Advancing Equine Wellness: Science-Backed Strategies for Your Horse

Horse owners are handed a lot of confident advice. The useful filter is simple: what does the evidence actually support, and what is just repetition? Below are three areas where the research has shifted recently, and what each one means for a horse standing in your barn.

Nutrition: test before you supplement

Vitamin E protects muscle cell membranes, and horses without year-round green pasture genuinely can run short. But it does not follow that every horse needs a supplement. Veterinarians increasingly recommend testing blood concentrations first, because excess vitamin E can interfere with blood clotting and with absorption of other fat-soluble vitamins. Supplementing blind can create a problem where none existed. The Horse covers the testing protocol in detail.

The principle generalizes. Any addition to a horse's program — vitamin, mineral, or botanical — deserves the same question: what evidence says this particular horse needs it, and how will I know whether it worked?

Box rest: protect the mind, not just the leg

Stall rest solves a mechanical problem and creates a behavioral one. Horses evolved to move, graze, and stay in company; remove all three at once and stress behaviors follow — weaving, box walking, and appetite changes that slow the very recovery the rest was meant to deliver.

Current welfare thinking organizes the fix around the three F's: freedom, friends, and forage. In practice that means letting a confined horse see and touch a companion over a partition, providing ad-lib forage in slow feeders so eating occupies hours rather than minutes, and adding low-effort mental work such as clicker training or foraging puzzles. The Irish Field has a good overview of the rethink.

If travel or handling is part of the recovery picture, our guide to hemp for trailering and travel stress covers that specific situation.

Metabolic health is a year-round job

The common assumption is that pasture sugar is a spring problem. It isn't. Non-structural carbohydrates stay elevated through warm summer weather, and for a horse prone to laminitis or with equine metabolic syndrome, a July pasture can carry the same risk as an April one.

Practical management looks like restricting grazing during high-sugar windows, using a grazing muzzle where appropriate, choosing fiber-first low-sugar feeds, and — most importantly — monitoring rather than assuming. Steady insulin is the goal, and it is a twelve-month project.

Where hemp fits in an equine program

Hemp is not a substitute for any of the above. It sits alongside them, and the honest case for it rests on what has actually been measured.

HempMy Pet ran a clinical equine study with Tarleton State University (Texas A&M System), led by Dr. Kimberly Guay, Ph.D., P.A.S. at the university's Equine Center, using our own full-spectrum hemp oil. The study measured stress during transport — a real, repeatable stressor rather than a laboratory abstraction. Findings: CBD reduced measures of stress in the horses studied, 0.6 mg/kg outperformed 0.3 mg/kg, and blood concentrations peaked near four hours and were non-detectable by twenty-four. Coverage from Texas A&M and dvm360. The full write-up is on our equine study page.

For the mechanism, see how hemp works in horses. For amounts, dosage by weight. For safety and show rules, is hemp safe for horses.

Competition note: cannabinoids are prohibited substances under FEI and USEF rules. If you compete, confirm current regulations and withdrawal windows before using hemp.

How to evaluate any equine supplement

• Ask what was measured. "Supports wellness" is marketing. A named institution, a named researcher, and a stated outcome is evidence.
• Read the certificate of analysis. A current, batch-specific third-party lab report should be published, not available on request. Ours are on our lab results page.
• Know where it was grown. Hemp is a phytoremediator — it pulls what is in the soil into the plant. We breed our own genetics and grow them on our Colorado farm using organic practices.
• Be suspicious of certainty. Anyone claiming a supplement treats a disease is telling you something they cannot support.

Frequently asked questions

Should I supplement my horse with vitamin E?
Test first. Horses without year-round green pasture may be low, but excess vitamin E can interfere with blood clotting, so a blood concentration test tells you whether supplementation is warranted for your horse specifically.

How do I reduce stress during box rest?
Work the three F's — freedom, friends, and forage. Allow contact with a companion, provide ad-lib forage in slow feeders so eating fills hours, and add gentle mental work such as clicker training.

Is pasture sugar only a spring problem?
No. Non-structural carbohydrates stay elevated through warm summer weather, so laminitis-prone horses need managed grazing year-round, not just in spring.

Has hemp been studied in horses?
Yes. HempMy Pet's full-spectrum hemp oil was used in a Tarleton State University study led by Dr. Kimberly Guay that measured reduced stress during transport, with 0.6 mg/kg more effective than 0.3 mg/kg.

This content is for general wellness information and is not a substitute for veterinary care. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your veterinarian before starting any new supplement.