Apple Cider Vinegar for Horses | Hooves, Digestion & Natural Health Support

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Posted by Cathy (Topeka, Kansas, USA) on 10/29/2008
★★★★★

I have 9 horses in my barn and have used unfiltered ACV for the past two years with marvelous results. One TB gelding has even reduced ulcer problems with ACV and garlic. I go through so much of in the barn that I am now processing information as to how to make my own to keep costs down. Any ideas on how to make ACV that does not require fermenting Hard Cider?

EC: Here are a couple of recipes, but it appears that both recipes ferment Hard Cider: https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/how_to_make_apple_cider_vinegar.html

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Posted by Shaylee (Adelaide, Australia) on 03/28/2008
★★★★★

My horse has just been diagnosed with Cushings disease... i amn thinking of putting him on ACV to help him as well. he is 32...

Replied by Minna
(E.Burg, Pa)
10/08/2008

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone has tried ACV or any other remedy for Cushings Disease. My 13 year old Wire hair fox terrier has it and even though the Vet has him on meds, he still has some accidents in the house. Shaylee mentioned about trying her horse on ACV and I would like to know if there were any good results.

thanks,
Minna

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Posted by Kimbelry Carter (Orangeburg, sc) on 03/03/2008
★★★★★

My horse came down with uvitis commonly called moonblindness and after 4 weeks of doing everything the vet said he still was unable to open his eyefrom the pain, it also drained constantly. I bought him a special mask and everything. Two weeks ago I started him on acv and he is now opening his eye and the draining is much better. I am so happy his is feeling better.

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Posted by Deanna (Woodstock, IL) on 02/17/2008
★★★★★

Hi everyone. I wanted to say that my gaited horse has been lame on his LH leg. He has been on bute regimens, has been to the university and had' other vet visits regarding his lameness issue over the last 9 months. Now I have been giving him Formula 11 mixed with water and ACV (2 gallons of ACV and 3 gallons of distilled water, CS FLEX. All of which are all natural. Now I have been doing the stretches, riding him and massaging him...and WOW He has just come around totally in less than 3 weeks. Now, he is not cured yet but has made a marked improvement. The ACV must be "organic" or "raw".

Replied by Clare
(London, Uk)
02/20/2010

To Deanna from Woodstock, IL - would you please tell us where to buy Formula 11. I've looked everywhere without any success. Many thanks.

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Posted by Kimberly (Mineral, VA) on 01/19/2008
★★★★★

Well Hello Everyone, Good Morning!!
I've been cleaning up my horses diet (and trying to do the same for our family of 6) and emediatine governornment for over 6 months now. Why not try Organic ACV, I use it and love it's wonderful qualities and fabulous reslults!! My horses are on a wholesome diet now, one that includes a good vit/min supplement. They get reconsituted alfalfa cubes every feeding to aid in digestion along with Aloe Vera juice which helps with their stomachs. Wonderful stuff!! They recieve a cocosoya oil divided into two feedings, my draft is on a wonderful glucosamine supplement put out through the natual vet. I cannot find another comperable to it any where on the market, and my other two horses are on the same supplement with out the glucosamine. They get their bug check every morning and my IR horse get his magnesium oxide and cinnomon. A good pre/pro botic is wonderful, I was able to experience its benifits first had this summer with a sick horse, I will never be with out the stuff againg. After reading about the ACV, I am really impressed and excited to try this with my horses. I am going out first thing tomorrow morning and purchase several gallons to keep in the barn. This will become part of the feed routine from now on. One I took my horses off the commerical diet and wet to a wholesome diet, the change was dramatic! I now even keep loose free choice feed organic sea salt and minerals ava in bucket for them in the paddock at all times. All my horse eat it up, but my IR hourse really eats the salt and minerals!!! I can't wait to document the effects of the ACDV so I can show her my completed case study once I am throught treating two of my horses with perscription medication followed by holistic supportive care and the third horse is be treated holisticly for his ulcer. I'm curious how ACV will effect the out come of my case study.

