It’s about understanding what’s changing - and staying one step ahead of it, because...

If you’ve got a horse who does too well on grass, you’ll already know how quickly this can escalate.

I’ve broken this down fully here:
📖 https://www.equinatural.co.uk/spring-grass-and-ems-ir-support

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 – 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹’𝘀 “𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁-𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀” 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲
→ use code 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗔𝟮𝟬
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/april-2026-sale

Here's to staying one step ahead.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩:
📞 01761 325032
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
🟢 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘈𝘱𝘱 - 07702 052074

01/04/2026

𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗢 𝗔𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗟 – 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛, 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘!

🌿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 “𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀” 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 – 𝟮𝟬% 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
EMS | BLOOD GLUCOSE / INSULIN RESISTANCE | LEPTIN RESISTANCE / SOLID CREST | UNCONTROLLED APPETITE / SPRING GRASS / LAMINITIS AWARENESS
~ 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦

So… here comes April. The grass is growing properly now, the sugar levels are shifting - and your horse? Feeling rather pleased with life - with plenty of opinions about spring grass turnout and a huge appetite.

Lovely... until it tips the other way.

This is the time of year where metabolic changes sneak in quietly – then suddenly feel anything but.

• A crest that’s suddenly the size of a small country
• Fat pads that seem to appear overnight
• Footiness as soon as the grass changes
• Digital pulses you check more than your phone
• And that silent sinking feeling: “OhOh… I know exactly where this is going”

If you’ve been here before, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Welcome to my world – that of the EMS horse.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲 – 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀:
- 𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 → 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 → 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥 → 𝘨𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 → 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺

It’s all connected. Which is why our April sale is about supporting the 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁:
To help you stay ahead of the seasonal switch, we’re bringing you 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 to support you through the shift:

🌱 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
For our carb-intolerant horses and ponies who do a little too well on grass, this is where it begins:
- 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤, 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘉𝘖 & 𝘈𝘭𝘤𝘢𝘳 sit at the core of metabolic support.

🌱 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 & 𝗴𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
As spring grass changes, so does the hindgut environment:
- 𝘎𝘶𝘵𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘮, & 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘍𝘦𝘥 help support this transition.

🌱 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 & 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁
If the metabolic picture tips, the hooves are often where it shows first:
- 𝘋𝘶𝘰𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘦, 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘦 & 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘶𝘮 are key parts of hoof spring management.

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 – 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹’𝘀 “𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁-𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀” 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲
→ use code 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗔𝟮𝟬
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/april-2026-sale

𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
✨ “𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩. 𝘐 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴. 𝘊𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.” 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓.

Stay one step ahead - here’s to calmer metabolisms, happier hooves, and a smoother spring transition.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩:
📞 01761 325032
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
🟢 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘈𝘱𝘱 - 07702 052074

Discover EquiNatural's premium organic supplements and high-spec mineral balancers for horses. Trusted by vets and practitioners for health, vitality, and well-being.

31/03/2026

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗔𝗬 - 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗻i𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁!

Just a friendly reminder for you – today's the 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮 of our March Spring Sale.

𝟮𝟬%-𝗼𝗳𝗳 our spring seasonal collection -
🌱 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
🌱 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘅
🌱 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴'𝘀/𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗗 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
🌱 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴

→ Use sale code 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝟮𝟬
→ www.equinatural.co.uk/march-2026-sale

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩.
📞 01761 325032
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
🟢 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘈𝘱𝘱 - 07702 052074

Discover EquiNatural's premium organic supplements and high-spec mineral balancers for horses. Trusted by vets and practitioners for health, vitality, and well-being.

30/03/2026

🐴𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯!

We don’t take your trust lightly. Every message, every review, every update you share about your horses - we read them all, and acknowledge even quicker. And it’s those small, real-life observations that mean the most to us:

“𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙧…”
“𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘…”
“𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚…”
“𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜…”

No hype or big claims - just thoughtful owners, doing their best for their horses, and sharing what they’ve seen along the way. This is what our 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 is really about.

If you've been thinking about a spring detox, or pollen reactions, or worming, or the Cushing's test, there's still a little time - our March sale ends tomorrow at midnight.

And if your horse falls into the metabolic space, our 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 “𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀” 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 starts Wednesday!

