Equine Choice - Liquid Vitamin E Supplement for Muscle, Nerve, and Immune System Support

Equine Choice Liquid Vitamin E is a pure natural vitamin E supplement in liquid form, delivering 300 IU of d-alpha-tocopherol per millilitre in a canola oil base. It is designed to support muscle health, nerve function, and immune response while protecting cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

The liquid format offers two practical advantages over powdered or granule supplements. First, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin — it requires dietary fat for absorption. By dissolving natural vitamin E directly in canola oil, this formula provides its own fat carrier, ensuring efficient uptake regardless of what else is in the horse's meal.

Second, the liquid is described as highly palatable, making it easy to administer to horses that refuse powdered supplements. It can be drizzled directly over grain, mixed into a concentrate meal, or administered orally with a syringe for precise dosing. At 1,500 IU per 5 mL dose for a 500 kg horse, it delivers meaningful antioxidant support in a small, easy-to-manage volume.

Dosing is based on body weight using a simple scale of 1 mL per 100 kg, with each millilitre providing 300 IU of natural vitamin E.

Recommended daily doses:

• Horses under 100 kg (foals, miniatures): 1 mL (300 IU)
• Horses under 300 kg (ponies, yearlings): 3 mL (900 IU)
• Horses under 500 kg (average adult horse): 5 mL (1,500 IU)

These are maintenance doses suitable for general antioxidant and immune support. For horses in heavy work, recovering from muscle issues, or with confirmed low vitamin E blood levels, consult your veterinarian about whether a higher dose is appropriate.

Administer the liquid once daily, ideally with or on a grain meal to maximize absorption. The canola oil base means the vitamin E is already dissolved in fat, but feeding it alongside additional dietary fat further supports uptake. Use a graduated syringe or measuring spoon for accuracy — consistent daily dosing is more effective than occasional large doses.

The liquid format solves two common challenges with equine vitamin E supplementation: absorption efficiency and picky eaters.

Vitamin E is fat-soluble, meaning it must dissolve in dietary fat before the horse's intestinal tract can absorb it. Dry powder and granule forms rely on whatever fat is present in the horse's meal to facilitate this process — and for horses on low-fat hay-only diets, absorption can be inconsistent. Equine Choice Liquid Vitamin E is pre-dissolved in canola oil, providing its own fat carrier and bypassing this variable entirely.

The palatability advantage is equally practical. Some horses refuse to eat feed that has been altered with powders or granules — they detect the texture change and leave the supplement in the bottom of the bucket. A liquid blended into the grain is virtually undetectable, and most horses find the taste appealing.

The liquid format also allows precise weight-based dosing using a syringe. This is particularly valuable for foals, miniature horses, and ponies whose smaller body weights require doses too small to measure accurately with a scoop in granule products.

Yes — the weight-based dosing of Equine Choice Liquid Vitamin E makes it well suited for foals and young horses. The 1 mL dose (300 IU) for horses under 100 kg provides appropriate supplementation for foals and weanlings without risk of overdosing.

Foals are particularly vulnerable to vitamin E insufficiency for several reasons:

• Limited reserves at birth: vitamin E does not transfer efficiently across the placenta, so foals are born with relatively low stores and depend on colostrum and milk for their initial supply
• Rapid growth: fast-developing muscles, nerves, and immune systems place high demands on antioxidant reserves during the first year of life
• Winter-born foals: those born during Quebec's season (February through April) have no access to fresh pasture for weeks or months after birth

The liquid format is ideal because the syringe allows precise small-dose delivery — far more accurate than dividing a scoop of granules for a 50 kg weanling. Consult your veterinarian about supplementation for foals under 4 weeks old.

Both are quality Equine Choice supplements using natural d-alpha-tocopherol, but they differ in concentration, additional ingredients, and best use case.

Liquid Vitamin E: delivers 300 IU per mL (1,500 IU per 5 mL dose for a 500 kg horse). Contains only pure natural vitamin E in canola oil — no selenium, no magnesium. Ideal for horses that need vitamin E supplementation alone without additional minerals, picky eaters that refuse granules, and foals or small horses requiring precise weight-based dosing.

Vitamin E+ Granules: delivers 3,000 IU per 10 g scoop alongside organic selenium yeast (3 mg) and magnesium oxide (2,500 mg). This three-in-one formula provides broader support for horses needing combined antioxidant, immune, and muscle recovery benefits.

Choose the liquid when you want pure vitamin E only — for example, if your horse already receives selenium from another source or from selenium-adequate regional forages. Choose Vitamin E+ granules when you want the convenience of a single product covering vitamin E, selenium, and magnesium together.

Equine Choice Liquid Vitamin E uses d-alpha-tocopherol — the natural form — which is approximately twice as bioavailable as the synthetic form (dl-alpha-tocopherol) used in many lower-cost supplements. This means your horse absorbs and retains significantly more vitamin E per dose.

The distinction comes down to molecular structure. Natural vitamin E is a single molecule that the horse's body recognizes and preferentially binds to transport proteins in the bloodstream. Synthetic vitamin E is a mixture of eight different stereoisomers, only one of which is identical to the natural form — the other seven are less efficiently absorbed and more rapidly excreted.

In practical terms, 1,500 IU of natural vitamin E (the standard 5 mL dose) delivers the biological equivalent of approximately 3,000 IU of synthetic vitamin E. This makes natural-source supplements more cost-effective than they appear at first glance, since you need roughly half the IU to achieve the same blood levels and tissue protection.

Store the bottle in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Unlike dry granule supplements, the liquid formula contains canola oil which can degrade if exposed to heat, light, or air for extended periods. Proper storage preserves both the potency of the vitamin E and the freshness of the oil carrier.

Practical storage guidelines:

• Keep at room temperature (15–25 °C) — a tack room shelf or feed room cupboard is ideal
• Avoid storing near windows, heaters, or in direct sunlight which accelerates oil oxidation
• Always replace the cap tightly after each use to minimize air exposure
• In Quebec's winter, do not store in an unheated barn where temperatures drop well below freezing — the oil may thicken significantly, making it difficult to pour and measure accurately

If the oil appears cloudy after cold storage, bring it to room temperature and it will return to normal consistency. Discard the product if it develops an off smell or rancid odour — rancid oil contains free radicals that counteract the very antioxidant benefits the vitamin E is meant to provide.

In Quebec, the critical supplementation window runs from late October through May — the period when most horses have zero access to fresh green pasture, which is by far the richest natural source of vitamin E. During these 6 to 7 months, horses depend entirely on stored hay that may retain only a fraction of its original vitamin E content.

A practical seasonal approach:

• November through April: full daily supplementation is strongly recommended for all horses on hay-only or hay-and-grain diets
• May and October: transition months — supplement if pasture access is still limited or grass growth is sparse
• June through September: horses with 6+ hours of daily grazing on quality pasture may not need supplementation, but stabled horses or those on limited turnout should continue year-round

Performance horses in regular training benefit from year-round supplementation regardless of season, since exercise-induced oxidative stress increases vitamin E demand beyond what pasture alone provides. The same applies to breeding stock and senior horses with reduced absorption.