Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
    Dr David Marlin
    Header image
    • News
      1. News
      2. Blog
      Featured
      11 May 2023

      OPEN Survey – Fly Masks – What do you think?

      Recent
      26 May 2023

      FEI launch a New Horse Welfare hub on FEI Campus

      25 May 2023

      15 Nations qualified for Paris 2024

      24 May 2023

      Glove Testers – Time to review

    • Resources
      • Articles
      • Product Reviews
      • How To
      • Feed Materials In Focus
      • Research/Papers
        • Research Reviewed
      • References
      • Glossary
    • Webinars
      • Coming Up LIVE Webinars
      • Webinar Replays
    • Podcasts/Videos
      • Podcasts
      • Videos
    • What’s On
    • Website Guide
      • Guide to the Site
      • Why Join?
      • Become a Member
      • About Dr David Marlin
      • Our Team
      • FAQs
      • Services & Contact
    • Members Area
      • Join Now
      • Your Membership
        • Manage Your Subscriptions
        • Edit Your Details
        • Renew Here
      • Member Offers
      • Member’s Questions
    • Log In
    Header image
    You are at:Home»Resources»Product Reviews»Survey of horse owners experiences with Equiwinner patches – May 2023

    Survey of horse owners experiences with Equiwinner patches – May 2023

    0
    By David Marlin on 24 May 2023 Product Reviews

    Recently I offered to conduct a trial for Equiwinner on their patches at no cost if they agreed to supply the patches free of charge. I offered to allow Equiwinner to specify what condition should be trialled, case criteria for selecting horses or ponies, access to anonymised pre-trial information to include or exclude cases and a copy of the results of the trial. I also agreed to allow Equiwinner to include specific instructions on how the patches should be used. I refused them direct access to trial participants. Unfortunately, this was not acceptable to Equiwinner.  

    Equiwinner claim to be able to treat a wide variety of conditions with very different aetiology (cause), including EIPH, tying-up, anhidrosis (non-sweating), headshaking, sweet-itch and thumps (SDF). They also claim it increases drinking and improves performance. It’s no secret that I am sceptical of these claims, and the explanation of how the patches work Is not consistent with my understanding of physiology.

    As an alternative to a trial, we ran an online survey. Over 200 responses were received. We filtered out clearly false entries, incomplete entries and entries where the respondent had not used the patches as instructed by the manufacturer.

    46% of respondents had used Equiwinner for a single indication (condition), whilst 54% had used them for more than one condition. 7% of respondents had used them for seven different conditions. 

    The graph above shows the % of respondents who saw improvement (yellow) versus those who saw no change or a worsening (red) for the different conditions Equiwinner claims to treat. There were slightly more respondents who perceived that Equiwinner improved drinking, repelled flies, Sweet Itch and EIPH than those who did not. However, there was essentially no difference in performance, thumps and anhidrosis and a very strong lack of perceived effect for headshaking (seasonal and non-seasonal). 

    The perception of improvements in EIPH, drinking, repelling flies and performance, in particular, are conditions that are difficult to quantify. In contrast, headshaking is a very clear behaviour and easier for owners to assess improvement or lack of it.  i.e. they can be PRESENT one day and not.

    In addition, with only a few exceptions, the ratings of significant improvement came from respondents who were using Equiwinner patches for three or more different conditions. 

    Bottom line

    Many of the conditions Equiwinner claims to treat are variable over time, i.e. they can be one day and not the next, or the severity changes over time. They are also conditions which are rare and or can be difficult to quantify. The fact that most of the ratings are close to 50/50 strongly suggests a placebo effect. However, it is very clear that Equiwinner was not perceived to be of any value in treating headshaking. A 10-day treatment appears to cost around $159 or £130 (possibly more in UK). Given the complete absence of any controlled, peer-reviewed and published clinical trials in horses, I do not see any evidence yet that would persuade me to recommend this as a treatment option for any of the conditions listed. 

    Loading

    Related posts:

    1. Bleeder – Facts, Fiction and Future Direction
    2. Owners experiences of grazing muzzles – The Survey Results. April 2023
    3. Lung Bleeding (EIPH) in horses – It’s Not Only Racehorses!
    4. The Google Curse
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Avatar photo
    David Marlin

    Dr David Marlin is a physiologist and biochemist who has worked in academia, research and professional sport. He has worked in the equestrian and veterinary world and in human sport, healthcare, medicine and exercise science. In 1989 David obtained his PhD from the UK’s leading sports university, Loughborough University following a four-year study on the responses of Thoroughbred racehorses to exercise and training, undertaken at the renowned Animal Health Trust in Newmarket. You can read David's full biography in the Our Website section.

    Related Posts

    Owners experiences of grazing muzzles – The Survey Results. April 2023

    Lung Bleeding (EIPH) in horses – It’s Not Only Racehorses!

    Bleeder – Facts, Fiction and Future Direction

    Introduction from David
    https://vimeo.com/478007186?loop=0
    Popular Posts
    • FEI LogoFEI Warn of EHV-1 cases
      In News
      24 February 2023
    • Calmer Results Survey October 2021Horse owner ratings of equine calmers!
      In Product Reviews, Resources
      2 November 2021
    • Asthma – A Cold Weather Problem for Riders AND Horses
      In Articles
      3 October 2020
    • Video Short – Dr David Marlin on travelling time
      In Videos
      6 October 2022
    • Study of ridden and unridden horse behaviour in an arenaStudy of ridden and unridden horse behaviour in an arena
      In News, Research/Papers
      5 May 2020
    • Feed materials focus wheat branFeed Materials In Focus – Wheat Bran
      In Feed Materials In Focus, Resources
      22 July 2020
    Join Now Banner
    About

    The drdavidmarlin.com site is an independent information resource for all equestrians. A source of unbiased, science-based research, we deliver news, and product reviews, with webinars, podcasts and articles covering the full breadth of the equine world.

    David Marlin has been involved with horses all his life and is an experienced equine scientist. He has always been passionate about equine welfare and as a result has been involved in many campaigns. You can read more about David in the About Page.

    Become a member today to get access to all this site has to offer!

    Become a Member

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
      Copyright © 2022 Dr David Marlin
      • How To Join
      • Website User Guide
      • FAQs
      • Services & Contact
      • Legal – Disclaimers, Terms, and Policies
      • Sitemap

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

      We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

      You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

      Dr David Marlin
      Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

      Strictly Necessary Cookies

      Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

      If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.