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩:
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
📞 01761 325032
🟢 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘈𝘱𝘱 - 07702 052074

27/03/2026

𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢!
~ 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝'𝙨 "𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩" 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙏𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙮 31𝙨𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝

It must be my age - every month (never mind every year) seems to go faster than the one before. How the heck are we almost at the end of March - and for a short time there it felt like summer again - proper, warm sunshine!

Anyway, with April just days away, we're now in the final countdown of our 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 - so still time to stock up on your spring favourites before the sale ends:

🌱 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 - or for deeper support, 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘉𝘖.
🌱 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘅 – 𝘖𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘌 & 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢.
🌱 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗛 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 – Our two 𝘊𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 formulations for whether your horse is on Prascend or not.
🌱 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 & 𝘗𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴, with 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 & 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘌

→ Use sale code 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝟮𝟬
→ www.equinatural.co.uk/march-2026-sale

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵?
April is the month of the metabolics – when the spring grass meets our EMS/IR horses head-on:
• Spring grass impact
• Footy Hooves & laminitis prevention
• Managing high blood glucose, insulin resistance, & solid crests (leptin resistance)
• The hangry horse - uncontrolled appetite

We'll be supporting our metabolic horses through the seasonal surge, with 20% off our handpicked selection of metabolic must-haves.

Stay tuned!
Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

Discover EquiNatural's premium organic supplements and high-spec mineral balancers for horses. Trusted by vets and practitioners for health, vitality, and well-being.

26/03/2026

𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆
~ 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩

Here’s the thing. Effective worming isn’t just about “killing worms” – it’s about understanding the cycle, and knowing how to interrupt it.

As the grass comes through and grazing picks up, parasite pressure follows – it always does. And parasites rely on a repeating pattern:

> 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → 𝗲𝗴𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 → 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

They don't just appear – they take advantage of an environment that allows them to. Break the cycle, and you reduce the burden - and this is where a natural approach fits beautifully.

Our 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 is designed around a carefully layered synergy of herbs that work with your horse’s own systems – not against them. Rather than relying on a heavy-handed clear-out, VermClear supports the body through four key pathways:

> 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 → 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 → 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 → 𝗴𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁

Think of it like rebalancing the internal terrain. When the gut is happy and harmonious, it becomes far less inviting for parasites to settle, attach, or complete their lifecycle.

And it’s not just about removal – it’s about restoring the conditions that make ongoing reinfestation less likely. Some botanicals help challenge parasite viability, others support movement and clearance, while others help keep the gut comfortable throughout.

Research into "anthelmintic" herbs has even shown significant reductions in egg output within days, alongside disruption of larval development on pasture – an important part of breaking the cycle naturally.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁?
We’re at that key 6-month point in the tapeworm cycle to deter it, with pumpkin seeds long valued for their role in helping disrupt attachment. All thanks to a natural compound called 𝙘𝙪𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣 – making them a simple and effective addition to your seasonal routine.

🪱 𝗪𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱
𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 our natural worming support in the March Spring Sale:
→ use code 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝟮𝟬
→ www.equinatural.co.uk/march-2026-sale

The takeaway? When it comes to parasite management, what you remove matters – but the environment you leave behind matters more.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵.
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹.𝘤𝘰.𝘂𝗸
📞 01761 325032

Support your horse’s gut and parasite resilience with VermClear - a synergistic organic herbal blend promoting a clean, balanced intestinal environment.

24/03/2026

𝗖𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
~ 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨

We’re constantly blown away by the feedback we receive from customers using our Cushing’s support blends:

💚 “Amazing product, my Pony has a new lease of life. Literally after a couple of weeks we could see a real change.”

💚 "I chose not to put my 29yo on medication due to his age and dislike of meds. Since being on the CushTonic I've noticed his coat is shining and is coming out quicker than this time last year."

💚 “After her first month on CushTonic, our 24yo mare is looking great, feeling well and back in moderate work (lack of rider time). She thinks she is ready for badminton!”

What makes CushTonic so special is its carefully layered synergy – supporting pituitary–adrenal rhythm, metabolic steadiness, and the body’s natural hormone clearance pathways – gently helping the whole system find its balance again.

When hormone signals start to misfire, it’s a bit like an internal communication system under strain. CushTonic is designed to help that system run more smoothly again – supporting rhythm, clarity, and balance.

