The founder of Natural Equine Essentials, Isabel Sempe, comes from a multi-generational equine family. She was raised around horses all of her life. Her father was a Quarter Horse and Peruvian Horse breeder. He imported Peruvian horses from Peru and Quater horses from Texas to Honduras. He was one of the first to bring and show these breeds to Honduras. He is one of the founders of the Peruvian Association in Honduras and has received numerous awards from the Peruvian Association.
She grew up on a 2,000 acre family-owned farm known for its breeding program and competitive level where the care of more than sixty stabled horses was part of her everyday life. Back in the 80’s and 90’s the quality of hay, grain and supplements is not nearly as evolved as we have now. As a family they struggled with Colics and different diseases by themselves. To avoid some of these issues they grew their own hay, made their own natural grain and used natural remedies. They had to know the basics of helping a horse in distress before the vet could get out to them because the horse farm was on the outskirts of the city. Isabel had to work closely with veterinarians and farriers to make sure all of the horses were ready for showing. Her dad invented a Spa for tendon cooling for his horses that consisted of a ramp where the horses went in and stood for 20 min. and strong gushes of water would come from every direction and hit from the knee down of all four legs; to help cool down tendons and ligaments with cold water after a heavy workout. Equine Health and Nutrition have always played an important role in Isabel’s life.
The Sempe family ventured in many large scale agricultural, equipment and pharmaceutical business. They owned a successful cattle ranch, one of the biggest agriculture farms in Honduras where they grew rice, watermelon, cantaloups, corn, sorghum, coffee, sunflower, Alfalfa and Ginger. They distributed and represented Massey Fergusson, Komatsu, Land Rover, Cummings and Saab. They also owned a pharmaceutical company which distributed major drug brands.
Growing up and later as an adult, Isabel competed in Western, Dressage, Show jumping and Eventing at National and international levels in over 7 different countries including U.S.A., Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador Honduras and Nicaragua. She has lived in most of the countries she has competed which helped her accumulate a vast network of international veterinarians, trainers and riders with whom she has learned and shared knowledge of equine and sport matters in general.
She went to the Central American Games in Eventing in 2013 and was part of the first team in history to represent Honduras as an Eventing Team. She is certified for Level 1 FEI Couching in Eventing. She then taught her daughter Juliette Richmagui and many children to ride. Isabel then passed her knowledge to her daughter, and they showed all over Central and South America. Her daughter continued to show in Wellington, Fl when they arrived with their horses from Chile in 2017. Being around horses she noticed that it doesn't matter what breed or what discipline you do, horses that are stressed of show life, being in a stall or traveling, they all suffer of some kind of ulcer, stomach issues or hind gut issues that present themselves in different ways. Horses are spooky, bad tempered, nervous, anxious, some have loss of appetite or any other behavioral issues. That is their way to say they are uncomfortable or asking for help.
She wanted to be the voice and solution for all these issues and help a horse perform at its best either at a show or at home, so began her mission to develop her own natural products that work for both the horses and riders as an alternative to the traditional products on the market today.
After finding great success with her own show horses, she began to share and sell her products with her fellow equine enthusiasts who have also been witness to the incredible results of her products.
