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Smartpakequine

Acquired

1 known investors

SmartPak Equine is an e-commerce retailer that sells supplements and other products for horses. The company serves equine owners and horse care professionals.

Also known as SmartEquine Β· SmartPak Β· SmartPak Equine Β· SmartPak Equine, LLC

Investors Β· 1

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

SmartPak Equine, rebranded as SmartEquine in July 2025, is an American equestrian e-commerce company headquartered at 40 Grissom Road, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Its core product is the patented SmartPak supplement feeding system: custom-packed, pre-measured daily doses of equine supplements shipped to horse owners on a recurring basis, intended to remove measuring and dosing errors in barns where multiple people feed a horse.

The catalog spans more than 70 health and wellness supplements across 17 categories, including digestion, joint, hoof, calming and behavior, ulcer and gastric health, skin and coat, insect control, vitamins and minerals, and respiratory support. Beyond supplements, the company sells turnout blankets and sheets, boots and wraps, trailering equipment, saddle pads, therapy products, bridles, fly gear, grooming supplies, halters and lead ropes, rider apparel, and dog supplies, along with equine and canine pharmacy items. It also publishes horse health and horsemanship educational content such as a therapy guide and a deworming guide.

A distinguishing program is ColiCare, launched in 2012, under which customers who order eligible digestive supplements in SmartPaks and maintain annual veterinary wellness care may qualify for up to $15,000 in colic surgery reimbursement.

Founding story

The company was founded in 1999 by Becky Minard and her husband Paal Gisholt, both Harvard Business School graduates. Minard's horse, Westley, required daily veterinarian-recommended supplements, and she found that measuring and administering them consistently was cumbersome and prone to missed or incorrect doses, particularly when different people fed the horse. The couple designed pre-packaged, individually portioned daily doses to solve that problem, which became the patented SmartPak system.

Business model

Direct-to-consumer online and catalog retail of equine supplements, health products, tack, gear and apparel, anchored by a subscription-style autoship model in which customized, pre-measured supplement packs are shipped to customers on a recurring schedule. The company also operates a factory store at its Plymouth, Massachusetts headquarters, open Thursdays through Saturdays.

Revenue comes from product sales of supplements, equipment, apparel and pharmacy items, with a recurring component from autoship/subscription supplement orders. Promotional discounting is used to acquire subscription customers (for example, 40% off a first autoship supplement order in SmartPaks). Chewy has stated that SmartEquine's subscription model strengthens recurring revenue and that the transaction is expected to be adjusted EBITDA margin accretive on closing.

Traction

The SmartPak feeding system has been adopted by thousands of barns and horse owners across the country and by riders at all levels including Olympic medalists; by the mid-2000s the company was serving millions of supplement doses annually. Sales reached approximately $105 million in 2013. Chewy cites a loyal customer base and subscription-based supplement programs as key rationale for its 2025 acquisition agreement.

Latest developments

The company rebranded from SmartPak to SmartEquine in July 2025. On October 30, 2025, Chewy, Inc. (NYSE: CHWY) announced a definitive agreement to acquire SmartPak Equine, LLC from Covetrus, Inc. in an all-cash transaction financed from Chewy's existing balance sheet; terms were not disclosed, and closing is expected in Chewy's fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions. Chewy expects the deal to be adjusted EBITDA margin accretive and to expand its equine health and wellness category.

β–ΈFull profile β€” market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies

Market position

Described as a leading U.S. provider of equine health products and the premier online provider of horse supplies and equine supplements, with Chewy characterizing it as the #1 equine health brand. Reported sales of approximately $105 million in 2013 at the time of the Henry Schein transaction.

Customized, pre-measured SmartPak supplement packs delivered on a recurring schedule differentiate the offering from bulk supplement sales, and the free ColiCare program offering up to $15,000 in lifetime colic surgery reimbursement for customers using eligible supplements with routine veterinary wellness care is a benefit the company describes as unique to it. The company emphasizes science-backed formulations and a staff of riders and horse owners.

Technology

The patented SmartPak supplement feeding system packages pre-measured, customized daily supplement doses for individual horses. Formulations use ingredients including vitamin E and selenium, antioxidants, electrolytes, glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and hyaluronic acid for joints, prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, sea buckthorn and glutamine for digestion, pectin, lecithin and licorice root in ColiCare-eligible products, pyrantel-based daily wormers, and branched-chain amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids for performance support.

