By tristiansimmon July 31, 2023 - 3:42am

Recently, cannabidiol, or CBD, has gained popularity as one of the best natural remedies for horse performance. Its entry into the veterinary industry has encouraged horse owners to join the bandwagon because other animal owners have embraced CBD.

Owners can use different CBD products to give their animals a deserved share of CBD by providing various delicious CBD treats for horses. Horse owners typically use these products to deal with anxiety, depression, lameness, injuries, and inflammation.

But do these remedies really work? Do horses enjoy the promised benefits, or are their owners engaging in futile exercises? This post seeks to determine whether CBD benefits for horses are facts or fairy tales. Keep reading to discover more.

How Does CBD Oil Work in Horses?
Let’s examine how CBD works in a horse’s body to produce any desired effect. Like other mammals, horses have an endocannabinoid system (ECS). Scientists have been studying this system since the 1930s when they discovered hemp’s unique structure mimicking our ECS. Their search has proved a strong connection between cannabinoids and our bodies’ ECS.

The ECS regulates a horse’s homeostasis, or balance, in its body. This system controls the body’s mood, pain, appetite, and other essential physiological functions. It comprises internal cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), enzymes, and cannabinoid receptors.

CBD contains chemicals that activate the ECS receptors and mimic the body’s endocannabinoids. The body has two main receptors—the CB1 receptors found primarily in the brain and central nervous system, and the CB2 receptors found in the liver and immune system.

So far, scientists haven’t fully understood the ECS’s complex operations. But they know CBD interacts with this system to boost overall performance, although they still don’t have the full details. Their findings show that CBD indirectly interacts with these transmitters without inhibiting them. That’s why it doesn’t cause intoxication like THC. So, we can conclude that CBD impacts the ECS by:

- Breaking the enzymes that break down endocannabinoids.
- Communicating with TRPV1 receptors that control pain awareness and inflammation.
- Inhibiting glutamate levels regulating pain signals.
- Maintaining a flow of natural elements that balance the body.

Benefits of CBD Oil for Horses
Now let’s proceed closer to how CBD benefits your horse’s health and overall performance. Below are the clinically proven advantages scientists have discovered thus far.

Pain and Inflammation
Horses are athletic animals, which exposes them to injuries that cause pain and inflammation. Also, aging horses are more vulnerable to arthritis and laminitis. A horse that suffers from continued inflammation and pain has a reduced working lifespan. Moreover, these conditions cost horse owners lots of money to treat.
Fortunately, horse owners who have used CBD to treat their horses’ inflammation and pain issues have reported significant improvements in their animals’ conditions. Different preliminary studies have also established a strong link between CBD and horse pain reduction. CBD also helps injured horses recover faster and return to their normal life performance.

Stress and Anxiety
Many competition horses and those kept in stables usually manifest behavioral signs of stress. They express these conditions through pacing, cribbing, and general anxious behavior. A stressed horse also suffers from sleep deprivation, which significantly reduces its athletic performance. CBD is ideal for relieving horse stress the way it does other domestic animals like cats and dogs.

Injuries and Infections
Horses get injured, just like other domestic animals. Those training for competitions are more vulnerable to injuries. Additionally, horses participating in competitions are usually more exposed to other equine conditions like mud fever or pastern dermatitis. This medical condition refers to inflammatory and irritable skin conditions affecting the horse’s lower legs. This disease can swell leg tissues, and lesions and scabs in the pastern cavities characterize it.

Fortunately, CBD oil helps with mud fever symptoms. CBD’s anti-inflammatory and analgesic power relieves an infected horse of these painful swellings’ symptoms while enhancing speedy inflammation recovery.

Brain Function and Behavior Modification
CBD also positively affects a horse’s brain function and assists in behavior modification. It happens because of its ability to interact with the ECS. Its impact on the ECS enables CBD to stop brain damage associated with neurodegenerative conditions and those involving impaired blood supply. It has been proven to effectively manage and relieve chronic crib-biting or wind-sucking in horses, according to this research. The scholars also reported that the horse they treated using CBD recovered from severe long-term consequences of a behavior disorder, improving its overall quality of life and welfare. Below are the research’s details.

The team of Cunha et al. sought to discover CBD’s potential use in treating horse behavioral disorders that traditional remedies couldn’t treat. They used a dose of approximately 0.5 mg/kg/day. The results showed that CBD successfully managed and treated the behavioral disorder, although they are yet to establish a standardized horse treatment regimen.

Digestive Problems
CBD also benefits horses with digestive problems. Digestive challenges are common among horses because colic and ulcers easily affect them. Studies also show horses are vulnerable to high gastric acid levels from birth.

Moreover, horses in competitive training are more exposed to ulcers, especially in their run-up to competitions. That means if your horse suffers from colic, its chances of developing ulcers increase.

Fortunately, CBD can help with these conditions. The horse’s body has an ECS that regulates digestion. CBD’s interaction with the ECS’s digestion receptors prevents the contraction of muscles lining the digestive tract. So far, current scientific knowledge shows that CBD’s interaction with the ECS reduces gastric acid production, which minimizes ulcer development risk.

Dosage and Administration
So, how do you administer CBD to horses, and in what dosage? This section examines this critical aspect.

Dosage
There is no widely accepted CBD dosage standard for equines. However, practical examples include advisory dosage. For horses, a 25mg dose works fine, translating into .05mg per kilo of body weight.

However, you should consider other factors when dosing CBD for your horse. Its size, weight, and disease severity should inform your decision. Also, how well a horse reacts to treatment determines if you will increase the dosage and how fast you may do that. The golden rule of thumb is to start low and go slow until you establish your horse’s optimal CBD intake per day.

Administration
You can administer CBD oil to your horse by placing it under its tongue. This administration method allows for direct absorption into the bloodstream, as the mucous membrane in the mouth promotes direct assimilation into the body.

If direct administration is challenging, you might serve CBD to your horse by mixing the oil with its preferred feed. This alternative might be easier, but its absorption is slower because it has to go through the digestive system before entering the bloodstream.

You may try topical application when dealing with skin conditions like mud fever and eczema. This method also provides local relief for injured ligaments and sprained joints.

Is CBD Safe for Horses?
The current knowledge shows that CBD is safe and highly tolerable even when taken at high levels. This safety is guaranteed in humans. However, more studies are necessary to establish its overall toleration in horses.

Parting Shot
There you go with everything you need to know about enhancing horse performance using CBD treats. The ball is in your court to use this valuable information to boost your horse’s overall life and sporting performance.

The author of this article is Lana Braslavska, an expert in cannabis consumption and product choice for animals and humans. Lana works as a full-time blogger at AskGrowers and contributes to consumer education for safe, responsible CBD consumption to ensure its maximum health value.