An antioxidant is a substance that counteracts disruptive free radicals in the body. More free radicals are produced when the body is under any kind of stress, and so antioxidants are an all-important part of maintaining the health of our and our horse’s bodies.
Antioxidants come in a wide variety of forms; commonly added to feed are vitamins E, C and selenium. Plants are an excellent source of a wide variety of antioxidants, produced to help protect them from direct exposure to the sun’s rays. The terms carotenoids, xanthophylls, polyphenols, flavonoids, flavanols, anthocyanins, tocopherols, reservatrol, curcuminoids all describe different kinds of plant antioxidants.