Domesticated horses have had a bit of a rough go.

From being bred and sold as livestock to being pushed so hard in races that a fatal injury is inevitable, their bodies go through a lot. But these days, more horse owners are seeing the animals like pets, taking as much care for their health and wellbeing as they would the family dog.

To help owners look after their equine friends, StableFeed created supplements made primarily from chia seeds, as well as other ingredients to ensure their horse has the health benefits they need. But while the product was innovative, its simple, non-descript packaging was not (see pictured, right).

So, working with agency Full Punch, StableFeed created new packaging that seems to be more in line with premium, artisan pet food brands.

The updated packaging takes clear design inspiration from the heritage in raising horses, with Victorian-era illustrations replacing a horse with ingredients like carrots, blueberries and pears. That mixes the pride many horse owners take in the history they are a part of, with a sense of playfulness that comes from seeing jockeys ride prickly pears through a steeplechase or race a pear down a track.

That approach shows a possible design cue from human snacks, where customers increasingly want to know what the main ingredient or flavour is just by glancing at the packaging. That draws consumers in with something that is a little bit more recognizeable, before hooking them on things like omega-3 or glucose support, health benefits that horse owners will be interested in.