HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium by Health & Performance is a complementary feed for horses that combines natural vitamin E with organic selenium from selenium-enriched yeast. Both nutrients play important roles in normal muscle function and protecting cells against oxidative damage.

Vitamin E is an essential antioxidant that helps protect cell membranes against free radicals. Selenium is an essential trace element involved in the activity of several antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase.

During intensive physical exercise, the production of reactive oxygen species increases. An adequate supply of vitamin E and selenium is therefore important for maintaining normal physiological functions in performance horses. However, this does not mean that additional supplementation is automatically necessary.

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium is primarily intended for horses whose existing diet does not provide sufficient vitamin E and selenium. The product contains natural vitamin E in the form of d-alpha-tocopherol and organic selenium derived from selenium-enriched yeast.

Properties and benefits

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium combines two essential nutrients involved in protecting body tissues and maintaining normal physiological functions.

• Natural vitamin E: contains d-alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that is generally more bioavailable than synthetic vitamin E.
• Organic selenium: derived from selenium-enriched yeast. Selenium is essential for the normal activity of several enzymes involved in antioxidant protection.
• Support for muscle function: vitamin E and selenium contribute to protecting muscle cells against oxidative damage.
• Antioxidant protection: both nutrients support different, complementary mechanisms that help protect cells against free radicals.
• Normal immune function: vitamin E and selenium are involved in maintaining normal immune system function.
• Easy administration: the softgels can be given directly or mixed with the horse’s regular feed.

The updated softgel formulation contains no added colorants and therefore has a natural brown appearance.

An adequate supply of vitamin E and selenium is important, but higher intakes do not automatically result in better muscle function or improved athletic performance. Excessive selenium supplementation should be avoided.

When to use HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium?

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium may be considered when an evaluation of the diet or additional diagnostic testing indicates that vitamin E and selenium intake is insufficient, for example:

• For horses primarily fed hay or haylage with limited access to fresh pasture.
• For performance horses whose existing diet does not provide adequate vitamin E and selenium.
• For horses with a confirmed selenium deficiency.
• For horses with a confirmed deficiency of both vitamin E and selenium.
• For horses with certain muscle disorders in which a deficiency of these nutrients may contribute to the clinical signs, following veterinary assessment.

Selenium concentrations in forage can vary considerably between regions and individual batches. Concentrate feeds and vitamin and mineral balancers also frequently contain added selenium. Low selenium concentrations in local soils therefore do not automatically mean that a horse requires additional selenium.

Important: when additional vitamin E is needed without extra selenium, a vitamin E supplement without added selenium is preferable.

Composition

Sunflower oil, sunflower lecithin, and white beeswax.

Added nutrients include natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) and organic selenium from selenium-enriched yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC R397).

Active nutrients per softgel:

• Natural vitamin E: 200 mg of d-alpha-tocopherol (3a700), equivalent to approximately 300 IU.
• Selenium: 0.5 mg of elemental selenium, supplied by 250 mg of selenium-enriched yeast (3b811).

At a daily dosage of 2 softgels, the product provides 600 IU of natural vitamin E and 1 mg of selenium.

Directions for use and dosage

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium is administered orally each day. The softgels can be given directly by hand or mixed with the horse’s regular feed. According to the manufacturer, most horses readily accept the softgels when mixed with a mash.

Manufacturer’s recommended dosage:

• Horse weighing 600 kg (1,320 lb): 2 softgels daily, providing 600 IU of natural vitamin E and 1 mg of selenium.

This dosage is appropriate only when the horse’s total selenium intake from the existing diet indicates a need for supplementation. The daily selenium requirement of an average adult horse weighing approximately 500 kg (1,100 lb) is around 1 mg from all dietary sources combined. Selenium supplied by forage, concentrate feed, vitamin and mineral balancers, and other supplements must therefore be included when calculating total intake.

Higher dosages: the manufacturer states that 6–10 softgels daily may sometimes be used in horses with selenium deficiency or during heavy work. However, these amounts provide an additional 3–5 mg of selenium per day, on top of the selenium already supplied by the regular diet.

Use these higher dosages only under the explicit guidance of the attending veterinarian, following an assessment of the complete diet and the horse’s selenium status. Intensive training alone is not a reason to increase selenium supplementation without further evaluation.

If additional vitamin E is required without increasing selenium intake, HP Natural Vitamin E without added selenium can be used to provide the extra vitamin E.

Do not combine HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium with other selenium-containing supplements without first evaluating the complete diet. Excessive selenium intake can be harmful and may cause clinical signs such as hair loss from the mane and tail and hoof abnormalities.

Packaging and duration of use

HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium is supplied in a container with approximately 150 softgels, with a total content of approximately 158 g.

At a daily dosage of 2 softgels, a container of 150 softgels lasts approximately 75 days.

Store the product tightly closed in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children. Always observe the expiration date printed on the packaging.

Scientific evidence

Vitamin E and selenium have different but complementary functions in the body’s antioxidant defense mechanisms. Vitamin E primarily helps protect cell membranes against oxidative damage, while selenium is required for the normal activity of certain antioxidant enzymes.

Research in horses has shown that natural vitamin E is generally more bioavailable than synthetic vitamin E.

In a study by Fagan et al. (2020), published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, researchers investigated the effects of natural and synthetic vitamin E supplementation in exercising horses. Differences were observed in alpha-tocopherol concentrations and certain markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.

These findings highlight the importance of the form of vitamin E used. However, the formulations investigated in the study were not identical to HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium. The results therefore do not provide direct evidence that this specific supplement improves athletic performance or prevents muscle disorders.

Similarly, correcting a selenium deficiency may be important, but additional selenium supplementation in horses with adequate selenium status has no established general performance-enhancing benefit.

Advice from the equine veterinarian

Vitamin E and selenium are both important nutrients for normal muscle function and antioxidant protection. However, supplementation should always be tailored to the individual horse’s nutritional requirements.

The most important consideration when using HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium is its relatively substantial selenium content per softgel. Two softgels provide a total of 1 mg of selenium. This is approximately equivalent to the entire daily selenium requirement of an average horse weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb).

Many horses already receive considerable amounts of selenium through concentrate feed, vitamin and mineral balancers, and forage. Additional selenium supplementation is therefore not always necessary and may be undesirable when dietary selenium intake is already adequate.

For horses with muscle problems or poor performance, I recommend investigating the underlying causes rather than automatically administering vitamin E and selenium. Depending on the clinical findings, diagnostic testing may include muscle enzymes such as CK and AST, vitamin E status, and selenium status.

When deficiencies of both vitamin E and selenium are confirmed, combined supplementation may be beneficial. The dosage should be adjusted according to the severity of the deficiencies, body weight, existing diet, and any additional nutritional supplements.

For horses with an isolated vitamin E deficiency, I prefer HP Natural Vitamin E without added selenium. This allows the vitamin E dosage to be adjusted independently without unnecessarily increasing selenium intake.

I therefore recommend using HP Natural Vitamin E + Selenium selectively when supplementation with both nutrients is appropriate, rather than as a routine supplement for every performance horse.