In simple terms, inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or infection. While acute, short-term inflammation is a vital part of the healing process, chronic inflammation occurs when the tissue fails to heal properly over time. Chronic inflammation damages healthy tissues and is a primary driver behind conditions like osteoarthritis, laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), right dorsal colitis, and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO/heaves).

An anti-inflammatory diet aims to minimize the production of pro-inflammatory cellular messengers (such as cytokines and eicosanoids) and neutralize oxidative stress — the chemical damage caused by free radicals that degrades DNA, lipids, and proteins.

Creating an anti-inflammatory diet involves eliminating dietary triggers that stimulate inflammatory pathways while incorporating specific fats, antioxidants, and herbs that actively combat tissue inflammation, promote circulation, and protect the gut microbiome.

How to Create an Anti-Inflammatory Diet for your Horse

To design an effective anti-inflammatory feeding plan, structure the diet around these core pillars:

1. Establish a Low-Sugar, High-Fibre Foundation

• Eliminate Simple Sugars and Starches: Excess non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) from grains, sweet feeds, molasses, and lush pastures cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin. This “glucotoxic” action triggers systemic insulin resistance, fat accumulation, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as TNF-alpha), which can directly precipitate laminitis.
• Select Low-NSC Grass Hay: Always base the diet on clean grass forage rather than cereal grains. Aim for hay with an NSC content under 10% to 12%.
• Utilize Soluble Fibre: Adding high-quality fibre like non-molassed beet pulp or soybean hulls is highly beneficial. Fibre acts as a natural detoxifier of the intestines and slows down the rate of sugar absorption into the bloodstream, lowering the diet’s glycemic index.
• Incorporate Alfalfa with Care: While alfalfa can slow sugar absorption due to its high protein quality, excessive protein intake must be avoided because undigested protein ferments in the hindgut, triggering digestive toxicity and potentially laminitis.

2. Select Cleansing Whole Foods & Soothing Prebiotics

• Keep it Simple: Completely eliminate highly processed commercial feeds that contain artificial additives, chemical preservatives, gluten (feeds containing wheat, barley, rye, or triticale), or refined sugars, which stress the horse’s metabolic and digestive systems.
• Feed Cleansing Whole Foods: Support the digestive system and liver with fresh, wholesome green and root vegetables, such as chopped celery, parsnips in moderation, and chopped carrots. 
• Incorporate Soaked, Non-Molassed Beet Pulp: Plain sugar beet pulp is a great addition to an anti-inflammatory diet.
  • Prebiotic and Gut Soothing Benefits: Beet pulp contains approximately 18% crude fibre consisting of highly digestible soluble fibre (primarily pectin). Pectin is extensively fermented by beneficial bacteria in the hindgut, serving as an effective prebiotic that stabilizes the intestinal ecosystem.
  • Mucilage-like Protective Qualities: When soaked in water (absorbing four times its dry weight), beet pulp forms a moist, gelatinous mash. Much like traditional mucilaginous herbs, this high-moisture fibre mash helps lubricate the colon, increases total tract water content, and acts as a natural intestine and hindgut “detoxifier” to soothe and protect inflamed mucosal membranes.
  • Low Glycemic Index: Plain, rinsed beet pulp has a very low glycemic index of 34, making it highly safe for metabolic and sugar-sensitive horses

3. Supplement with Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are structural components of cell membranes and serve as precursors to cellular mediators. While Omega-6 fats can lead to pro-inflammatory pathways, Omega-3 fatty acids promote anti-inflammatory mediators.

• Flaxseed (Linseed) Oil or Crushed Seeds: A rich source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Flaxseed supplementation has been clinically shown to reduce allergic skin inflammation and sensitivity.
• Fish Oils (e.g., Menhaden Oil): These provide highly bioavailable EPA and DHA, which significantly decrease pro-inflammatory markers (like prostaglandin E2, thromboxane, and TNF-alpha) and improve red blood cell membrane fluidity.
• Safflower Oil: Can also be added to competitively inhibit the cyclooxygenase enzyme necessary for inflammatory eicosanoid production.
• Crucial Vitamin E Pairing: Because high-oil diets increase oxidative stress, you must always feed Vitamin E (1,000 to 5,000 IU/day) alongside supplemental fats to protect cells from lipid peroxidation.

4. Provide Robust Antioxidant Support

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals before they can damage cell membranes.

• Vitamin E (Alpha-tocopherol): The horse’s primary dietary fat-soluble antioxidant. For active inflammatory or metabolic management, higher clinical doses of 8,000 to 10,000 IU daily are recommended.
• Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Works in tandem with Vitamin E. Rosehips are one of the richest natural sources of Vitamin C and can make a great treat, but concentrated sources may be necessary to best help repair tissues and recover from debility.
• Selenium: Essential to support the body’s internal enzymatic antioxidants like glutathione peroxidase.

5. Integrate Targeted Anti-Inflammatory Herbs

• Meadowsweet and Willow: Contain natural salicylates that provide organic anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain-relieving) action. Unlike synthetic NSAIDs (like phenylbutazone), whole-plant meadowsweet contains natural tannins and mucilage that actually protect and soothe the stomach lining, making it much gentler on a horse’s digestive tract.
• Devil’s Claw: Effective for reducing pain and inflammation associated with joint or musculoskeletal issues.
• Chamomile and Celery Seed: Great all-round anti-inflammatories that also soothe joint stiffness and digestive tension.
• Clivers, Nettle, Calendula, and Hawthorn: These support the lymphatic and circulatory systems, helping to flush toxins and fluids away from inflamed tissues. Buckwheat is also valuable as its rutin content strengthens capillary walls to keep them flexible.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Adding 25 to 50 ml daily to feed or water acts as a digestive acidifier, promotes circulatory cleansing, and aids in the absorption and dispersal of inflammatory fluids. Just be sure to provide a pure water source as well if you add it to water.

6. Nurture the Gut Microbiome

Stress, obesity, processed starches, and chemical medications (like NSAIDs or antibiotics) can destroy the gut’s “good bugs,” allowing pathogenic bacteria to multiply and release inflammatory endotoxins.

• Probiotics: Use daily high-potency probiotics (50 billion CFUs of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and inulin) to maintain fibre fermentation and healthy intestinal mucosal barriers.
• Mucilaginous Feeds & Herbs: Plain beet pulp, slippery elm bark and marshmallow root act as internal poultices that soothe and heal inflamed digestive membranes. Always mix these ingredients thoroughly with warm water before feeding to allow the mucilage to fully expand into a gel.
• Weight management: Obesity is not merely an aesthetic issue; fat tissue is biologically active and acts as an endocrine gland. Adipose tissue, especially regional deposits like a cresty neck, continuously secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta).
  These cytokines create a state of chronic, systemic inflammation that directly degrades insulin sensitivity and lowers the horse’s threshold for developing laminitis. Reversing obesity is therefore a primary anti-inflammatory treatment. (More on this next time!)