NATURAL E UINE ESSENTIALS

With homegrown horsemanship and personalized care, Isabel Sempe is changing the supplement game

WORDS: APRIL BILODEAU

WITH SO MANY supplement companies available to horse owners, it can be di cult to choose the right one for your horse. To make that decision easier, Isabel Sempe, owner and founder of Natural Equine Essentials, has spent several years researching and developing which all-natural supplements work best for common equine ailments.

Sempe descends from a multigenerational horse breeding family from Honduras. Her father bred Quarter, Andalusian, and Peruvian Horses and is one of the founders of the Peruvian Horse Association of Honduras.

“My dad was one of the first to import world class horses from South and North America into Honduras, for breeding and competition purposes,” Sempe tells The Plaid Horse. “He was very involved in the daily care, making his own bran mash and growing his own grade “A” Alfalfa hay for the horses.”

She spent her childhood on their 2,000-acre equine breeding, agriculture, and dairy farm. She observed and learned the inner workings of the farm and gained firsthand knowledge of the many issues regarding raising, breeding, and caring for horses in the family business. With 80 horses on the property, their vets were always there, and their farrier lived on the property. With this set up, she was able to absorb information from experts in their field through out her early years.

Sempe has been riding horses since she was six years old. Competing internationally in show jumping, dressage, eventing, and Peruvian Paso Horse competitions.

At an early age she learned English riding through her aunt, Titi Mills, a well-known trainer who represented Honduras in the Central American and Caribbean Games in show jumping, winning two silver medals.

“Titi showed me horsemanship, discipline, and how hard work and attention to detail pay off in the long run for your horse and yourself as a rider,” she says.

Strict And Disciplined

Sempe married and, through her husband’s job, moved and lived in four different countries in the span of 15 years. She was able to make friends and train with various Olympic trainers, well-known veterinarians, and farriers who are still close friends and parts of her vast equine network. This network and experience in different regions has expanded her knowledge and provided support from accomplished equine professionals around the world.

“One of my trainers, Oswaldo MendezHerbruger (three time Olympic rider) was really intense,” says Sempe. “He said to me: I am going to train you and take you to the Central American Games on your mare in three years.”

Sempe describes herself as disciplined and strict, but Mendez-Herbruger’s training program was one of the most intense she had ever gone through—and almost wore her down.

“I was crying all the time,” says Sempe. “It was very hard work.”

But that hard work paid off and in 2013, she was a member of the first eventing team to represent Honduras in the Central American Games.

“At 35 years old, I learned that it is never too late to start something,” says Sempe. “When you work hard and that horse is your partner, you understand each other. You learn to read each other. What they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, it impacts you.”

Soon after, her husband’s job took their family to Wellington, FL. While it was a very different environment than what she was used to, she was introduced to the world of supplements…and hasn’t looked back since.

Creating A Product

A couple of Sempe’s personal horses made the move from Chile, South America, to Florida with her, including her daughter’s horse who had a tough time with the change.

“He had allergies, got a colic from eating sand, had summer sores; you name it, he got it,” says Sempe.

She tried popular supplements, including natural supplements that were available at the time, with no results. This led her to dig into her network and research what natural ingredients would help her horses.

Among those she consulted was a good friend of the family and renowned Veterinary Pharmacologist and toxicologist. She consulted certified labs and various

FEI veterinarians. She was able to create products that not only helped her horses recover, but made them healthier and more responsive.

Her close friends witnessed the quick and amazing change in her horses and asked if they could try her products on their own horses. They were suffering from digestive issues. They started a trial supplement program under the close supervision of their veterinarian who evaluated their horses on a monthly basis.

After a trial of 25 of their horses, all their coats were now shiny, and the horses with leaky gut now had normal stool. All the horses looked healthier, behaved better, and had noticeable improvements in gut health. To date they remain loyal clients and friends.

Growing Her Business

Since the creation of her first product, Sempe dove into discovering other needs in the market and filling them with natural supplements and products that focus on those needs.

Her products range from complete gastric health to joint support to electrolytes, to fly control to grooming products. Sempe works with FEI vets to ensure that all products have no banned ingredients and are FEI and USEF show-safe.

Sempe prides herself in creating strategic partnerships with all her clients, making sure that she listens to their needs and helps their horses through her supplements to become healthier, happier, and stronger through her unique understanding and lifelong experience with horses and the equine world.

“It’s not work for me, it’s my passion,” she says.

Natural Equine Essentials is a proud member of the renowned National Animal Supplement Council (NASC). All their supplements and grooming products are 100% natural and are made in Natural Equine Essential’s warehouse facilities in Kentucky.