Sponsored equine feature spotlights vitamin E and neurologic risk

A sponsored educational feature from The Horse is putting vitamin E back in focus as a key part of equine neuromuscular health, with commentary from UC Davis veterinary clinician-scientist Carrie Finno, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM. Published April 23, 2026, the piece highlights vitamin E’s role in protecting nervous system and muscle function in horses, and comes with brand sponsorship from Kentucky Performance Products rather than new primary research. Still, the topic reflects well-established veterinary evidence: vitamin E deficiency is linked to equine motor neuron disease, and is often associated with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy and neuroaxonal dystrophy, especially in young, genetically susceptible horses. (thehorse.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the message is less about a new finding and more about a recurring clinical reminder. Horses on limited pasture, poor-quality forage, or long-term stored hay may not get enough natural vitamin E, and deficiency can complicate neurologic workups that also include cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Reference sources note that fresh grass is the primary source of vitamin E, that EMND is consistently associated with deficiency, and that supplementation may be supportive in some neurologic conditions even when it isn’t curative. (merckvetmanual.com)

What to watch: Expect continued emphasis on earlier vitamin E testing, better differentiation of deficiency-related disease from other neurologic disorders, and more discussion of which supplement forms and dosing strategies are most clinically useful. (academic.oup.com)