By Jessica Shannon
Competitive polo player Eduardo Pérez founded EQUIHEMP during the spring 2023 polo season, two years after selling his Atlanta advertising agency that he founded in 2003. Now based in Aiken, SC, he aims to educate people and care for horses with his hemp-based equine products.
EQUIHEMP’s philosophy is to “introduce high quality hemp-based equine products with the mission of helping our equine partners reach their full potential and live their best lives,” Pérez tells The Plaid Horse. He adds that he has learned a lot about plant-based, specialty products for animals through his college friend and founder of Pet Releaf, a CBD brand for pets. His friend’s guidance and trust has been a source of inspiration and a great foundation as he builds EQUIHEMP. Pérez saw the benefits of CBD for dogs. “These products are great and are not being used for equine partners and athletes,” he says. Pérez decided to explore non-CBD hemp-based products. His search led to their first product, hemp bedding.
The Deep Roots of Hemp
Hemp is versatile, the strongest natural fiber, and able to grow acres in a matter of months, as opposed to the years trees take to grow. The plant itself is wonderful for the environment with its ability to “remove contamination from the soil” and “can replace plastics.” The roots of a hemp plant can reach eight feet long, with a history to match.
People have used hemp for over 10,000 years. Pérez says that Betsy Ross’s flag was made out of hemp, and Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. As the United States colonies were founded, “one of the biggest crops planted in the colonies was hemp for hemp fibre,” says Pérez. “Before the cotton gin, rope and clothing were made from hemp.” In 1937, hemp was made illegal, but a 2018 Farm Bill reversed that law.
While it may seem as though hemp clothes, ropes, and health products are only recently hitting the shelves, history proves otherwise. “There are over 7,000 different products that can be made from hemp. Their nutrition profile includes vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, B6, among others,” says Pérez. “They’re not new products but they’re new to us. We can use them again, and we are just the vessel.”
Reap the Bedding Benefits
EQUIHEMP is making a name for themselves with their hemp-based stall bedding. It is made without toxic chemicals, and covers more surface area than traditional shavings. Horses are known to sleep better in their soft, clean, dust-free, hemp-based bedding.
In the past, hemp was “prohibitively expensive for bedding,” notes Pérez. Now it is more cost effective, due to the fact that hemp is now grown in the U.S. Also the material lasts 4-5 times longer than wood shavings and takes “half the time to clean a stall” because the waste clumps like kitty litter. Hemp bedding is 100% natural and compostable, and can save a great deal of money in waste and waste removal. Pérez adds that wood shavings may be detrimental to soil and grass and the environment, while you could put hemp-based bedding in your garden after it has been mucked from a stall.
Hemp-based bedding is hypo-allergenic, twice as absorbent as wood savings, and it is anti-microbial. These properties allow the bedding to be resistant to pests and mold, which can lower vet bills in horses. For Pérez, knowing horses are comfortable and healthy—while saving money on vets bills and bedding costs for their owners and also being environmentally friendly—allows him to continue his mission of helping horses “live their best lives.”
Hemp-Based Nutrition
Hemp-based bedding is made from the stalk of the plant, while EQUIHEMP’s Hemp Seed Oil and Hemp Hull are made from the seeds and seed parts. Their equine health benefits are seemingly endless.
Heep seed and hemp oil are super foods with all three types of Omegas (3, 6, and 9). With 22 essential animo acids and an enzyme-like property that is called GLA (gamma linolenic acid). “GLA plays a pivotal role in regulating prostaglandins, essential hormone-like substances that act as chemical messengers within cells,” according to a statement from EQUIHEMP.
These messengers include PGE-1, which is anti-inflammatory, and PGE-2, which is pro-inflammatory. “Hemp seed oil, rich in GLA, increases the production of PGE-1, thereby reducing the levels of PGE-2…some common medications for horses…for hind gut ulcers, are synthetic forms of PEG-1.” These unique components “make hemp oil’s GLA a valuable ingredient for horses dealing with ulcer issues,” according to the company.
Pérez says that for horses on the hemp seed oil, “within a few weeks, the coats were better, the farrier noticed improvements in hooves, two horses dappled that had never dappled, there was better movement even in a senior horse, and improved topline.” He added that “one horse stopped cribbing, perhaps because of the amino acids that can lead to improved brain function.” Other stated benefits of adding EQUIHEMP’s hemp seed oil to a horse’s diet are improved joint function and prevention and post-attack hoof healing in laminitis.
The hemp hulls that EQUIHEMP created provides amino acids. It is 60% fiber, 8% protein, and 4% fat. It is a supplement that “supports good circulation, strong muscles and joints and a healthy digestive system” and a wonderful addition to a horse’s diet, the company notes. Pérez plans to add treats made from hemp meal to their product line that will have the “same benefits as the hull but in a treat form.” Shoppers can expect to find those in late spring 2024.
Planting a Seed
EQUIHEMP’s Hemp Seed Oil, Hemp-based Bedding, and Hemp Hull are currently available at tack shops in FL, SC, and VA. Barns and individuals outside of those equestrian communities can buy directly from EQUIHEMP. Barns can order by the pallet or truckload, and Pérez encourages riders to ask their local tack shops to carry their products.
Pérez currently travels to shows, tack shops, and equestrian hubs to spread the word about all the benefits hemp-based bedding, hemp seed oils, and hemp hull has for horses. He has a vision to expand his team and have EQUIHEMP’s products readily available across the country and beyond.
For more information about EQUIHEMP products, visit equihemp.net.
