Study Summary: Effects of CBD on Sedation and Ataxia in Horses

A 2022 study entitled "Effects of Cannabidiol on Sedation and Ataxia" that was published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science explored the effects of CBD administration in adult horses, with a specific focus on potential sedation or ataxia that might result from such treatment.

The researchers noted that "few studies have been published on [the effects of CBD]" on the "behavior and health parameters" of horses. The goal of the study, which spanned 56 days and involved 20 adult Thoroughbred horses, was to "determine if a daily oral supplement containing CBD would cause sedation, ataxia, or alterations in other health parameters."

The Study

The horses were examined for sedation and ataxia "using standard scoring systems." The test subjects were randomly divided into two treatment groups. The first group received food supplement pellets that contained a hemp-derived CBD extract (150 mg), while the second group, which served as a control, received supplemental pellets that lacked CBD.

"Horses were monitored daily for clinical signs or adverse events and body weights were recorded weekly," noted the study.

Each day, horses were given CBD and their sedation and ataxia scores observed and recorded once per week for the nearly two-month period. "Horses were monitored daily for clinical signs or adverse events and body weights were recorded weekly," noted the study.

Molecular analogs of CBD

The scientists reported that the CBD supplement "was readily consumed by the horses and no adverse effects were seen over the treatment period." But did the horse subjects experience sedation and ataxia, the goal of the study? "Sedation and ataxia scores ranged from 0 to 2 for all horses during the weekly examinations," but there was "no statistical difference between treatment groups."

Conclusions

The study also noted no effects between the CBD group and the control group with respect to blood values, "including indicators of anemia and blood proteins, liver enzymes, kidney values, electrolytes, or calcium."

The scientists concluded that the CBD supplement "was readily consumed and safe and did not result in changes in mentation, gait, or other health parameters."

The scientists concluded that the CBD supplement "was readily consumed and safe and did not result in changes in mentation, gait, or other health parameters" within the horses. It added that "no adverse clinical signs were observed during 56 days of oral administration" to the equine subjects.

View the original study.

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