Although Aloe vera is commonly known and used as topical wound care and dressing to speed healing time for horses, it can also be a great digestive and lymph system support as a dietary option.

To select an Aloe gel or juice to add to your horse’s clean supplement ration avoid products that contain the sticky latex portion that is extracted from the plant. Often they will be referred to as “aloes” on an ingredient list. Pure, organic options can be purchased, at your natural grocer.

You often get what you pay for. If you’re thinking of grabbing the “cheap” department or big box store brands… don’t waste your time or risk your horse’s health.

Aloe vera is known for being beneficial for the skin, stomach, lymph, and digestive health. It’s amazingly high in digestible fiber. Due to the increasing awareness and popularity, Aloe vera pellets for horses are becoming more common. This option of use would not take advantage of the unique consistency that is soothing to the digestive system. Although, the use of aloe vera pellets, would be easy to feed and store. More of the top equine supplements are beginning to add Aloe vera because of the awareness and understanding of its health benefits.

As with many things in natural care and the horse industry… opinions vary on whether Aloe vera can effectively be utilized in treating ulcers or other digestive concerns.

Increasing Popularity and Validity of using Aloe Vera 

Many years ago, one of my personal horses had severe gastric ulcers. I was told could only be resolved with medications. Since I had already tried the traditional medication route for this mare, I chose to search out herbs for ulcers or a more natural approach. Cycling back to medications over and over again simply didn’t seem logical to me.

This was prior to the study and education in natural health and care, that I have now… but I cleaned her diet through removing synthetic feeds and supported her with Aloe vera gel for about 60 days. I had the vet test her about 45 days in and they reported that she was clear of ulcers… although they won’t credit the diet change and herbal use for the improvement.

Historically, Aloe vera is also known for its antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and cell-protective properties. Part of this is due to the fact that it contains complex sugars called mucopolysaccharides that support cellular health and function. All of these factors express why giving your horse Aloe vera is worth some thought.

It’s commonly used to help maintain a healthy digestive system and has been slowly making its way to being a common recommendation of professionals to aid in healing gastric ulcers and supporting the proper pH balance of the hindgut.

If your horse has chronic digestive concerns or has a high-stress level due to performance and travel, this natural support could make a positive difference when combined with a clean supplement ration without additives, fillers, and synthetics. What more could you want from a horse supplement option?