Horses Health Care Products
Do we really need to supplement our modern complete horse and pony feeds with all these extras?
When we take into consideration that every animal is an individual, health wise, genetic wise, environment wise and has different requirements. - The answer is most probably yes!
As for remedial animal supplements for specific complaints like calming, temperament, itchy skin issues etc, the first thing to consider is mineral deficiencies- ensure the horse is getting what it needs nutritionally, before trying herbal or nutraceutical products produced to sort the temperament or skin. A simple blood test performed by your vet can certainly help. Often if feeding is addressed, some of the symptoms you are experiencing may desist. Combine this with management and exercise, if the issue is still there, it may be time to reach for the specific remedial product.
In our experience the simpler the feeding the more successful it is for the horses health. Plenty of roughage for the hind gut with high energy foods for the small intestine if participating in equine sports. A combination of unmolassed sugar beet with lucerne /alfalfa has been successful for my broodmares and foals and show jumpers, adding crushed oats for additional energy if required. When sugar is extracted from beet pulp, which is then soaked ready for feeding, a very useful fibre feed remains which is highly digestible and holds a considerable amount of water- when you take into consideration a horses basic feed in the wild is grass and leaves they would naturally receive this high water content.
The benefit of being unmolassed horse feed is the lack of sugar content so as not to affect the temperament by raising blood sugar levels. The beet pulp will increase in volume five or six times when soaked offering a large moist feed. Great stuff for sports horses in prolonged work, helping maintain hydration. The lucerne / alfalfa nuts can be added to the beet 2 parts sugar beet 1 part grass nuts. I add in some cider vinegar and a variety of oils linseed oil for the youngsters as it helps to build healthy bones, Soya Oil for competing horses and ponies for energy and stamina and Cod liver oil for essential omegas. As there is plenty of quantity to eat our horses are content and relaxed.
Lets look at some basic herbs & their uses
Seaweed contains all the important minerals and more calcium, potassium, phosphorous, sulphur, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc, vits a,b,c,d,e, amino acids lysine, methionine, tryptophan amongst others, add Rosehips to this essential natural additive and you have a very good Farriers Aid that wont cost you a lot unlike a lot of well marketed products Rosehips contain the very important B-complex vitamin biotin for hooves and Vit C for the immune system.
Garlic blood cleansing, respiratory aid, anti viral, worming support, anti fly-use ours is pure, there is not enough in commercial feeds for medicinal effect- add as an extra granules/powder/grains.
Fenugreek seed -conditioning herb great for building top line and muscle not just fat! Combines well with garlic.
Mint-antacid/flatulence-appetiser good for cribbers and windsuckers.
Chamomile flowers - yellow flowers grow around gateways in the summer- A gentle relaxing calmer.
Rosehips - Vitamin C / biotin / immune-with seaweed.
Milk thistle - regenerates liver cells.
Meadowsweet -herb-pick me up/aspirin/circulatory/digestive & urinary systems, great for oldies
Devils claw anti-inflammatory.
Agnus Castus - hormonal herb-history
Echinacea-immune system stimulant for horse nutrition
NaturaGleam a product from the NaturaHorse range is a mix of linseed, garlic, mint fenugreek & seaweed and rosehips providing all the nutrients a horse or pony would need. NaturaGleam sport has the addition of brewers yeast. Compared to well known Feed Balancers- Blue chip, Equilibria and Top Spec which are glorified brewers yeast + fortified vitamins the unfortunate fact is you pay for the packaging /marketing and advertising- rather than the contents of these very good products. If you do a price comparison of one months supply of NaturaGleam and your feed balancer you could save enough to buy that show jacket or latest designer outfit.
Some daily feed enhancers & nutraceuticals
Cider vinegar - Blood Cleansing an all round horse health booster great for arthritics.
Brewers yeast -contains all the important B vitamins and is a great calmer of the digestive system. - Good for poor doers- who worry their weight off.
Horse Feeding Oils
Soya Oil - the best for horses weight, condition of the coat and sustained energy without getting silly.
Linseed Oil - great for horses bones
Cod Liver Oil - contains essential omega amino acids, ideal for your horses health
On the subject of movement!
This is a vast subject that I will simplify as much as possible www.naturahorse.co.uk has lots more information on the subject. The opportunities are vast for manufacturer to make lots of money out of horse owners.
Like calmers, you can step into a mine field of choices and many people new to the need to support their pony or horses joints just go for what is advertised and marketed best however as you may be about to discover, although they indeed do have a good effect, a lot of the hard earned horse owners money can be spent unnecessarily!
Somebody go into a shop and asks for the best possible joint type supplement for a horse or pony that is little bit stiff, to hes getting on a bit, to, to serious arthritis, navicular, laminitis, degenerative joint disease or Pedal Ostitis. These are the variants that come under the movement banner!
Homeopathic remedies such as rhus tox cost very little and if you select the correct one can be magical in its results. Possibly a bit fiddly for professional use where many animals are involved, however can be perfect for the Shetland in the garden. Daily feeding of a few pilules in a small titbit can be very therapeutic for both the equine and the owner alike.
Meadowsweet herb - a chemical copy of this and willow bark made up our modern day aspirin. - has the effect of giving your stiff horse an aspirin a day. This is an extremely underused but wonderful herb that could help many a horse who just gets a bit stiff. Super to feed your golden oldie and will leave a bit of cash left in the bank for a rainy day. - Average cost less than 10 per month.
Devils claw which has anti inflammatory properties, much like an Ibuprofen tablet to us, but of course totally natural.
MSM -organic sulphur required in all living creatures to mend- very good for general movement / tendon ligaments / muscle injuries.
Glucosamine-building block of cartilage- joint problems- try using this on its own or with msm as an alternative to commercially marketed joint products. NaturaFlex is well worth considering a combination of the two with added manganese ascorbite to aid absorption.
Calming
If you have an excitable horse or pony that you need to calm, and feeding has been covered, the next stage requires a little effort, homework, common sense and possibly a little trial and error. After suppleness, this is the next most common issue with equines. First establish whether they are worrying Wilma or moody madam/guy.-hormones or if it is in their general make-up. We all like to think we know our horses personalities; however a lot of people when asked this have to think very hard!
PMT- in us girls is very similar to how lots of horses feel - male and females consider Agnus Castus. For the naturally nervous / flighty or just plain lunatic there are several good choices. Again establish whether you are dealing with a short term problem- first outdoor show/ new environment/ just for the dressage or all day every day! Shorter problems can often be alleviated by some excellent homeopathic remedies. Chamomile flowers are sweet smelling little yellow flowers which you often see growing in the field are a great natural calmer, Hops can be useful too.
For more information about general horse nutrition advice along with natural pet products and other equine condition products, please contact the General Online Store.
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