Go-to-market

Sales run through the smartpakequine.com e-commerce site and catalogs, supported by a customer care organization offering phone, live chat and SMS support and supplement-plan specialist services (SmartBarn Services). Marketing includes discount codes, a 100% happiness guarantee, free shipping both ways, educational content libraries, and sponsorship of equestrian organizations and athletes, such as a partnership with the Women's Professional Rodeo Association and use of the product by Wrangler NFR qualifiers and Olympic medalists.

Horse owners, riders across disciplines including dressage, hunter/jumper, polo, equitation, eventing, reining and rodeo, barn managers and horse care professionals, as well as dog owners through its canine product lines.

Geography

Headquartered in Plymouth, Massachusetts, with a factory store at the same site; primarily a U.S. business serving customers nationwide, with riders served through its e-commerce platform.

History

Founded in 1999 with the patented SmartPak supplement feeding system and headquartered in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the company broadened from its core supplement packs into tack, apparel, accessories and pharmacy items sold through catalogs and its website. The ColiCare colic surgery reimbursement program launched in 2012. In June 2014 Henry Schein Animal Health acquired an approximately 60% ownership stake, leaving existing management operationally independent while providing access to Henry Schein's distribution network; ownership moved to Covetrus following the 2019 spin-off of Henry Schein Animal Health into a standalone public company. In August 2022 SmartPak acquired the equine brand of Uckele Health & Nutrition. The company rebranded to SmartEquine in July 2025, and on October 30, 2025 Chewy, Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire the business from Covetrus.

Risks & controversies

The Chewy acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, and Chewy's own disclosure notes risks that the transaction may not close on the anticipated timeline or at all, or that integration may not proceed as expected. Public third-party profiles of the company carry inconsistent firmographic data, including a technology-vendor profile listing the industry as plastics and revenue as $0-1M, which conflicts with reported sales figures.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β€” announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Annual salesJan 2013$105M
Colic surgery reimbursement maxJan 2025$15K
Employee count rangeJan 202550-200
Supplement products offeredOct 202570 products

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β€” not independently audited.

Timeline Β· 8

launches, deals, and filings
Oct 2025
Chewy enters definitive agreement to acquire SmartEquine from Covetrus

Chewy, Inc. (NYSE: CHWY) announced a definitive agreement to acquire SmartPak Equine, LLC ("SmartEquine") from Covetrus, Inc. in an all-cash transaction financed through Chewy's existing balance sheet. Terms were not disclosed. Closing is expected in Chewy's fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

source β†—

Jul 2025
SmartPak rebrands as SmartEquine

The company rebranded from SmartPak to SmartEquine in July 2025 to emphasize its focus on comprehensive horse health and wellness.

source β†—

Jan 2025
SmartPak becomes a partner of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association

SmartPak joined the WPRA family of partners, supporting members of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association and their horses; announced by the WPRA with comments from its Partnership and Special Events Manager and SmartPak's PR and Sponsorship Manager.

source β†—

Aug 2022
SmartPak acquires equine brand of Uckele Health & Nutrition

SmartPak acquired the equine brand of Uckele Health & Nutrition, adding Uckele's supplement formulations to its portfolio.

source β†—

Jan 2019
Ownership transfers to Covetrus after Henry Schein Animal Health spin-off

Ownership of SmartPak transitioned to Covetrus following the spin-off of Henry Schein Animal Health into a standalone public company.

source β†—

Jun 2014
Henry Schein Animal Health acquires ~60% stake in SmartPak

Henry Schein Animal Health acquired an approximately 60 percent ownership stake in SmartPak in a transaction completed in June 2014; SmartPak retained operational independence under existing management and gained access to Henry Schein's distribution networks.

source β†—

Jan 2012
Launch of the ColiCare program

SmartPak launched ColiCare, a program under which eligible digestive supplements ordered in SmartPaks, combined with annual veterinary wellness care including physical and dental exams, qualify horses for up to $15,000 in colic surgery reimbursement.

source β†—

Jan 1999
Launch of the patented SmartPak supplement feeding system

The company introduced its patented SmartPak system of pre-measured, individually portioned daily supplement packets customized to each horse.

source β†—

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

β–ΈResearch sources Β· 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Smartpakequine do?
SmartEquine (formerly SmartPak Equine) is a US online retailer of pre-measured horse supplements, tack and equine wellness products.
Who are Smartpakequine's investors?
Smartpakequine's investors include CEI Ventures.