𝗪𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱
𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 our organic Cushing's supplements in our March Spring Sale:

→ use code 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝟮𝟬
→ www.equinatural.co.uk/march-2026-sale

We don’t take results like these lightly. Every one is hard-earned through the amazing care from our customers, and the power of nature. Supporting hormone-driven changes like PPID isn’t about chasing numbers or labels – it’s always about seeing the 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 horse.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩.
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
📞 01761 325032

Explore EquiNatural's CushTonic, effective organic endocrine/pituitary Cushing’s support for horses, enhancing endocrine and hormone harmony for everyday vitality.

23/03/2026

𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴'𝘀/𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗗?
~ 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚?

If your horse is still clinging onto their winter fluff or looking a little lacklustre this spring, it may simply be the seasonal coat change in full swing – along with the perfectly natural ACTH hormone spikes that come with it.

But this is also the time of year when Cushing’s diagnoses tend to spike. That’s because ACTH levels naturally rise in spring and autumn, yet when we test horses during these seasonal shifts it can sometimes lead to confusing or misleading results.

So the question many of us should perhaps be asking is:

"𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜’𝙨… 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜?"

At EquiNatural we’ve walked the Cushing’s path twice, first with little Dinky, who was Rich’s daughter - Tabatha’s - first lead-rein pony, and who inspired the original formulation of our CushTonic blend.

Then came Cookie (pictured below) who arrived with us in 2006 aged just six - she stole our hearts (who doesn't love a polar-bear fluff!) and gave Tabs the best fun ever for years. And yet just eight years later (2014) it was clear she had Cushing's. She went straight onto CushTonic and remained a much-loved member of the family for many more years.

But here’s the important part:
• Cushing’s is real for sure – but it’s also far more nuanced than a single blood test number.
• And not every slow coat change, lethargic spell, or odd hormone reading means PPID.

Over the years, Cookie was the inspiration behind my years of continued studying PPID and natural endocrine support. Our Cushing’s/PPID Info Page has been constantly updated with the latest thinking to help you feel confident in your decision making – because no one knows your horse better than you do.

💡For the latest insights, head over to our Info page:
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/cushingsppid

𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝘄𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱
Our organic Cushing's supplements are on offer in our seasonal Spring Sale with 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳:
→ use code 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝟮𝟬
→ www.equinatural.co.uk/march-2026-sale

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆?
Understanding hormone-driven conditions like PPID isn’t about chasing numbers or labels – it’s always about seeing the 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 horse.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩.
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
📞 01761 325032

Support your Cushing's/PPID horse with EquiNatural. Shop online for our quality-assured organic Cushing's/PPID supplements, mineral balancers and nutrients.

19/03/2026

𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘀… 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿?
~ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙆𝙋𝙐 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

You may have read our “Spring Pollens” post earlier this week, and why some horses react while others grazing beside them seem completely unaffected. But while pollen is the trigger, it’s rarely the whole story - when you zoom out, a pattern often starts to appear.

The horses who react strongly to seasonal pollens or struggle with skin or respiratory sensitivities - these same horses often carry a deeper metabolic load.

This is where a syndrome known as 𝗞𝗣𝗨 (𝗖𝗿𝘆𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮) starts to come into the conversation.

Without going too deep (we’ll save that for another day😉), KPU is unofficially known as a “multi-metabolic detoxification disorder” - essentially a breakdown in the gut → liver → detox pathway, and it all begins in the hindgut. (It actually begins a whole lot earlier than that, very often from birth and dependant on how the foal's gut biome was established - but again, that’s for another conversation).

But in a nutshell, when the hindgut microbiome becomes disrupted, it's no longer able to produce enough of a critical nutrient - activated vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate, aka P5P) - which the liver relies on to process and clear everyday metabolic waste. (𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘉6 - 𝘗𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘦.)

If the waste can’t be cleared out efficiently, the system slows down, the body starts to hold onto it, store it, or work around it. In short, over time the body has to adapt.

And when that internal load builds, the immune system can become a little trigger-happy - overreacting to otherwise harmless things like pollens, which is where these over-reactive immune responses begin to show up, aka "autoimmunity".

