EquiNatural

14/10/2026

🍂 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗨𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
~ 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

We haven’t properly introduced our water buffet self-selection collections here before, so consider this their arrival at the yard gate.

We make all the calls for our horse - the hay, the feed, the supplements… but there’s a way they can also have a say in the menu.

And if you’ve never encountered a water buffet before, no – it doesn’t involve table service or Ned demanding a mint no-jito with his lunch.

It’s simply offering different herbs separately – either in individual dry bowls or in buckets of water alongside their usual fresh, plain water – and giving them the opportunity to explore. Although, if our two were anything to go by, you may get absolutely no interest whatsoever, thank you very much! The choice always includes saying no. 😉

🌿 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝘁?
Autumn brings more conserved forage and potentially less time browsing outdoors, so a herbal buffet offers another way to introduce different plant tastes and aromas – and a little opportunity to choose between them.

And if it floats your boat, it’s also really interesting to watch which bucket they investigate, which one they return to, and whether they change their mind from day to day. Horses certainly have opinions – and this gives them another opportunity to express them!

Interesting things to notice – but choosing a herb doesn’t mean diagnosing a deficiency or tell us that a particular organ needs support. Taste, familiarity and individual preference can all be part of the picture.

We’re offering a choice, then watching what they reply with.

🍂 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁
As the seasons change, so does the botanical menu. Autumn brings an earthier selection of roots, berries and seeds – and that’s the inspiration behind our AutumnReset collection.

Inside are six separately packed, certified organic herbs, six different tastes and aromas, so your horse can explore each in turn.

→ Yarrow Herb
→ Burdock Root
→ Rosehips
→ Hawthorn Berries
→ Dandelion Root
→ Milk Thistle Seed

💧 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?
Offer each herb in its own water bucket, with fresh, plain drinking water freely available at all times. Prefer a dry buffet? Offer each herb separately in its own bowl, so they can investigate – or politely decline – each one.

No carrot prizes for finishing the menu – and no need to disguise the herb they’ve politely declined either.

NB. If your horse is on medication, pregnant or has a health condition, check suitability with your vet before offering herbs.

🍂 If you’d like to try it, AutumnReset is included in our October sale
→ Use code 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗧𝟮𝟬 at checkout
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/october-horse-health-sale

A little autumn variety for your horse – but be aware that they might have different ideas about the specials. 😉

Carol & The EquiNatural Team x

12/10/2026

🍂 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗧
~ 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧?

There’s something about autumn that makes us take stock.

The summer routines begin packing their bags, menus start changing (my salad lunches are now being swapped for soups), I’m already back in jods and thicker socks, and we start thinking about what needs doing before winter settles in.

A recent seasonal thought stayed with me: the change of season is an opportunity to revisit what’s working, what isn’t, and what we want to carry into the months ahead. And naturally, my mind wandered straight through the yard gate - because our horses are making that transition too.

More hay, less grass. Less daylight, different turnout, and perhaps longer in the stable. A change in movement, companionship and daily routine – and maybe also the hangover effects of a never-ending heatwave summer that asked a bit more of them than usual.

Last week, October’s Autumn Reset began with 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲: what's the horse carrying, and can they recover after each challenge?

This week, we move into 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁. Which also brings us to that dreaded word that seems to make some people twitch…

Detox. 😉

It's a real biological process – it really is! But – somewhere along the way the green wellness juice mob ran off with the word, and turned it into an over–enthusiastic marketing promise about purging, flushing and cleansing – as though the body had forgotten how to manage its own affairs.

And hands up. As recently as a year ago my mantra was also detox detox detox. I was firmly in the “clear those clogged pathways and recharge immunity” camp – cuppa in one hand, detox flag in the other.

Meanwhile, I kept reading, asking questions and following the biology. And gradually my thinking changed, because… the body doesn't need us to teach it how to detox. It knows how to do it perfectly well.

The more useful question is whether we’re giving the body the right conditions – and choosing support in an order that makes sense for the individual horse.

• Your horse's liver processes nutrients and many compounds the body no longer needs.
• The kidneys regulate fluid and electrolyte balance and remove waste through urine.
• The gut handles digestion, absorption and the passage of what remains, while blood and lymph keep transport and fluid movement going.