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Posted by Judy (Perris, CA) on 12/31/2007
★★★★★

I would like to know if anyone has used ACV for laminitis in horses. Also, if so, if I should use the one with mother

Replied by Karen
(Greenbank, Qld Australia)
12/21/2008

Hi Judy, Lamimitus is caused by too much protein in the diet & not enough exercise to use it up. Remove grain from diet. If feeding lucerne hay (20% protein) swop to Barley or good grassy hay (5-10% protein). Feed tbsp Epsom Salts daily for 1st 3 or 4 days & a tbsp dollomite in feed. This is prescribed in Pat Coleby's book "natural horsecare"

Replied by Sabina
(Toronto, Ontario)
06/08/2009

I know this was posted ages ago, but I still felt the need to post a reply. Laminitis is an inflammation of the lamina caused by too much sugar/carbs. Sugar is digested in the small intestine, and when there is too much of it (ie. in grain, which is much richer in sugars than in protein) it overflows and ends up in the large intestine. When this happens, it causes to bacteria there to die and release endotoxins. These toxins wind up in the feet via the ematic torrent (blood) and the living tissue there. This causes the tissue that holds the bone to the hoof wall to become inflamed and eventually dead. Basically there is nothing holding the bone and hoof together and so the pedal bone starts to rotate. You can even see it poking through the sole if the horse is left without treatment for long enough. Another type of laminitis is caused by a blow (or more) to the hoof with much the same results.

There is no reason why ACV should help with laminitis. The best cure is prevention. Don't feed too much grain and don't overwork horses on hard surfaces (whether they are shod or not)

If your horse already has laminitis, a good farrier is a must. There are numerous dependable sites for the barefoot crowd (which I am completely for), so I'm not going to get into that. If you like the idea, go do some research.

Too much protein is bad for the kidneys, but it is in no way linked to laminitis.

Replied by Josephine
(Davis, Ca)
12/20/2009

Thank you Sabina for a very helpful and informative post on causes of laminitis. There are some instances where horses cannot handle lots of alfalfa in their diet and it causes laminitis, presumably from the high levels of protein. This cause is still not well understood, certainly not like we now understand the high sugar/insulin resistance/bacteria die off/toxin causes of laminitis. There are also cases of subclinical laminitis caused by shoeing/hard ground/too much sugar in the diet that causes the coffin bone to drop slightly in the foot and the sole to flatten out, resulting in hoof pain through two avenues - stretched white line and not enough protection of the coffin bone from the ground (even if the horse remains shod).

Prevention of laminitis also involves management of the sugar content of the hay you feed, pasture grass management and mineral balancing the diet - not just reduction/elimination of grain in the diet.

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Posted by Leanda (Bundaberg, Qld, Australia) on 12/29/2007
★★★★★

We had heard that giving a mare acv (1-2 cups in feed daily) a month before she foals, helps with the stretching. Can anyone verify this?

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Posted by Britt (Franklin, Tennessee) on 12/11/2007
★★★★★

Hey! My mom actually stumbled upon this site when looking up ACV for my younger sisters stomach ache- and she printed it out for me because I am always keeping my eyes open for horse remedies. I was wondering what are the serving sizes/ proportions to feed when ixing it with water? Are there different rations for different treatments (ie; more ACV for flies, but less for coat heath...)?' Also, will it help a colicking horse and/or help prevent a horse from colicking? Thank you so much! I am very interested to see if my horse likes it!

Replied by Melissa H
(Gonzales, TX)
02/20/2008

Response to Britt:

The serving size for the following are:

-Added to water only is at 16oz. to 75 gallons for internal fly control
-Added to 32 oz. fly spray bottle only is at 4-6oz. of ACV with 26-28oz. of water
-Added to grain diet is for internal use at 2-3oz. per day mixed throughly

Been giving all my horses ACV for years and they love it and all are in good health.