Cue a horse who seems to always have issues - gut, skin, respiratory, you name it - just more "reactive" overall. It’s also how a little KPU pony we adopted - Mac, got the nickname MacAttack - initially we just thought he was a semi-feral thug, until I learned that he was just totally fed up with being so uncomfortable - his gut was one big mess and he had the worst sweet itch I've ever seen. There's a reason why KPU is also known as “the disease with a thousand faces."

Back to those spring pollens - and sweet itch later down the line - and for some horses, it’s no big deal. But for others, it can feel like the final straw on top of an already busy internal system - tipping the balance into a never-ending cycle of “hay fever-like” symptoms, sweet itch, persistent coughing, persistent abscessing … persistently never getting better.

And this is why we always come back to the same principle - support the whole body, not just the symptom - because when the hindgut is stable, the liver can do its job. And when the liver is coping well, the immune system stays far more balanced.

We’ll be diving much deeper into the KPU connection as we head towards sweet itch season in May - where this pattern becomes even more (agonisingly) relevant.

But for now, it’s just something to keep in mind, because what might look like a seasonal reaction is actually the body asking for support beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, if you’re curious this might be your horse, have a read of our KPU Info page:
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/advice/kpu-horses

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026
𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮.
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
📞 01761 325032

What is KPU in horses? Learn how gut dysbiosis and liver detox issues trigger “the disease of a thousand faces,” and how to support horses naturally.

17/03/2026

𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲
~ 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩?

Spring is a wonderful time of year - but for some horses it also marks the start of 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻.

If you suffer from hay fever, you’ll know exactly what spring pollens can feel like - and horses can experience similar seasonal sensitivities too, everything from itchy eyes and nose rubbing, to headshaking and airway irritation, especially on windy days.

While many horses breeze through it without a problem, our inbox is already saying that some are beginning to show subtle signs that their immune system is reacting to what’s floating around in the air, i.e.

• watery or runny eyes
• nose rubbing on the knees
• headshaking on windy days
• a bit of clear/white-ish nasal discharge

These reactions are immune overreactions - aka "autoimmunity" - to environmental allergens. And interestingly, patterns like this can link back to deeper metabolic imbalances - something we’ll be covering later this week when we talk about the KPU connection.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
When pollen particles are inhaled, the immune system can mistakenly treat them as a threat, triggering the "mast cells" to release histamine. This is what causes the familiar irritation in the eyes, nose, and upper airways.
𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘦 “𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭” 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯, 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵.

But here’s the interesting part many of us don’t realise - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲. Studies are increasingly showing a gut–lung connection in horses. When the hindgut microbiome becomes disrupted or inflamed, immune responses can become exaggerated - including seasonal respiratory reactions.

In simple terms, a calm gut helps create calm immunity - and calmer breathing. This is why some horses react strongly to pollens while others grazing beside them seem completely unaffected.

💡If you'd like the deeper story behind spring pollen reactions - including how histamine, mast cells, and seasonal allergies fit into the bigger immune picture - we've got a blog based on our research into the Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).

It was inspired by our dear old cob, Kelso, who had a dreadful time of it battling the spring pollens every year - a classic case of "𝘐𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 (about KPU) 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘸."

The blog explores why some horses react so strongly to pollens and what the emerging science (2023) was beginning to uncover.
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/why-does-my-horse-react-to-the-spring-pollens

And... if your horse is a spring pollen headshaker, we've got a blog on that too which might be of interest:
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/headshaking-horses-causes-solutions

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱
Our Pollen range is currently 20% off in our Spring Sale:
🌿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 – gentle support for early-stage pollen reactions such as itchy eyes, nose rubbing, or mild headshaking.
🌿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗕𝗢 – a deeper 3-in-1 seasonal blend combining PollenTonic, KoffTonic and Spirulina for horses needing more comprehensive pollen support.
🌿𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮 – thought to support histamine balance as the tree pollens arrive.
→ use code 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝟮𝟬
→ www.equinatural.co.uk/march-2026-sale

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆?
Healthy breathing doesn’t start in the lungs - it starts with the whole system working in balance. Understanding that bigger picture can help us support our horses much more effectively during pollen season.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team
© EquiNatural 2026

𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮.
📧 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭@𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭.𝘤𝘰.𝘶𝘬
📞 01761 325032

Supercharge your horse's health with EquiNatural's quality organic equine herbal supplements and non-synthetic mineral balancers - just as nature intended.