All day, every day. Without waiting for October – or a discount code. 😉

These systems work together continuously. They don’t suddenly switch on because we’ve opened a bag of herbs. And autumn doesn’t automatically mean a horse is “toxic”, their liver is clogged or their immune system needs recharging. Just as a dull coat or slower recovery doesn’t tell us that a horse needs a detox. It just tells us to look more closely.

Sometimes the most useful reset begins with the perfectly ordinary things: suitable forage, fresh water, salt, balanced nutrition, comfortable movement, companionship and rest. Not terribly glamorous – just the important stuff.

🌿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝘁
A reset isn't about forcing the body to flush out toxins, or clearing supposedly clogged pathways, or rushing to the supplement drawer to recharge immunity.

It's about asking what the individual horse needs, making sure the everyday foundations are in place, and choosing additional support where it genuinely makes sense. And sometimes, of course, the answer is that nothing extra is needed at all.

But where a more structured approach feels appropriate, our two programmes offer different starting points.

🌿 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘
Our structured one-month Gut → Filtration → Flow programme works through three 10-day stages: beginning with digestive support, moving to liver and kidney function, then finishing with support for circulation and fluid balance.

A planned course of nutritional and herbal support, rather than a promise to flush anything out.

🌿 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗣𝗟𝗨𝗦
A wider programme for the horse who's been through a difficult patch – perhaps involving stress, illness, medication or a prolonged change in routine – and needs a more considered approach to recovery and everyday support.

It follows three phases:
• Settle and stabilise – StressTonic and DuoBute for nervous-system and everyday comfort support.
• Clear and reset – the structured OptimaCARE programme.
• Rebuild and fortify – a 1kg trial bag of EquiVita or VitaComplete, chosen according to the horse's seasonal nutritional needs.

Neither programme replaces good management or the everyday foundations – they're simply different ways of organising additional support around the horse in front of us.

🍂 𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 - 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲
→ Use code 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗧𝟮𝟬 at checkout
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/october-horse-health-sale

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆
A useful autumn reset leaves the horse heading into winter with the foundations for the body to keep doing the extraordinary everyday work it already knows how to do.

Which means... our winter-prep question is less “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵?” and more “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 𝗔 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗖.
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 3 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘻𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥. 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩!"

Carol & The EquiNatural Team

© EquiNatural 2026
📞 01761 325032
📧 [email protected]

Support your horse through autumn with calming, stress recovery, seasonal reset, mare and winter forage support. Save 20% throughout October with code RESET20.

09/10/2026

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧...
~ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺?

Me and my IFM podcasts… Yes, I was listening to another recent one when the guest, Dr Neil Nathan, made an interesting distinction between "𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 and 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺".

The differential being that burden is the thing placing pressure on the body, while sensitivity is what might happen when the nervous system becomes so watchful that it then begins sounding the alarm at something it once tolerated perfectly well.

And inevitably, my mind wandered straight through the yard gate… and landed on thirteen rabbits.

The “thirteen rabbits” analogy, popularised in the horse world by renowned trainer Warwick Schiller, is a brilliantly simple way of describing trigger stacking – or the cumulative "straw that broke the camel’s back".

Whatever name we give it, those rabbits illustrate cumulative anxiety in horses perfectly!

So, let's recap. Ned is walking along a familiar track when Rabbit One appears. No biggie. He notices it, but carries on.

Then another appears. Still nothing. Rabbit three… four… five… Ned carries on, apparently coping perfectly well.

Until Rabbit Thirteen appears. And Ned utterly 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗦!

The biggest spook you’ve ever sat – or possibly didn’t! And yet – there was nothing especially terrifying about rabbit thirteen. It wasn’t larger, it didn’t leap more dramatically, and it wasn’t even wearing a particularly menacing rabbit expression.

It was simply the rabbit that arrived when Ned’s internal system finally said, “I have had 𝘌𝘕𝘖𝘜𝘎𝘏 of these bluddy rabbits!”

Suddenly, what looked like a completely disproportionate response to one small event makes a bit more sense - because Ned didn’t react only to rabbit thirteen. He reacted to rabbits one 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 thirteen – and perhaps to everything his nervous system was 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 carrying before the first rabbit appeared.

