Inflammation Cycle 101: Why “Building Blocks” Don’t Work When the System Is Stuck “On”

Trying to use building blocks while the inflammation cycle is stuck “on” is like pouring bricks into a hurricane.

You can feed collagen, amino acids, and all the “recovery” ingredients on the planet… but if the body is still locked in defense mode, it’s not prioritizing rebuilding. It’s prioritizing survival.

Let’s make the inflammation cycle make sense—without the fluff.

Inflammation Isn’t Bad. It’s a Tool.

Inflammation is the body’s emergency response system.

It’s supposed to:

1. detect a problem

2. send help

3. clean up damage

4. resolve and return to baseline

That last part—resolution—is the whole point.

The issue isn’t inflammation existing.
The issue is when it doesn’t shut off.

Acute vs. Chronic: The Line That Gets Crossed

Acute inflammation is normal:

• hard training day

• minor tissue strain

• short-term immune challenge

• a brief gut upset

It turns on, handles business, then turns off.

Chronic inflammation is when the body keeps getting re-triggered, so it never fully resets.
That’s when you get the “always a little sore / always a little off” horse.

The Inflammation Cycle (How the Loop Works)

Here’s the loop that keeps horses stuck:

1) A trigger hits

Common triggers in performance horses:

• forage gaps (empty stomach → acid + stress hormones)

• high sugar/starch feeding (NSC spikes)

• training load without enough recovery

• travel/hauling stress

• ulcers or hindgut irritation

• dehydration/electrolyte imbalance

• pain patterns (feet, saddle fit, SI, hocks, neck)

• mycotoxins/poor forage quality

• mineral imbalance (enzymes can’t run right)

One trigger might not wreck the system.

But stacked triggers? That’s how you build a loop.

2) The body releases inflammatory messengers

This is chemical communication between cells—basically group texts that say:
“Threat detected. Mobilize.”

This shifts the body into defense mode.

3) Oxidative stress increases

Inflammation creates “sparks” (reactive molecules).
If the horse’s antioxidant systems can’t keep up, those sparks start damaging tissue.

This is one reason inflammation can become self-fueling:
inflammation → oxidative stress → more tissue irritation → more inflammation.

4) The gut gets less stable

Stress hormones + inflammation reduce gut resilience.

That can show up as:

• picky eating

• gas, loose manure, inconsistent manure

• sensitivity to feed changes

• lower absorption

• “ulcer-y” attitude

• poor weight or topline retention

And a compromised gut becomes its own trigger, because it can increase inflammatory exposure from the digestive tract.

5) Repair gets downregulated

When the system is in defense mode, the body leans more catabolic (breakdown) than anabolic (build).

So:

• muscle recovery slows

• connective tissue remodeling slows

• soreness lingers

• compensation patterns set in

6) Compensation creates new triggers

This is where it gets rude.

A horse that’s uncomfortable moves differently.
That altered movement loads tissues unevenly.
That uneven loading creates more soreness.
And now you’ve got a fresh trigger.

Cycle stays on. Hurricane keeps spinning.

Why “Building Blocks” Don’t Land When the Cycle Is On

This is the part that saves people thousands of dollars:

When inflammation is stuck “on,” the body’s priorities become:

1. survive

2. protect

3. patch

4. rebuild later (maybe)

So the things you feed for rebuilding—protein, amino acids, collagen, minerals—can get:

• absorbed poorly (gut instability)

• diverted to immune demand

• used inefficiently because enzyme systems are strained

• wasted because the horse isn’t in “remodel and grow” mode

It’s not that building blocks are useless.

It’s that you’re trying to build a house while the fire alarm is screaming and the sprinklers are blasting through the drywall.

Bricks. Hurricane.

Signs the Cycle Might Be Stuck “On”

Not diagnoses—signals.

Common patterns:

• longer warm-up, longer recovery

• soreness that migrates or never fully resolves

• tight topline, short stride, cranky transitions

• inconsistent performance (“good yesterday, flat today”)

• girthy, reactive, cinchy, spicy-for-no-reason

• manure inconsistencies, gas, picky appetite

• struggles to hold muscle despite calories

• puffiness/stocking up

• “I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s off”

If you’ve said “he tries so hard though”… yeah. Those horses live here.

The Three Levers That Actually Break the Cycle

You don’t “fight inflammation” with one magic scoop.

You change the environment the body is operating in.

1) Remove the constant triggers

• eliminate forage gaps

• stop stacking random high-NSC inputs

• simplify the supplement chaos

• address feet/saddle/teeth/pain patterns

• get hydration/electrolytes right

• test hay when possible (or at least control quality and consistency)

2) Stabilize the gut

Because the gut is not just digestion—it’s immune regulation.

• consistent forage rhythm

• slow changes

• stomach/hindgut support as needed

• consistent routine around training and hauling

3) Rebuild with a plan

Now building blocks work like they’re supposed to.

• amino acids actually support tissue turnover

• collagen supports remodeling

• botanicals can modulate pathways instead of just “covering symptoms”

• minerals allow enzymes to do their jobs

The Takeaway

Inflammation isn’t the villain.

Unresolved inflammation is.

If the cycle is stuck “on,” don’t keep buying bricks.

Calm the hurricane first:

• forage rhythm

• gut stability

• trigger removal

• then targeted rebuilding

That’s how you get a horse who doesn’t just cope… but actually recovers, holds topline, and stays consistent.

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