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Posted by Kelly (Sylvania, Ga) on 12/04/2007
★★★★★

I have 5 horses, one i have had over 29 years, one i just purchased from a rescue, she was so bad i just knew she would die before i could get her home. i have had her for over 4 months now and she is doing much better. Because of her condition and not being properly taken care of she has arthritis very bad. I give her a supplement but seems to not be working. I take acv myself and it is wonderful. i have read in your colum how it has helped horses. My question is how much acv do i use. Thank you Kelly

Replied by Abbey
(Sharon, PA)
09/12/2008

Amazing supplement for any type of leg or hoof injury, including laminitis & founder. Power Horse is amazing Valley Vet has it & they seem to be the cheapest on it. We have a Mare with osteoarthritis from an Injury vets had done everything. Nothing worked. But within days we saw a huge difference. Feed as directed. We had talked about putting her down because she is an older mare. But no more. This stuff is a miracle. Was also wondering if anyone could email me privately with any info on the benefits of Black Strap Molasses? Thanks.

EC: Power Horse is a chelated trace mineral supplement for horses.

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Posted by Tamara (Grandin, Florida) on 08/09/2007
★★★★★

7/20/2007: ej from MIDDLEBORO, MA -- Comment for EJ for her horse problem with the ACV natural fly spray... EJ the problem is not the ACV it is the Skin So Soft. I can't use it on myself either it cause's my skin to burn. This formula has been around for years and the SSS was used because of the B vitimins in it are a deterant to the bugs, along with the nice smell and some people like the oil to add some sheen. I think it just makes the dirt stick worse. I like it all natural so I use the ACV about 16oz to a gallon of water, Neem Oil or Powder (which ever you can find it is a natural bug repelant) and Citrus Oil 1oz to this gallon mixture. I put it in one of those bug sprayers and have used it on my rescue horses for years. Now I am not going to say it works perfect here in FL (there is not cure) I have tried all kinds of sprays from the most toxic that made me sick to this natural formula and it equals them so for me natural is best.

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Posted by Deb (Brooklyn, Wisconsin) on 07/20/2007
★★★★★

I mix ACV with Avon Skin So Soft, Citronella and water to make a fly spray for my horses and mini donkeys. Have also tried it on my dogs and it smells great.

Replied by Deb
(Pleasant Grove, UT)
09/24/2008

If you are giving the ACV without diluting it then that is your problem. If is some what acidic. _____s is what I use with Mother in it. I consume it, my 14 yr old dog gets it every day and my Arabians. But it must be diluted down for consumption and also for a spray. Try it again but only put a few capfuls to a 1/2 gallon of water. if you think he may be allergic then dilute the same way and do a patch test, just one little spot externally. Never use this full strength.

Replied by Leanne
(Cambridge, Uk)
11/16/2010

Hi Stu from Cambridge - working in Oman - Do you have a email I can PM you on. I am going to live in Oman from the UK and looking for some good horse care out there for my horse that I am bringing with me. So far - I haven't found any stables that I think I could trust.

Replied by Deb
(Wi)
06/23/2015

What are the amounts of each ingredient you use for the ACV fly spray?

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Posted by martha (buckley, wash) on 03/05/2007
★★★★★

AVC for a colicking horse: My friend's horse was colicking so I had her give it some ACV but we didn't know how much to give. Later the vet agreed that ACV helps stimulate the digestion with it's enzymes and said that about 2 cups was the dosage. And that since ACV is natural and safe, you couldn't overdose on it.

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Posted by Cathy (Delmar, DE) on 02/18/2007
★★★★★

Just read your article on apple cider vinegar and horses. We have 5 standardbreds in training and I am so pleased to have found something natural to give them for all their little aches and pains and flies. Thank you so much.

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Posted by Mindy (Polk City, FL)
★★★★★

I have a pony who was constantly rubbing his mane, neck and chest when he got sweaty and hot. I started spraying him after hosing him off each day with ACV/water mixture. All his hair grew back in, sores healed, and he quit scratching. It sure worked for him!

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Posted by Steve (Brisbane, QLD)
★★★★★

I have started a daily supplement of Apple Cider Vinegar, one cup in my horses feed for severe arthritis. After only weeks I am now riding her again. I am introducing a steady and light exercise program for her so as not to push her too far to soon. And she will not be competing in any events as she deserves and has well earned retirement. But the complete success of the treatment means that she may be able to live out the rest of her life without pain. I also have been giving her Glucosamine and Chondroitin which I believe is helping as well. Since I discovered the remedy for my horse I take Apple Cider Vinegar daily for fatigue and migraines and have had a huge success.