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
Each rabbit adds something to the load – Ned may appear to cope with every one, but coping doesn’t necessarily mean his nervous system has fully settled before the next arrives. Eventually, one final, apparently insignificant event lands – and over goes the bucket.

To us, Ned appears to be overreacting to “𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨”. Even so, perhaps the rider shortens the reins, grips with the legs and maybe gets a little shouty – because, after all, it was only a rabbit.

But Ned didn’t react only to rabbit thirteen. He reacted to everything his nervous system was already carrying – and at precisely the moment he felt least safe – with his whole body receiving the biological instruction to escape, his rider became tense too.

Ned doesn’t understand that the human is cross because there was supposedly “nothing” to fear. He only knows that something felt terribly wrong – and suddenly, his rider felt wrong too.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
So what happens when Ned and rider return to that track? There may not be a rabbit in sight, but the track itself has now become rabbit Fourteen.

Ned approaches already watchful, shortening his steps as his body begins preparing for the thing it remembers happening there. The rider remembers too. Reins shorten, legs tighten.

Ned: “𝘚𝘦𝘦? 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

Rider: “𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

Horse and human begin confirming each other’s fears. Ned becomes twitchier because the rider is preparing for trouble; rider becomes firmer because Ned is becoming twitchier – and Ned reads that firmness as further evidence of danger.

Before long, everyone agrees that this horse is “just silly on that track”, without ever returning to the moment when rabbit thirteen tipped an already-full nervous system over the edge.

Meanwhile, rabbit thirteen has long gone – but the alarm it triggered has remained.

𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀
There's a lot of change about. Shorter days, colder temperatures, changing forage and routines, rugs, clipping – as well as wind and rain making familiar surroundings sound, smell and move differently.

Us humans may see each adjustment as small and perfectly ordinary, but our horse’s nervous system might experience them collectively. One October rabbit, then another, then another… each apparently manageable. Until one day the horse explodes at the rug flapping over the stable door and everyone wonders what on earth has got into them.

But was it really the rug? Or was the rug simply rabbit thirteen?

𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Is it, “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳?” Or, “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨?”

That doesn’t mean wrapping them in bubble wrap or ensuring nothing ever challenges them. Nor does it mean every spook, refusal or grumpy face reveals a deeply dysregulated nervous system. Sometimes a rabbit is simply a rabbit, or a flapping bag really is a flapping bag, or… sometimes a horse is just feeling very well indeed!

But it could mean having a think about the earlier rabbits, because what’s right in front of us today may not be the whole problem. It may simply have landed on top of yesterday, last week, and perhaps a memory of last winter as well – becoming the moment Ned ran out of room.

And what happens next may depend on whether we punish the explosion…

Or stop, look back along the track, and say Hi to the other twelve rabbits standing behind us.

Happy Friday!
Carol

© EquiNatural 2026
01761 325032
[email protected]

𝘗.𝘚. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 - 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘗𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺. 😉

Learn how chronic stress affects horses, the signs owners may notice, why recovery matters, and how pain, sleep, management, nutrition and gut health can all play a part.

07/10/2026

🐎𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟-𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘!

For the very first time, we’re creating an EquiNatural 2027 Calendar – and we'd love your horses to be the stars of it! ❤️

Not professional models, not perfect poses, and definitely not beautifully staged photoshoots! Just real horses, real moments – horses being horses.

We'd love to see the muddy face or the ridiculous expression, the quiet moment in the field or the glorious summer evening, the winter whiskers or the frosty morning - we’re looking for that one photograph that somehow captures your horse.

Each of our 12 selected Calendar Stars will receive two complimentary copies of the finished calendar – one to keep and one for a friend – or the feedroom! And there’s another special reason for creating it – every EquiNatural 2027 Calendar sold gives a donation to S.A.F.E., our chosen equine charity.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁
Send us ONE favourite photograph of your horse, together with:

• Their name
• A sentence or two telling us a little about them
• The photographer’s name (if not you)
• Confirmation that you own the photograph or have the photographer’s permission to submit it – and that you give EquiNatural permission to share, crop or resize it and, if selected, reproduce it in our printed 2027 Calendar and use it when promoting the calendar.