13/03/2026

🌿 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 – 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘅... 𝗼𝗿 "𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴"?

To close our week of talking about spring detox -or as I increasingly prefer to call it, "metabolic housekeeping" - I thought it might be helpful to acknowledge something.

Whenever the word 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙭 appears, it almost always attracts a bit of pushback😱. Some people are quick to say that “detoxing” isn’t real, or that it’s just wellness marketing nonsense.

And in fairness, the word has been rather hijacked over the years by juice cleanses, influencer trends and dramatic “purge” programmes, so the scepticism is understandable.

But - the biological processes themselves are absolutely real.

Every second of every day the body is carrying out a quiet internal clean-up. Cells break down damaged components, recycle useful materials, and clear away metabolic waste through well-established pathways involving the gut, liver, kidneys and lymphatic system (aka the well-recognised "detoxification" organs).

In other words, the body is constantly performing its own version of "metabolic housekeeping".

The challenge today isn’t that these systems don’t exist - it’s that modern life can sometimes make their job harder. Diet, environmental exposure, medications, stress, seasonal pressures... all add to the workload the body has to process.

Which is why, in herbal and functional medicine traditions, supporting our horse's natural clean-up systems at certain times of year - particularly in spring (coming out of winter), and autumn (heading into winter) - has long been considered sensible seasonal care.

So if the word 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙭 makes you wince a little, feel free to think of it instead as cellular clean-up or metabolic housekeeping. Different words, same biology.

If you're curious about the EquiNatural take on this topic, you can read our full explanation here, because sometimes a little understanding goes a long way in separating science from slogans.

📖 “Detoxification” – aka Metabolic Housekeeping
https://www.equinatural.co.uk/detoxification-for-horses

𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦: 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭! 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯-𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 SAFE - Saving Abandoned Fly-Grazing Equines - 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 "𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨" 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦.

Carol Moreton
Founder, EquiNatural

Learn how detoxification supports your horse’s gut, liver, kidneys, and immunity. Explore EquiNatural’s natural Detox Programme for balance and vitality.

11/03/2026

🔬 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 – 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
~ (𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣-𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙧 𝙆𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚 - 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙡-𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮)

If anyone's read the recent article on selenium by Dr Eleanor Kellon, it may come as no surprise that we’ve had a few messages about it!

Dr Kellon was responding to a piece published on the SanoAnimal website by Dr Christina Fritz, about discussions online about selenium forms in horse nutrition.

I can absolutely see why the article left some readers scratching their heads. Dr Kellon tends to write for readers who enjoy diving into more scientific detail, and when research papers are condensed into a short blog post, the science-overload result can sometimes feel… a little dense.

So what I’ve done here is attempt to unpack the discussion into clearer, plain-English terms, while also highlighting where the scientific disagreement actually lies between the Kellon view and the Fritz view. This post simply aims to:

• acknowledge Dr Kellon’s point regarding toxicity studies
• explain Dr Fritz’s perspective on selenium metabolism
• and clarify why we formulate our EquiNatural mineral balancers the way we do.

Importantly, the Kellon/Fritz views are not actually as far apart as it might appear - they’re simply emphasising 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀.

I should also point out that both Dr Eleanor Kellon & Dr Christina Fritz are among the most scientifically rigorous and respected voices in the equine nutrition world, so when experts like this appear to disagree it can understandably leave horse owners feeling confused. So, I thought it might be helpful to translate the science into plain English, calm the concerns, and give a little clarity in the apparent confusion.

📌𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 – 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹
Selenium plays a critical role in antioxidant defence, immune function and muscle health. Horses have to obtain it from their diet because our UK soils are naturally low in selenium.

📌𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 – 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
• Organic selenium – usually selenium yeast containing selenomethionine
• Inorganic selenium – usually sodium selenite or sodium selenate

Importantly, the words 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 and 𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 here refer to chemical structure, not to farming methods or “organic food”. This often causes confusion - unless you're a chemist of course!

📌𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 – selenium has a 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 between deficiency and excess.

So with all that laid out, let's get stuck in to the debate itself...

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁?
Dr Kellon’s article was responding to a discussion from the SanoAnimal site suggesting that the organic 'chelated' selenium form 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 might cause problems due to a so-called “rebound effect”.

(𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.)

Her first point was straightforward: she could not find any scientific studies demonstrating that such a rebound effect actually exists. In her view, the claim was not supported by the research literature.

She also reviewed some of the studies referenced in the SanoAnimal article. One claim was that 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 - the natural 'inorganic' form that we use in our EquiVita/VitaComplete balancers - is absorbed quickly but excreted quickly, while 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 is absorbed more slowly.

However, when Dr Kellon looked at the research itself, the study suggested that both forms entered the bloodstream rapidly and behaved similarly once absorbed.

Another concern raised in the original article was that selenium from 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 might accumulate excessively in the body. Dr Kellon examined the human-based study used to support that argument, and found that what the study actually showed was that when humans were supplemented with selenium:

• blood selenium levels increased
• but then stabilised after a period of time

This happens because the body increases urinary excretion as selenium intake rises. In other words, selenium levels do not keep rising indefinitely.

Dr Kellon also referenced laboratory 'LD' (lethal dose) toxicology studies comparing selenium forms. These studies examine extremely large experimental doses used to evaluate acute poisoning risk, rather than the tiny nutritional levels used in horse diets. At those very high experimental levels, inorganic selenium such as sodium selenite can show greater acute toxicity than selenium yeast.

However, it’s important to understand that 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝟬.𝟭–𝟬.𝟯𝗺𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗗₅₀ 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. In other words, we are talking about huge differences between laboratory poisoning studies and normal nutritional supplementation.

(𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘋₅₀ 𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 (1960'𝘴-1990'𝘴) 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴.)

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗲?
Interestingly, the debate between these two perspectives is not really about toxicity studies. It's about 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆.

• Dr Kellon’s discussion focuses mainly on toxicology data and blood selenium levels.
• Dr Christina Fritz - who as you know I’ve personally studied with, and whose work many of us now also follow closely - focuses more on how selenium enters metabolic pathways and how it may be stored in tissues. Her concern with selenomethionine is based on its chemistry.

Reminder: 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 is a chelated selenium compound that is chemically bound to the amino acid - and therefore structurally resembles, and behaves very similarly to - the amino acid 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦, amino acids being protein building blocks. Because of this, the body may recognise it as a protein and incorporate it into body proteins - the so-called “Trojan horse” mechanism - aka, sneaking in without an invitation, regardless of whether additional selenium is actually needed.

For this reason - and because EquiNatural is nothing if not natural - we avoid chelated sources of nutrients in our mineral balancers. In the case of selenium, we formulate with natural 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦, which enters the body through the normal selenium metabolic pathway where intake can be more tightly regulated.

In simple terms:
• 𝘚𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 → enters the body through the normal selenium metabolic pathway where its use and excretion can be regulated.
• 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 → can be incorporated into body proteins because it resembles an amino acid. This means selenium may be stored in tissues rather than immediately entering the body’s regulated selenium metabolism.

Overall, the concern here is not acute toxicity – 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, particularly because selenium has a relatively narrow safety window between deficiency and excess.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 – 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 - 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀?
Because they are essentially asking different scientific questions.

• Dr Kellon is primarily examining 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹s.
• Dr Fritz is examining 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.

And both perspectives are of course valuable pieces to the overall understanding of selenium metabolism.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀?
The most important point to understand is that selenium is essential, but must be provided in the correct amount.

And it’s important to remember that toxicity studies sometimes quoted online involve extremely high experimental doses that are many hundreds of times higher than the amounts used in balanced horse diets.

In our real-world feeding, the quantities used are tiny and carefully regulated.

𝗧𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲
At EquiNatural we use natural 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 in our mineral balancers because it enters the normal selenium metabolic pathway where the body can regulate its absorption, utilisation and excretion.

Given selenium’s narrow safety window, many nutritionists prefer this regulated pathway when designing balanced diets. In other words, the key factor with selenium is correct dosage, not simply the form used. 𝘚𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 is a safe and well-established selenium source used widely in equine nutrition.

In short? This post is simply intended to explain the different metabolic pathways of selenium forms for horse owners. Both forms are used in equine nutrition, and correct dosage is the most important factor.

If you ever have questions about your horse’s mineral balance or selenium intake, our team is always very happy to help.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team

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