What Happened When We Measured Water Intake After Using EOR: Inside Our Hydration Study

What Happened When We Measured Water Intake After Using EOR: Inside Our Hydration Study

When we began developing Equine Oral Recovery (EOR) strips, the goal wasn’t simply to create another electrolyte option. It was to fill a very real gap in equine nutrition. During his Ironman training, Dr. Patrick Young noticed something that shaped the entire direction of this project: human athletes supplement and replenish before, during, and after exertion—but horses, who often work just as hard, didn’t have an equivalent, fast-absorbing option designed for performance and recovery. Dr. Young wanted something that could support a horse’s physiology the way high-performance fueling supports human athletes. That idea became the foundation of EOR oral film strips

EOR uses a thin oral film strip that dissolves on the horse's gums and is absorbed through the oral mucosa—bypassing the GI system and first-pass metabolism. This may allow the glucose, electrolytes, and vitamin B12 in the strip to enter the bloodstream efficiently and predictably.

But before we shared this technology publicly, we needed to understand one critical question:

Would EOR impact water intake in the hours after administration?

To explore this, we conducted a structured proof-of-concept study on eight horses at a single facility. The results were early, but they were meaningful—especially for owners who manage hydration during hauling, competition, heat, and recovery.

This is what we found.

Study Overview

Population & Acclimation

Eight horses from the same farm were brought to a research facility/ranch and given two full weeks of acclimation. During this time, they lived in separate stalls with runs so individual intake could be measured precisely.

For 14 days, we recorded their baseline water consumption to understand:

  • individual drinking tendencies
  • day-to-day variation
  • environmental influences
  • normal intake ranges

This baseline was critical. Without it, any conclusion about “increase” or “decrease” would lack context.

Study Design

After acclimation, we used a reversible control design, which allowed every horse to act as both test subject and control at different points during the study.

Two Groups

  • Group A (IVP/Test Group) — received EOR strips during the first trial
  • Group B (Control Group) — received no strip during the first trial
  • Groups reversed for the second application, increasing reliability and removing individual bias.

Dosing Protocol

Each test-group horse received:

  • One 1000 mg EOR oral film strip in the evening
  • One additional strip the following morning (8–12 hours later)

Water intake was measured continuously, and complete blood counts (CBCs) were taken to monitor hydration markers. While full statistical analysis of the bloodwork is still pending, early trends appeared favorable.

Results

1. Increased Water Intake in Horses Receiving EOR

During the first trial, the horses receiving EOR showed an average increase of 1 liter above their normal baseline intake in the 24-hour period post-application.

This may seem small at first glance, but in hydration studies, any measurable upward shift—especially compared to controls—is notable.

These horses:

  • drank more despite falling temperatures
  • maintained more stable intake patterns
  • showed supportive changes in bloodwork hydration markers (pending full analysis)

2. Control Horses Decreased Water Intake Significantly

On the same test days, the control horses (those who did not receive a strip) decreased their water intake by an average of 11.75 liters below their baseline.

This drop coincided with a moderate decline in ambient temperature, which is a common trigger for horses to reduce drinking.

What mattered most was the contrast:

  • Test group: +1 liter above baseline
  • Control group: –11.75 liters below baseline

In other words:
While environmental conditions caused the control horses to drink less, the horses receiving EOR did not follow that pattern—and instead drank more.

Bloodwork Trends

CBCs were taken alongside water measurements to look for:

  • hematocrit changes
  • plasma concentrations
  • hydration indicators

While a full statistical analysis has not yet been completed, early bloodwork patterns appeared favorable and consistent with improved hydration status in horses receiving EOR.

Future phases of research will deepen this portion significantly, but the initial signals were positive.

Why These Results Matter

1. Horses often drink less in cooler weather

The control group’s 11.75-liter drop is consistent with what many owners see in fall, winter, or cold snaps. Reduced thirst response is naturally triggered by lower temperatures.

2. Hydration changes can be subtle but meaningful

A one-liter increase during a temperature drop may represent:

  • maintenance of hydration when a horse would traditionally back off
  • better electrolyte balance
  • improved perception of thirst
  • more stable consumption patterns

What This Does NOT Mean

To keep this grounded and accurate:

  • This was an early proof-of-concept study, not a large-scale clinical trial.
  • Individual results will vary.
  • More research—with larger groups and expanded statistical analysis—is planned.
  • We cannot claim causation; we can report observed correlations and trends.

EOR is not a medical treatment or cure. It is a hydration support tool that may help horses maintain or increase water intake, even during environmental changes that typically suppress it.

The Most Striking Takeaway

Across all eight horses, the same pattern stood out:

Horses receiving EOR maintained or increased their water intake.
Horses not receiving EOR drank significantly less.

For riders who deal with picky drinkers, travel stress, temperature swings, or competition demands, this kind of shift—small but measurable—can matter.

Hydration affects:

  • performance
  • muscle recovery
  • gut motility
  • stamina
  • electrolyte balance
  • overall well-being

Supporting it proactively is one of the most impactful things we can do for our horses.

What’s Next

Future study phases will include:

  • expanded groups
  • more diverse environments
  • deeper bloodwork analysis
  • performance correlation
  • statistical modeling

For now, these early findings give us a valuable starting point—and a clear signal that oral-film electrolyte delivery is worth deeper exploration.

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