By Edwin L. Simpson, DVM | January 14, 2026 | Blog
Edwin L. Simpson, DVM
“If an equine veterinarian has the knowledge and ability to develop supplements that enhance horse health and welfare, failing to act is neglect. And when individuals in positions of influence discourage horse owners from using such tools, they obstruct advancement in equine well-being.”
I practiced equine medicine and surgery for 30 years. Most of my career was spent in Thoroughbred racehorse practice, though I have worked with nearly every type of horse — from pleasure horses to elite competitors.
Over the years I managed so many problems for which we had few conventional treatments that I gradually started finding non-pharmaceutical solutions.
Bone Development
One of the most costly and frustrating problems in young performance horses is inadequate bone development. I use the term inadequate deliberately — because the issue is not simply weak bone, but the difficulty of synchronizing skeletal adaptation with the demands of training.
A young horse’s bones must strengthen at the same time training intensity increases. When that balance is lost, the result is predictable: bucked shins, stress fractures, and lost training time. Every racetrack veterinarian knows this problem well. Yet despite its prevalence and economic impact, there is no pharmaceutical therapy that effectively promotes healthy bone development in young horses. Rest is often the only prescription.
That reality led me to focus on biological and nutritional pathways involved in bone metabolism — approaches designed to support normal skeletal adaptation rather than simply react to injury after it occurs.
See Bone Development
Lower Airway Disease and Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH)
In addition to musculoskeletal stress, many athletic horses experience lower airway disease and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). These conditions are common in high-intensity training environments and can significantly limit performance.
There are medications used in attempts to manage these problems. However, their effectiveness is variable, their use is tightly regulated in competition, and many are prohibited or restricted to the point that they offer limited practical benefit on race day or in the show ring. In reality, there is no consistently effective pharmaceutical solution that safely and permanently resolves EIPH or chronic lower airway stress in performance horses.
This led me to explore non-drug approaches aimed at supporting respiratory tissue integrity, vascular stability, and physiological resilience under exercise stress — areas where conventional medicine had little else to offer. See EIPH
Fear-Based Self-Destructive Responses to Unnatural Environments
We could devote an entire dissertation to this topic. It is indisputable that most trained horses live and perform in environments fundamentally different from those in which they evolved. Confinement, transport, noise, crowds, artificial lighting, and repeated exposure to unfamiliar settings are now routine parts of a performance horse’s life.
Some horses adapt easily. Others do not. Training helps — but training alone does not solve everything.
This is not a disease. And it is not adequately addressed by medicine or pharmacology. There is no pharmaceutical program designed for long-term behavioral stability in otherwise healthy horses that does not dull performance, compromise safety, or create dependency. Sedation is not a solution — it is simply chemical restraint.
Some of the worst outcomes of my career came from horses that reacted catastrophically to fear in unfamiliar environments. Anyone who has spent real time in high-level horse operations recognizes this reality. Those who deny it are either inexperienced or being disingenuous.
We owe horses better welfare than simply asking them to endure environments they were never designed for — without providing tools to help them cope.
Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)
The prevalence of gastric ulceration in managed performance horses is well established, regardless of discipline. In intensively trained and stabled horses, gastric stress is not the exception — it is the norm.
Over the years, I have performed gastroscopy on countless horses and diagnosed gastric ulceration in many that were already receiving conventional medical therapy. Acid-suppressing drugs can be useful tools, particularly in acute management. But they do not address the fundamental realities of modern horse management, they are not intended as permanent solutions, and they are not without undesirable side effects when used long-term.
In practical terms, there is no pharmaceutical program that permanently solves gastric ulceration in intensively managed horses. Long-term success depends on management, feeding strategy, and physiological support — areas where nutrition becomes the primary tool. See EGUS
Wound Healing and Chronic Heel Irritation
In general, horses heal remarkably well. Compared to many species, their ability to repair tissue is impressive. However, certain chronic skin conditions — particularly heel irritation and so-called “cracked heels” — can become persistent, frustrating management problems in some horses.
Conventional treatment typically relies on topical medications and, in some cases, systemic drugs. Overuse carries the risk of side effects, and even appropriate use can create complications in regulated competition environments where medication testing is routine.
In reality, there is no pharmaceutical strategy designed for safe, long-term maintenance of skin integrity in working horses. Hygiene and environment matter, but so does the horse’s underlying tissue resilience. Supporting normal skin and immune function through physiological means became a logical focus of my work.
Metabolic Dysfunction and Exercise Intolerance
One of the earliest diagnostic challenges I encountered as a young racetrack veterinarian involved horses presenting with unexplained exercise intolerance and elevated serum GGT. At the time, I was taught — as were most veterinarians — that this indicated primary liver disease. Referral internists reinforced that interpretation, and for years these horses were treated accordingly.
But the clinical picture never fully fit. Many of these horses showed no evidence of true hepatic pathology, yet their performance remained compromised. Over time, it became clear that this condition was not a primary liver disorder at all, but a metabolic imbalance driven by oxidative stress — a problem that went unrecognized for decades.
Crucially, there remains no pharmaceutical therapy designed to correct this metabolic dysfunction. Once again, training management and nutritional antioxidant support proved to be the only practical tools available to restore and maintain normal metabolic efficiency in working horses. See GGT
Hoof Growth and Structural Health
Anyone who has spent time in a sizable horse barn is familiar with slow-growing, brittle, or poor-quality hooves. Farriery, environment, and genetics all play roles — but when hoof quality becomes a limiting factor, there is only one practical long-term intervention available.
There is no pharmaceutical drug that safely accelerates hoof growth or improves horn structure. Supplementation is — and remains — the only viable tool. Supporting the biological processes that produce healthy hoof tissue is fundamental to maintaining soundness, durability, and performance longevity.
Closing Thoughts
I did not set out to manufacture supplements. I set out to solve problems that conventional veterinary medicine could not.
Across three decades in practice, I repeatedly faced conditions where diagnosis was clear, dedication was high, and management was excellent — yet medicine offered no durable solution. In those gaps between what medicine could do and what horses needed, nutrition became the only rational path forward.
That is why this work began. Not as marketing. Not as trend. But as a practical response to real clinical shortcomings I encountered every day in the field.
Horses deserve better than “get a better horse” or “there’s nothing else we can do.”