grapeseed

Question
Good morning!

How much grapeseed extract can a 830 pound Arab handle daily?  He really suffers from the gnats.  We have had a very mild winter, and now an early spring....not complaining!.....and I have a feeling the bugs this year will be ungodly.  In fact on trail rides we are already picking ticks off our horses.

Also, is there a loading phase?

Besides the grapeseed I also use vinegar in his diet, as well as a rinse after hosing him off after a workout.

Any other suggestions would be wonderful!

Thank you for your time and help.

Answer
Hi Sarah,

Thanks for your question.  The manufacturer of the grapeseed product you have will provide some feeding recommendations.  How much of the product you should feed depends on the purity of the product you've purchased.  So for example the Basic Equine Nutrition grapeseed product which is 95% active ingredient recommends 10grams (1/2 scoop) once or twice daily depending on severity of the allergy, for the average size horse.  I would think in your horses case, and dealing with severe midges, 3/4 scoop daily split between 2 servings would work effectively.  I've found that there is no loading phase for the product and have seen it work immediately (in minutes) on horses with severe respiratory distress from allergies.

Adding apple cider vinegar to the horse's water is said to ward off biting insects although I've only ever used it to mask the taste of water for horses traveling a lot.  I'm not sure if you're using the apple cider version or regular white vinegar but if it works by all means keep it up.  And a good bath after a pest-infested ride always helps.

Thanks, Corlena