We had an interesting question in this week about selenium from a client:

 "𝙃𝙞, 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚? 𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚/𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙀𝙊𝙏𝙍𝙃."

So we did the research, and the short answer? We couldn’t find any recognised scientific link between selenium and EOTRH ((Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis). Current research points more toward metabolic stress, inflammation, and immune dysfunction rather than specific minerals.

That said, selenium is one of those nutrients that always deserves respect – it’s essential, but there’s a very fine line between enough and too much.

Here’s the key part

Our VitaComplete & EquiVita mineral balancers are formulated with 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 – the natural "inorganic" form of selenium. It’s bioavailable, safe at the levels we include, and fully compliant with UK/EU feed standards.

And here’s the fun fact: when it comes to minerals, “inorganic” actually means natural!

It’s confusing, we know – in plant terms “organic” means natural, but in chemistry it’s the opposite. So, the “inorganic” forms are those naturally found in soil and rock, while the “organic” ones are synthetically bound to other molecules.

NOTE: We don’t use chelated or “organic” selenium (𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦), because these forms are chemically bound to amino acids, which means the body can’t regulate them properly – creating a risk of accumulation.

*We've got this explained further in our Blog: 

→ Minerals, & It's All Change

Bottom line:

• No research link between selenium and EOTRH (based on current evidence).

• VitaComplete uses natural 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦, not synthetic chelates.

• Carefully balanced for antioxidant support – without the overload risk.

Result?

Your horses get exactly what they need – clean, balanced nutrition that supports (not stresses) your horse’s system.

So rest easy - your horse's smile (and teeth!) can stay happy.

Happy Friday!

Further reading

For anyone who’d like to dive into the research, here are a few current references exploring the underlying causes of EOTRH - and why trace elements like selenium aren’t considered a trigger:

1. Aetiological Relevance of Haematological, Biochemical and Endocrine Parameters on EOTRH (Animals, 2025)

- Study of 154 senior horses showing no consistent trace element (including selenium) pattern linked to EOTRH.

𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩/𝘢𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭-𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦-𝘰𝘧-𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭-𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴-𝘰𝘯-𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤-𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩-𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴-𝘦𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘩

2. Characterisation of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (Equine Veterinary Journal, 2022)

- Overview of EOTRH pathophysiology identifying inflammation, periodontal stress, and immune dysfunction as leading factors – not specific mineral imbalances.

𝘣𝘦𝘷𝘢.𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺.𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘺.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘥𝘰𝘪/10.1111/𝘦𝘷𝘫.14555

3. Trace Element Distribution in Normal and Hypercementosis-Affected Equine Teeth (Veterinary Sciences, 2023)

- Trace elements (including selenium) detected in dental tissue but no evidence of causation – suggests localised tissue changes, not systemic mineral toxicity.

𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘱𝘮𝘤.𝘰𝘳𝘨/𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦/𝘗𝘔𝘊/10050172

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