📧 Email your photo to: [email protected]
- 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭-𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴, 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: https://www.equinatural.co.uk/equinatural-horse-calendar

Please send the original, highest-resolution version of your photograph as we’ll need lovely clear images for printing – and 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺. As well as the horses and their stories, we’ll be considering photograph quality and resolution – and making sure the finished calendar contains a gorgeous mixture of seasons, colours and real-life moments.

And please choose carefully – 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣.

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭.𝟱𝟵𝗽𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿
Once submissions close, the EquiNatural team will then somehow attempt the impossible task of selecting our 12 Calendar Stars – to be revealed on Monday 2 November!

So – which one photograph makes you think "That’s my horse!"? We can't wait to meet our potential Calendar Stars!

🐎𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻!

Kim Swiffen
Customer Support Manager, EquiNatural

Meet the EquiNatural Horse Calendar Stars from real customers that captures their horse, while helping raise money for equine charity S.A.F.E.

05/10/2026

🍂 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗪𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬
~ 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 - 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨

The days are now noticeably shorter, temperatures are considerably more refreshing (shall we say!) for the early morning shift, the grass nutrients are fading, and hay is returning to the diet. And for many horses, turnout, exercise and stabling routines are beginning to change as well.

Each change asks the horse to adapt – exactly what the stress response is designed to help them do - react → respond → recover. A healthy system doing its job.

The problem comes when the challenges keep arriving, and the horse no longer returns fully to baseline afterwards. Summer already brought heat, flies, pollen, hard ground, travel, competition or restricted grazing. Then September added coat change, shifting grass, changing temperatures and seasonal ACTH.

Now October brings much shorter days, changing forage, and more adjustments to daily routines.

One or two changes may be perfectly manageable, but when several land on top of each other, the body can sometimes find itself carrying them over into the next day.

And stress doesn’t always look like the spectacular horse dancing on the end of a lead rope. It might be the horse who’s become out-of-character quieter, or harder to catch, less sociable, or more reluctant. Or at the deeper end there’s the shut-down horse, who’s no longer coping and noticeably dropping weight. We’ve seen every stage here at EquiNatural...

So before automatically reaching for a calmer, it might be worth first having a think about what might have changed. Was there enough forage to last through the night? Has turnout reduced? Have social groups changed? Is our horse getting proper rest and natural movement? Could pain, footiness or gut discomfort be adding to the load?

It doesn't mean calming support has no place – but it might mean it makes more sense when we first understand what the horse’s nervous system is being asked to manage.

🌿 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿'𝘀 "𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲" 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
→ 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 - for shorter-term, situational tension
→ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 - for deeper, ongoing stress and the horse struggling to recover
→ 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 - gentle support for emotional balance
→ 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗲 – for gentle hormonal balance
→ 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 - nature's more potent traditional single-herb nervine

I’ve also recently rewritten our Stress information page - not because horses have invented a new stress response, but because the science has moved on when explaining what happens when that response doesn’t properly resolve.

For years, the stress conversation centred around cortisol, adrenaline and fight/flight. These days? We now understand the wider picture, which makes the important question not whether your horse has become stressed - 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/stress

🍂 𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 - 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
All five products are included in our Autumn Reset Sale
→ Use code 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗧𝟮𝟬 at checkout
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/october-horse-health-sale

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆
The goal isn’t to remove every stressor - it’s to help our horse adapt, recover, and return to themselves afterwards.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team

© EquiNatural 2026
📞 01761 325032
📧 [email protected] ⬇

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
“𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦." 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘺 𝘚.

Support your horse's chronic stress and anxiety with EquiNatural. Shop online for quality-assured, nutrient-rich organic supplements and mineral balancers.

01/10/2026

🍂 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗢 𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥 - 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛, 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘!
~ 𝙀𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡'𝙨 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙚 – 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧

Hello again! And here we are, officially bang in the middle of autumn. Summer has finally packed its bags, while winter hasn’t quite arrived. So,

"𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?"

