Meet Sol, a very handsome OTTB living in Victoria, Australia.

We first met Sol's owner, Lizzie, on Christmas Day 2022, when she placed an order for what was clearly a severely disrupted gut going on with her boy. She'd ordered our gut regeneration programme (SIBO-CARE, GutAminos & LKL-CARE), and our DuoBute & StressTonic to alleviate Sol's pain/inflammation/stress.

Her message in the order Comments box said it all - “Thank you! I have fingers crossed this will help my lovely but very touchy and aggressive OTTB.”

Sol's story in Lizzie's words was that he was "4 years off the track, with chronic girthiness, very sensitive to touch, particularly on his abdomen, very bitey, some windsucking. Great to ride, horrid to groom. We’ve changed his whole living situation (friends, forage and freedom), tried ulcer treatment, gelding scar manipulation, Craniosacral treatment. Everything helps a tiny bit but the issue is still significant."

Then I noted she had an Australian address - aha. She obviously hadn’t seen our website statement that we currently keep our operations to UK/Europe-based, as shipping outside Europe (which by the way Brexit only just about allows us to do), costs an astronomical arm and a leg, literally twice the order cost and more, plus there’s the dreaded import customs nightmare at the other end where orders literally disappear into the ether once landed. We have so many requests for business in US/Canada and I wishwishwish we could help, but the costs and customs issues simply make it impossible.

So of course I replied politely …

“Hello Lizzie, and thanks so much for considering our service. However, I’m afraid we’re not able to ship to Australia as we’re a UK-only business. We’ll refund you immediately.

Best wishes, Carol @ EquiNatural”

Lizzie, however, wasn’t having any of that.

“Oh no! Is there any way I can arrange shipping? Lizzie”

“The problem over here,” I replied, “is the crazy customs issues - not sure if it's Brexit-related but it all seemed to go badly pear-shaped afterwards. We used to successfully ship all over Europe with wonderful loyal customers, but now it’s really tricky, with some countries refusing to let any parcels further than import customs and simply returning them to us (if we’re even that lucky!).

For further afield, the cost to ship is a joke as well – to ship just 3kg to you in Oz costs almost as much as your order cost again (which was over £100), plus exhorbitant insurance costs.

It’s all a little bit crazy. Who’d have thought it – our modern techno world of 2022, and we can’t even get a parcel off our tiny island?! I’m sincerely sorry as I’d love to help you help your boy.

Best wishes, Carol”

Lizzie remained determined though …

“Hold that thought! I might be able to arrange to post to a friend in the uk who can then post it on to me 🤞 Lizzie”

“Okaaaay ...” I replied hesitantly. “I’ll hold till I hear back from you. Oh, and by the way, Happy Christmas! 😉”

Boxing Day …

“Ok, my lovely friend in Yorkshire is happy to help. Everything can wait until after the Christmas chaos. This is a long term issue - I’m only getting in touch now because I just heard about you through the Equibiome chat group and it just sounded like you may have a solution. I’d so love to help this beautiful boy to be happy and comfortable.

I’m so relieved that we may finally have an answer and a path forward for Sol. I have my heart in my mouth about the chance of fixing this ongoing issue. I can’t wait to see if this is the solution we’ve been searching for.🤞 I’ll certainly let you know how we get on. L”

And with that, off went her order the next day. All was quiet until … Nearly a month later ...

19 January 2023

LIZZIE “Hi Carol, the package arrived safe and sound from my friend but the order has now reached Australia and is being held by customs pending a manufacturer’s declaration that all ingredients contained in the products are approved by the Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry.

I have sent customs the list of ingredients from your website in the hope that may reassure them. However, I wonder if you do have a declaration in your system left over from pre-Brexit days when you were able to distribute more widely? If you have anything like that which you could share with me, I would be very grateful.

I am sorry to be a high-maintenance customer – I certainly didn’t intend to be this painful and this will be our last hurdle. Many, many thanks, Lizzie”

ME - “Morning Lizzie, OMG I’m so sorry to hear this. Okay, point them to the fact that we’re registered with Trading Standards, as detailed at the bottom of our home page on the website - Trading Standards EC Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005), Registration No. GB280/4203, plus forward them to our Quality page off the top menu bar - https://equinatural.co.uk/i/quality, which details the Quality Management and Certification Documents of our raw ingredients from our suppliers.

Crossing everything for you, Carol”

LIZZIE “Thanks ever so much Carol. I’ll send those details through to customs and will keep my fingers crossed it does the trick for them to release the package. I’m so excited at the prospect of finally being able to sort out poor old Sol. (Friend) also popped in some Bassets Jelly Babies – because I miss them! 😊 Which I now can’t get my hands on!

Here’s hoping! I’ll let you know how we get on. Lizzie”

A couple of weeks later ...

Friday, February 3, 2023

“Hi Carol, I’m sorry to say we didn’t manage to convince customs to allow the parcel through. It has been returned to the UK and (friend) will be able to put the products to good use. You were right – but thank you so much for working with me to try.

As a different approach … assuming Australia has all the necessary ingredients, would you consider working with me to compile the treatment here? I am only interested in treating this one horse and am very happy to sign anything necessary to protect your IP. Let me know what you think and whether this might be possible.

I do appreciate I’m not being a straightforward customer and do understand if you need to just draw the line at this point. I really love this pony and would be delighted to make him happy and comfortable so am keen to explore every avenue.

Many thanks, Lizzie”

So of course I agreed - how could I not?! A month and a bit later, and just this morning I woke up to an email from Lizzie.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

“Wow Carol! We are now three weeks into my Aussie versions of your SIBO and Gut Amnios in the morning, and Stress Tonic and DuoBute in the evening - and I have witnessed an extraordinary transformation!

Thank you for finding the lovely gentleman hidden inside my very angry TB. I knew he was there - and am so grateful to you for helping me find him.

My body thanks you - I haven’t been bitten for a fortnight :)

I’ll keep you posted. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Lizzie”



I love my job … 😁