Everyday Stress and Building Lasting Vitality

Everyday Stress and Building Lasting Vitality

Some horses, like their human counterparts, just handle life better. They seem to have an inherent ability to adapt to stressors. These horses seem impervious to ongoing shifts in life, so they haul in, settle, keep eating, and walk into new arenas with bright eyes and a willing, malleable mind. As a veterinarian, that overall, undefinable  “spark” is what is meant by true vitality.

Today’s horses live with constant stress: frequent hauling, new barns, changing turnout, weather swings, busy show schedules, and shifting herd mates. Even the backyard horse that rarely leaves home can be stressed by limited turnout, inconsistent feeding times, alterations in the type and quality of available feed, boredom, or changes in the herd. With all of this, many horses end up a little dull—coats lose their glow, hooves don’t look their best, and attitudes get dull or tired instead of curious and confident.

The first step is always good management: quality feed, clean water, mental stimulation and movement, and as much routine and turnout as life allows. But after years in practice, it is clear that what goes into the feed tub beyond basic calories makes a visible difference for both high‑level performance horses and quiet pasture pets. A whole‑food source like Aphanizomenon flos‑aquae (AFA) blue‑green algae gives broad, naturally occurring nutrition in a simple form that horses readily use. E3Equine (AFA from Klamath Lake) is a perfect addition to enrich the daily ration without loading on extra grain, sugar, or fillers. It fills in nutritional gaps, which is important for many modern horses.

Owners, trainers, and farriers consistently describe the same pattern when they add an AFA product such as E3Equine:

• Brighter expression and softer eyes.
  
• Richer coats and hooves that grow stronger and easier to manage. 
• Energy that is more “available” and steady, rather than hot one day and flat the next.
• Improved attitude and trainability. 

Many years ago, we noticed that foals and young horses in training were much more attentive and less reactive to fear-inducing stimuli.  This may be due to factors such as PEA (Phenylethylamine), also known as the "molecule of joy". which seems to improve mental clarity and concentration.  PEA is a natural adrenal and brain chemical that is found in relatively high levels in AFA. Other antioxidants and fatty acids, as well as some neurogenic effects of Vitamin B complexes, are also brain protective and probably contribute to overall mental well-being.  Certainly a plus in training or everyday handling.

That same shift is often seen in backyard horses who never step into a show ring—they may not need more speed or power, but they do benefit from easier weight maintenance, a nicer coat, better feet, and a calmer, more content outlook day to day. These are not abstract lab numbers; they are the barn‑aisle changes that make owners say, “Whatever this is, stay on it.”