• The days are noticeably shorter, with temperatures now dropping into single digits.
• Summer grass nutrients are fading which means mineral intake changes.
• Gut ecology has to adapt to a changing diet - hay may well be returning as the major fibre source.
• For some it’s less turnout and more stable time - which can alter movement, social contact and daily routines.
• The liver/kidneys/lymph/circulation have been doing their regular housekeeping through summer, so before winter properly arrives, what needs replenishing, rebalancing or simply checking?

And underneath it all, the horse is adapting again. But – some will move through the transition more easily than others, because coping with change isn’t always the same as recovering from it.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁" 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲
That’s why this October we’re focusing on calm, balance, and resilience, helping your horse adapt to autumn and prepare for winter.

Here's October's checklist:

🌿 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘 – Seasonal change asks the 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀-𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 to adapt, so we’ll be looking at what happens when that response does its job, but the horse struggles to settle and recover afterwards.
→ 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 | 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 | 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 | 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯

🌿 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗧 - We’ll also be checking whether your horse's 𝗴𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘀 – the liver and kidneys – might benefit from a seasonal reset before winter.
→ 𝘖𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘌- 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘵, 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺𝘴 & 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
→ 𝘖𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘗𝘓𝘜𝘚- 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦-𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦

🌿 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙉𝘿 - We’ll be looking at our 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 and their often-overlooked autumn hormonal changes.
→ 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘦 - 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 & 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵

🌿 𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘 - As grass gives way to hay, we’ll take a seasonal look at the 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, and why the move into winter forage may change what needs supplying elsewhere.
→ 𝘝𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 - 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 & 𝘩𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵

And…
🌿Our seasonal 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗯𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝘁 self-selection blends let our horses show us which seasonal herbs they enjoy.
→ 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘵 - 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴, 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦

So on that note, let’s get started...

🍂 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲
To help you stay ahead of the seasonal changes, we’re bringing you 20% off our handpicked October collection:
→ Use code 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗧𝟮𝟬 at checkout
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/october-horse-health-sale

Summer has packed its bags – the Autumn Reset is officially underway.

Carol & The EquiNatural Team

© EquiNatural 2026
📞 01761 325032
📧 [email protected]

Support your horse through autumn with calming, stress recovery, seasonal reset, mare and winter forage support. Save 20% throughout October with code RESET20.

30/09/2026

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗔𝗬 - 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁!
~ 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙊𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧

And what a shift it's been! As usual, the month has flown by - here we are just one day away from October already.

We started with the coat change – that first obvious sign that summer was beginning to loosen its grip.

Then came a ridiculous September grass flush putting us on EMS alert. Following with the ACTH test and PPID, we ended up looking at the skin – first mallenders, then sarcoids – and looking at how what we see on the outside is sometimes part of a bigger picture.

So here we are:

🍂 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗔𝗬 - 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁!
→ 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 our Coat, Cushing's, EMS, Mallenders & Sarcoids range
→ Use code 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗙𝗧𝟮𝟬 at checkout
→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/september-horse-health-sale

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁" 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲
Summer really has packed its bags, so October's about getting practical about the transition into winter.

🌿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 - As daylight, temperatures and routines change, some horses find the autumn transition easier than others. We'll be looking at helping your horse move from tension towards calm focus.

🌿 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 - As hay begins replacing grass, diet, movement and the gut environment all begin shifting too, we'll be covering how an 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 can help prepare our horses for winter.

🌿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 - We'll also be shining a light on our mares and their often-overlooked autumn hormones.

🌿 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 - Finally, we'll be looking at the winter forage shift and the nutritional foundations that go with it.

And…

🌿 We can’t forget our 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝘁 - a seasonal self-selection blend of seeds, fruits, berries and mature roots, that let our horses show us which seasonal herbs they enjoy.

In short? October is about getting our horse ready for what comes next. And knowing us, there'll probably be a rabbit hole or two along the way. 😉

See you there!

Carol & The EquiNatural Team

© EquiNatural 2026
📞 01761 325032
📧 [email protected]

Support your horse through September’s seasonal changes, from coat change and rising ACTH to autumn grass and metabolic health. Save 20% with SHIFT20.

28/09/2026

𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗢𝗜𝗗𝗦
~ 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙥 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨?

