Equine Balanced Support

05/12/2026

Join us for an in-depth discussion on equine feed and nutrition, taking place on Thursday at 7PM EST, in partnership with two equine professionals.

Your contributions and queries are welcome. Please circulate this invitation to your contacts and register by clicking the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc204S4uLwVrwvChqpku8XVA_rmBM0RxLSQUv90RPl55Ni4wQ/viewform?

Thursday, May 14, 2026 7 PM Eastern Zoom Cost: Free Contact us: Désirée Braganza: bodhihorse@gmail.com Allen Brock: equinekahu@yahoo.com Elizabeth King: contact@equinebalancedsupport.com Event Description Feeding horses was never meant to be this complicated, but somewhere along the way, it became...

05/10/2026

Explore the top-selling products of the week

05/10/2026

Can horses with dental issues have Grazers?
We get this question often, and the answer is yes. In fact, some customers choose Grazers specifically for horses with dental concerns.

Grazers are similar in size and shape to a large hay pellet, which makes them familiar and manageable for many horses. For those who need extra support, we recommend:
💚 Feeding one at a time
💚 Breaking them into smaller pieces as needed

Every horse is different, so it’s always about finding what works best for them and adjusting as you go.

The goal is to keep things safe, comfortable, and still allow for those moments of connection.

"My Morgan loves these!!! I would recommend these to anyone seeking a healthy alternative for their horse." - Heather

👉Upgrade to Grazers today!

URL: https://equinebalancedsupport.com/products/grazers-nutri-treats-forage-based-healthy-horse-treats-5lbs

05/04/2026

We get this question all the time, what does vitamin E actually do for the horse?

It is one of those nutrients people know is important but are not always sure why.

At a basic level, vitamin E supports muscle function, nerve health, and helps protect cells from everyday stress.

One helpful thing is that you can test your horse’s vitamin E levels through blood serum testing with your veterinarian. Just be careful not to aim for just enough to avoid deficiency. Instead, focus on supporting levels that help your horse truly thrive.

You are already doing so much for your horse, this is an important piece of supporting them proactively.

Many horses do not get consistent amounts from forage alone, and most feeds use synthetic forms.

Because vitamin E is fat-soluble, pairing it with something like flax can help improve absorption.

It is not about adding more, just making sure what you are feeding is actually being absorbed.

Are you feeding vitamin E right now, or just relying on your feed?

05/04/2026

🥳🎉Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating this week 🎉🥳

05/03/2026

Check out this week’s top selling products!

05/01/2026

What makes this Vitamin E different?
We get this question all the time.
A lot of horses get time in pasture, and it’s easy to assume that covers it. Sometimes it does. But not always.

Between soil depletion, overgrazed paddocks, and limited turnout, many horses simply aren’t getting consistent vitamin E intake from forage alone. On top of that, vitamin E can degrade up to 80% in hay during curing and storage.

So the question becomes less about if they need it
And more about how to provide it consistently

That’s where formulation matters.

💚 Natural source (d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) for reliable absorption
💚 Low feed rate with 2,000 IU per 3.67 g scoop
💚 No unnecessary fillers or added oils
💚 Manufactured in the U.S. with documented purity and testing

We also pay close attention to how it’s used in real programs.

In field use, we’ve seen consistent increases in blood vitamin E levels across different barns and management styles. In one case, Mercurian, a Thoroughbred mare’s serum levels increased from 415 to 594 in 90 days on a single daily scoop.

Because vitamin E is fat-soluble, how you feed it matters too. Pairing it with a fat source like flax can support absorption and help maintain steady levels over time.

It’s not about making things complicated
It’s about making them consistent, cost-effective, practical, and easy to use daily

So when supplementing vitamin E, it's worth paying attention to both form and how it's fed. Choosing a natural bioavailable form like D-alpha-Tocopherol acetate can make a real difference in consistency.

04/29/2026

The Role of Chewing and Saliva in Digestive Health

Saliva plays a critical role in equine digestion. Unlike humans, horses do not produce saliva in large quantities in response to the presence of food alone. Instead, chewing stimulates saliva flow, which acts as a natural buffer to stomach acid. Because equine saliva contains bicarbonate, frequent chewing helps protect the stomach lining from acidic erosion.

When horses go long stretches without forage or are fed large amounts of concentrate that require less chewing, saliva production decreases. This reduction removes a key defense against gastric acidity and increases the risk of ulcers and other upper digestive tract problems.

Forage promotes prolonged chewing and, therefore, increased saliva flow. Horses that graze for many hours each day have a natural buffering mechanism supporting both stomach comfort and hindgut fermentation. Encouraging chewing — through free‑choice hay, slow feeders, and forage‑based diets — helps maintain natural saliva production and supports a healthy digestive environment.

04/28/2026

Immune System Consequences of Vitamin E Deficiency

Vitamin E helps support the equine immune system by protecting immune cells from oxidative damage and supporting normal immune function. When deficiency is present, horses may show increased susceptibility to infections, slower responses to vaccination, and protracted recovery from illness. This effect is especially noteworthy in horses with endocrine disorders such as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, where immune challenges are common.

A compromised immune response because of inadequate vitamin E decreases the horse’s ability to fight off respiratory infections, skin infections, or systemic illnesses, which can be particularly problematic in populations where stress, travel, or environmental challenges are frequent. Ensuring adequate antioxidant support through vitamin E enhances cellular defenses, improves resilience to immune challenges, and contributes to overall health maintenance.

Supplementation may be particularly beneficial when horses are exposed to immunological stressors or when pasture access is limited, helping to provide consistent antioxidant defenses throughout the year.

04/28/2026

Some important information about evaluating your horse for Cushings disease from Knoellwood Equine, talk to your vet - it may be time to check test your horse.

Diagnosing Cushings (PPID)

While we typically think of Cushing's horses with their long hair coat, potbelly appearance, and chronic infections, we know now that there are multiple early symptoms that are much more subtle. These include (but are not limited to), change in behavior, regional adiposity (fat deposits), lose of topline, and decreased performance. We generally don't know unless we test!

Often times we will run a baseline ACTH to diagnose Cushings, however, it is common that these results come back in the equivocal range. The dreaded grey area where they're not negative but they're not quite over the reference range to give us that clear cut PPID/Cushings diagnosis.

Running a TRH stim to diagnose Cushings can help us get more definitive results. A TRH stim can be run January - June. After that, horses experience a seasonal rise in ACTH so testing results can be skewed and difficult to interpret.

The way the test is performed is:
1) We draw a baseline sample to test ACTH
2) We administered 1mL of TRH IV
3) 10 minutes later we draw a second blood sample to test ACTH

If a horse has Cushings, their post-TRH sample will have an elevated ACTH. Once a Cushings diagnosis has been made we will start them on appropriate management.

📷 of my favorite old lady who had Cushings 💜