Every horse already has an inbuilt clean-up crew - the gut, liver, kidneys, lymph, and blood. Their job is to filter, sort, and ship waste out of the body. The trouble is, modern life piles in far more than this natural system was designed for - sprayed forage, feed additives, lactic acid from training, meds, moulds, and everyday environmental pollutants. 

A detox isn’t about “doing something extreme” - it’s about gently supporting the body’s own pathways so the waste already queuing up can actually get out.

Signs can be subtle at first, but often show up as:

• Dull or itchy coat, seasonal flare-ups like hives or sweet itch tendencies
• Puffy legs or “fills” after stabling; sluggish recovery post-work
• Gas, bloating, loose or compacted droppings, on-off appetite
• Tension, grumpiness, or poor settle under saddle
• Foot sensitivity around grass changes or sugar spikes
• Trouble holding weight despite “enough” feed

If these ring a bell, it may be worth considering a structured detox.

The gut is both the front door (where everything comes in) and the main exit (the bowel). If it’s blocked or inflamed, nothing else can flow properly downstream. 

Jumping straight to the liver or kidneys while the bowel is clogged is like trying to empty a house when the front door is jammed shut. 

That’s why Stage 1 always focuses on calming the gut microbiome and keeping the bowel moving.

Think of the liver as the Royal Mail sorting office - it breaks everything down to molecular size, decides what’s useful, and what needs to be posted out as waste. 

The kidneys are the recycling plant - regulating water and mineral balance while filtering out water-soluble toxins. 

Together, they’re the “big sorters.” If they’re overloaded, waste just keeps recirculating and adding pressure on every other system.

The lymph is like the body’s waste drainage system. Unlike blood which has the heart, it has no pump - it relies on movement. A stabled horse with little exercise risks sluggish lymph flow, leading to “puffy legs” or even lymphangitis. 

Gentle daily movement (in-hand walks, turnout, ridden hacks) keeps lymph flowing, which keeps the whole detox cycle moving.

Sometimes a horse may feel temporarily worse before better. This is called a Herxheimer reaction - essentially, toxins die off faster than they can be cleared, creating a short-lived overload. 

Signs might include itching, mild gut changes, stiffness, sweating, or just seeming “out of sorts.”

What to do:

• Lower the dose, but keep going if your horse can tolerate it
• Ensure hydration + plain salt are always available
• Gentle daily movement helps lymph clear faster
• A magnesium wash can soothe muscle tension

If symptoms feel too much, pause for a few days, then restart gently. 

This is all perfectly normal - a sign that the detox is working, and usually short-lived.

Traditionally, horses benefit from a gentle “house clean” in late autumn (before winter stabling) and early spring (before the grass flush). 

That said, every horse is different. A structured 1-month course, followed by lighter daily tonic herbs or seasonal mini-cleanses, keeps the system ticking over without overwhelm. 

Think of it as perfect prevention- a steady routine works far better than a once-in-a-blue-moon blitz.

Yes, but with caution. Herbs generally work more gently than pharmaceuticals, but they still activate the body’s own pathways - so timing matters.

• Do not start a detox during the onset of laminitis.
• Always check with your vet if your horse is on long-term meds.
• In recovery phases, start with the basics: hydration, simple feed, salt, movement.
• Once the horse is stable and comfortable, you can look at a structured detox to help reduce the overall burden.