If you've ever owned a horse with sarcoids, you'll probably know the frustration.
You treat one. It goes. It comes back. Then another appears.

Or you do absolutely nothing and spend the next three years staring suspiciously at it every morning.

And there's a reason they're so frustrating - because a sarcoid isn't simply a lump sitting on the skin waiting for us to find the right thing to remove it with.

In fact, after disappearing down a massive sarcoid research rabbit hole recently, I've completely updated our Sarcoids Info page – because the biology has moved on considerably since I last properly updated it.

And one phrase from a 2026 scientific review says it all - “𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘴-𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳.” And there it is.

𝗕𝗣𝗩 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
We now know that 𝘉𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘴 – particularly BPV-1 and BPV-2 – sits right at the heart of sarcoid biology.

But here's the interesting bit - BPV DNA can also be found in perfectly normal-looking skin, so exposure to the virus doesn't always mean a sarcoid.

Some horses develop them, some don't, or some get one quiet little lesion that barely changes for years, while others seem to battle multiple, recurring, or much more aggressive sarcoids.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲?
This is the question researchers are now looking much more closely at.

Genetic susceptibility is a consideration, as is immune recognition and local skin and tissue environment. But just to make matters worse... BPV is cunning too. It can even change the behaviour of the cells it infects by making those altered cells harder for the immune system to recognise.

So rather than thinking "𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 → 𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴", the picture now looks much more like an 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 between the virus and the horse it lands in. Or, as I prefer to think of it - the virus may light the match, but whether a lasting fire takes hold depends on the horse and the biological ground on which that match lands.

𝗦𝗼… 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼?
First – we don't attack the lump with the contents of the kitchen cupboard. And definitely not toothpaste!😉

If you've found something suspicious:
📸 Photograph it.
📏 Measure it.
🙌 Leave it alone.
👩‍⚕️ And get your vet to have a look.

In short? Sarcoids are tumours. Most are locally invasive rather than spreading to distant organs, but their position, behaviour, and tendency to react badly to interference means they're not simply harmless cosmetic warts.

And there isn't one universally “best” treatment either, so instead we should perhaps be thinking, “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙞𝙙, 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙖𝙩 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚?”

Sometimes that may mean monitoring, or veterinary treatment, or referral. But while we're managing the sarcoid itself, I also want to support the horse underneath it.

🌿 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀
𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 isn't designed to “attack” a sarcoid - and I'm certainly not going to promise you that feeding a herbal blend will make an existing tumour disappear or stop another one ever appearing.

→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/shop/SARCOSHIELD-for-Horses-Organic-Support-for-Sarcoid-Prone-Horses-p778112387

That's not what it does. 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 is a carefully balanced formula of Barleygrass, Rosehips and Pau D'Arco to provide long-term nutritional and botanical support for:
🌿 Healthy immune function
🌿 Skin and connective-tissue integrity
🌿 Antioxidant and cellular support
🌿 The wider biological terrain of the sarcoid-prone horse

In other words - the vet manages the sarcoid, while we support the horse beneath it.

And... this is also a long-game. We can't think weeks – we need to think in terms of at least twelve months, alongside monitoring and whatever veterinary management that particular sarcoid needs.

We've seen some fascinating long-term owner experiences over the years, including horses whose sarcoid changes were followed photographically while receiving sustained nutritional support. But - experiences aren't clinical trials, so no magic promises here. Just steady support, realistic expectations, and a horse whose foundations we're making as strong as we reasonably can.

📖 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲…
I've recently finished completely updating our Sarcoids Info page with the latest research – BPV, genetics, immune surveillance, tumour microenvironment, why sarcoids return, current veterinary options, what you can do alongside your vet, and where whole-horse support fits, so if you fancy a read...

→ https://www.equinatural.co.uk/sarcoids

Carol & The EquiNatural Team

© EquiNatural 2026
01761 325032
[email protected]

𝙉𝘽.𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰 𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘦.

𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚: 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘢 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 (𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦-𝘧𝘭𝘺), 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘴 (𝘉𝘗𝘝),𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘴.

Why do some BPV-exposed horses develop sarcoids? Explore susceptibility, recurrence, treatment, prevention and long-term whole-horse support.