Opinion — Sara M. Kirkwood · Clearly labeled. This is not a scientific claim.
Let’s talk about the horse supplement aisle for a second. We’ve all been there… standing in the fluorescent light, squinting at a label and trying to play detective with a “proprietary blend.” Most companies have their reasons for keeping things under wraps—trade secrets, business models, you name it—and that’s their journey. But for me? I’ve always been a horse owner first and a business person… well, much later.
I found myself wanting to see the “math” behind the magic. I wanted to know exactly what was going into the bucket, what form it was in, and if it was actually bioavailable enough to make a difference.
That’s why I decided to do something a little radical with Benchmark and Benchmark Max. I’m putting it all on the table. No gatekeeping, no mystery… just the facts.
Every single thing in these formulas is an active ingredient, and I’m telling you exactly what the dosage is. I’m even giving you the links to the actual research so you can verify it yourself. That research lives in The Library — a digital repository where every ingredient is linked to the primary studies I used to make formulation decisions. The dosage in the bag matches the dosage in the study. That’s the whole standard.
See, there is a mountain of peer-reviewed data out there, but sometimes the form or the amount used in a product doesn’t actually match what the scientists used to get those results. If a study says X amount of an ingredient works, that’s what I’m putting in the bag.
I’m also obsessing over the form of those ingredients — like choosing isoquercetin because it’s way more bioavailable than standard quercetin. Because if my horse’s body can’t actually use the ingredient, I might as well be throwing my money directly into the manure spreader.
I’ve had a few people caution me. They say, “What if someone steals your formula?”
Honestly… let them. The information is already out there in the scientific journals; I’m just the one doing the homework and actually following the instructions. If another company wants to use the same research-backed approach, then more horses get helped… and isn’t that the whole point?
I’ve also been told that others might use less expensive ingredients to offer a lower price point. My response to that is simple: if a different product fits your budget better, even if it’s a less potent form, and it helps your horse… buy it. I’m not here to dominate an industry or be the only choice on the shelf. I just want to give you a tool that actually does what it says it’s going to do. I’m tired of the guessing games and I just want to do right by the horses… I figure you probably do, too.
If this resonates, The Standard is the Standard covers the same philosophy from a slightly different angle — why “proprietary” is a wall between a brand and its customers, and why I won’t build that wall.
This is an opinion piece. It reflects the perspective of Sara M. Kirkwood, founder of Improve Equine, and is clearly labeled as such. See the Science section of The Library for peer-reviewed research behind every ingredient decision.
Referenced in this piece:
Benchmark & Benchmark MAX ·
Isoquercetin Bioavailability Research ·
Quercetin & Mast Cell Research ·
The Library ·
The Standard is the Standard
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