There are a lot of CBD products out there for humans and animals and they range in quality greatly. Let’s look at one backed by one of the world’s largest animal pharmaceutical companies.
What is Equilibrium?
Equilibrium is the first product from CannaHorse, a Toronto, Canada and Lexington, Kentucky based startup backed by Bimeda Animal Health, producing cannabinoid based therapeutic products for horses.
Equilibrium is scientifically formulated using the world’s largest dataset of medical cannabis patients provided by their technology partner, Strainprint. Strainprint analyzes the cannabinoid and terpene content of thousands of cannabis products and uses millions of data points to create a formulation that is focused on the reduction of anxiety in horses without causing sedation, as well as general wellness, and pain and inflammation.
How is it different?
CannaHorse has taken a pharmaceutical approach to creating their products. The active ingredients (cannabinoids and terpenes) in Equilibrium are combined to .01% creating a product that is consistent and repeatable from dose to dose, which is extremely unique to CBD products for humans, nevermind horses.
All of CannaHorse’s products go through a patented emulsion process that makes the products work faster, more reliable, and require a smaller dose to achieve the same effect as oils or pellets. This process takes place in a GMP compliant facility that creates medical products for humans. Equilibrium has a 12 month shelf life, whereas pellet and oil products have shown to degrade quickly once the package is opened and exposed to air.
By combining 3 cannabinoids (CBD, CBG and CBC) and 3 terpenes (Linalool, Pinene, and Caryophyllene) Equilibrium utilizes the collective power of cannabinoids and terpenes working synergistically, known as [The Entourage Effect]https://cannahorse.com/blogs/education/terpenes-the-entourage-effect), which is proving to show that combinations of cannabinoids and terpenes work better together than any of the ingredients on their own.
What are the benefits?
CannaHorse conducted its first clinical trial in Prague earlier this year. They have ongoing trials for Equilibrium with Murray State University in Kentucky. The initial trials, and a number of complementary trials have shown that cannabinoids are generally safe for horses with limited to no side effects. The CannaHorse trial showed zero side effects.
Initial reports from leading equine professionals including 5* event rider Ema Klugman and top hunter/jumper rider Hannah Isop, indicate that Equilibrium is helping them in training young horses, managing horses on stall rest, injury recovery, and as an alternative to sedatives when performing procedures like clipping. Horses also seem to be learning from their experiences and are more focused during their training. “...It helps one nervous four-year-old both relax and focus, we also had a successful time shipping to train off the farm one day.” said Klugman
Can I use it in competition?
The short answer, it depends on the competition. The FEI, USEF and most racing jurisdictions have a blanket ban on cannabinoids for competition with zero tolerance. According to Horse and Hound, the FEI are going to be moving CBD from their “banned substances” list to a “controlled medication” for 2022. For lower level horse shows, polo, and most rodeo events it appears you are good to go. Always check with your competition regulator prior to using any cannabinoid product. Precise withdrawal time guidance will be available in the fall.
