Benchmark MAX
Same eight-ingredient mechanism as Benchmark Original. Double the dose of the three water-soluble compounds — for horses who need greater coverage across the full 24-hour period.
Why MAX Exists ↓ Join the Progress Update ↓Most horses stabilize on Benchmark Original.
Lorilei didn’t.
Reacher, Wick, and Tae all reached an acceptable comfort level on the original Benchmark formula. Their allergic responses, respiratory symptoms, and inflammatory load responded to the eight-ingredient protocol at maintenance doses.
Lorilei is a different story. Her allergic response was severe enough — and her steroid dependency deep enough — that the original formula wasn’t sufficient. She needed more of three specific ingredients to hold.
Benchmark MAX wasn’t a product decision. It was a clinical one. I made it because she needed it.
“I couldn’t get Lorilei to stabilize on Benchmark. I made MAX for her. She’s been stable ever since.”
Lorilei. The reason Benchmark MAX exists.
Lorilei’s Protocol
- Severe allergic response after relocating to Florida
- Steroid-dependent — 21 dexamethasone tablets per day
- At laminitis risk zone on that dose
- Did not stabilize on Benchmark Original
- Stabilized on Benchmark MAX
- Now off dex. Still wears a fly sheet and fly hood daily.
Why Double These Three?
Isoquercetin, bromelain, and ascorbyl palmitate are the three water-soluble compounds in the Benchmark formula. Water-soluble compounds clear from the body faster than fat-soluble ones. Doubling their dose in MAX provides greater plasma concentration coverage across the full 24-hour dosing window — which matters for horses whose inflammatory load requires consistent, higher-level support.
The most bioavailable form of quercetin — absorbed via intestinal glucose transporters at 1.5× the rate of standard quercetin. Water-soluble. Faster peak, faster clearance. Doubling the dose maintains therapeutic plasma concentrations throughout the day rather than falling below the effective threshold between servings.
This is the compound Lorilei required at higher levels. The original formula used quercetin; Benchmark moved to isoquercetin for superior bioavailability. MAX doubles it.
Read the Bioavailability Research →A proteolytic enzyme from pineapple stem that does two jobs: it has its own independent anti-inflammatory activity, and it enhances isoquercetin absorption — moving quercetin responder rates from 67% to 82% in clinical trials. Water-soluble. Doubling bromelain in MAX amplifies isoquercetin delivery and provides a higher level of direct enzymatic anti-inflammatory support.
Read the Absorption Research →The fat-soluble ester form of Vitamin C that integrates directly into lipid membranes — providing extended antioxidant protection at the cellular level and inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. While ascorbyl palmitate has lipid-soluble properties that allow membrane integration, its water-soluble fraction still benefits from higher dosing for horses with significant systemic inflammatory load.
Read the Research →The Five Remaining Ingredients
Spirulina, MSM (as OptiMSM®), DHA (algae-derived), and the full Benchmark protocol architecture — loading phase, AM/PM split dosing, digital scale — remain identical between Original and MAX. You are not running a different protocol. You are running the same protocol at a higher concentration of the three water-soluble compounds. See the full Benchmark formula →
How to Know Which Formula Is Right
Start with Benchmark Original. The majority of horses stabilize on it. Move to MAX only if your horse does not reach an acceptable comfort level after a full protocol run.
Start Here
Benchmark Original
- Allergic skin conditions or sweet itch
- Insect bite hypersensitivity
- Respiratory inflammation or soft cough
- Joint support and recovery
- General immune and inflammatory support
- Horses not currently on steroids
Reacher, Wick, and Tae all stabilized here. Most horses do.
If Original Isn’t Enough
Benchmark MAX
- Steroid-dependent horses
- Persistent skin flares that don’t resolve on Original
- Significant respiratory involvement — heaves, RAO, equine asthma
- Horses who showed partial improvement on Original but plateaued
- Severe, chronic allergic response with multiple triggers
This is the formula Lorilei required. It exists because she needed it.
Always consult your veterinarian before adjusting a steroid-dependent horse’s supplement protocol.
The Horse Who Needs More
You’ll know if your horse needs MAX. They’re the ones where the standard tools — management, environmental controls, Original — aren’t quite getting there.
Your horse is on dexamethasone, prednisolone, or another corticosteroid and you can’t get them below a threshold dose without a flare. The goal isn’t to replace the steroid — it’s to support the histamine and mast cell response enough that the dose required becomes manageable. That’s what MAX is designed to do.
Rubbing. Hives. Hair loss at the mane and tail. Skin that reacts to everything. You’ve tried the environmental controls. They help, but they’re not enough. The inflammatory load is high enough that the original formula isn’t moving the needle the way you need it to.
Heaves, RAO, equine asthma, or inflammatory airway disease with significant daily involvement. The same mast cell and histamine mechanism that drives skin allergies also drives airway inflammation. MAX addresses that pathway at a higher level of support.
What Benchmark MAX Is. What It’s Not.
This is the same disclaimer that lives on the Benchmark page, and it matters just as much here — maybe more.
Benchmark MAX is not a cure. Lorilei still wears a fly sheet and a fly hood every single day. What MAX does is support the histamine response and mast cell activity at a higher level — enough that traditional management methods and reduced steroid protocols have a better chance of working. It lowers the inflammatory load. It does not eliminate the underlying condition.
Run the loading phase. Split AM and PM. Be consistent. Work with your veterinarian. Track your horse’s baseline so you have something real to compare against. If you don’t have a baseline, the Benchmark page explains how to establish one.
MAX is a tool. Use it as part of a protocol, not instead of one.
Be first in line when Benchmark MAX launches.
No spam. No pressure. Just a notification when the product is ready to ship — and first access before it opens to the public. Benchmark and Benchmark MAX launch simultaneously.
Progress Update members are notified first and have first access to order.
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