A lot of people have asked me why I am retiring a healthy, sound and happy horse, but that’s exactly why – I want him to be healthy and happy and sound for many more years to come!!  I would rather have him with me for another 20 years, than shorten his life by possibly having a fall or something and then being forced to put him into retirement, sore and unwell.

On the plus side, he will continue to teach remedial children and young children for about 2 or 3 hours a week, doing nothing faster than a walk, but installing in them the passion and magic that certainly drives me each and every day and allows me to smile from within first.  We will still also potter around bareback every now and then, but have lots of fun on the ground, walking out in-hand and long-reining him too. 

Oh, and a little brag, Vikes can currently be seen gracing the pages of Cosmo, Fair Lady and Marie Claire in the latest Truworths Winter launch campaign.  He is on all in-store billboards and marketing collateral, the club magazine and also their website, so look out for the unicorn, with two beautiful models.

Viking the Truworths model

Finally, one of our favourite pastimes of all, is to actually just chill together.  Me, with a good book and a flask of coffee and him, with a field of sweet green to savour…On Sunday, as I sat on the grass, watching him graze and as I took in all the peace around us, I thought too how fortunate I was to have such a wonderful friend in my life.  I certainly have known no better…

PS:  I promise to keep you all updated with his latest adventures and magic and knowing Vikes, I have no doubt that this will be never-ending.  A big thank you to The Herbal Horse and Beryl for making sure of this!

Bridget before - notice how she hardly bends her back legs

Then just before the school holidays she fell in her paddock, injuring her hind leg. We decided that maybe some herbal assistance was required..so got some Rejuven mix.. the cut on her lower leg healed beautifully but she was obviously favouring the stronger leg and her stiffness seemed unnaffected..after about 5 weeks on the Rejuven mix I suddenly noticed a huge difference..for what seemed like the first time since we’d had her Bridget was actually bending her stiff back legs.

It was almost an overnight difference..one day stiff..the next day bending ..it was unbelievable!

Bridget after Rejuven mix - suddenly she can bend her legs!

Even her regular rider has noticed the difference commenting on how much smoother her trot and canter is now…don’t believe me…check out these before and after pics..I promise they’ve not been doctored..all I know is Bridget’s looking great and I’m sure she’s feeling great too.

Probiotics are a group of ‘friendly’ bacteria (literally, “pro life,” indicating that they are bacteria and yeasts that help rather than harm) and are gaining popularity as daily supplements for humans. As always, horse owners have been quick on the uptake and starting to realize that horses can benefit from these bacteria as well.

Probiotics taken by mouth take up residence in your horse’s digestive tract. The digestive tract can be thought of as a rain forest ecosystem, with billions of bacteria and yeasts acting as the trees, frogs, and leopards. Some of these inhabitants are harmful, some are harmless, while others do good. By adding probotics to the horse’s diet, you are tipping the scale in favour of the bacteria that do good.

There are a number of ways in which probiotics work:

• They compete with the harmful bacteria for limited space in your horse’s digestive system, thus helping to drive out harmful pathogens (disease-causing organisms). This is particularly useful in horses with gastro-intestinal problems, such as colic, diarrhea or ulcers.
• They help to digest the food that your horse has eaten. Studies have shown that probiotics increase the quantity, availability, digestibility and assimilability of nutrients. In plain English – your horse gets more value out of the food that he eats.
• Antibiotics can disturb the balance of your “inner rain forest” by killing friendly bacteria. When this happens, harmful bacteria and yeasts can move in and flourish. This is why, whenever your vet prescribes antibiotics, he or she will usually add a probiotic as well.

As well as feeding probiotics, you can give prebiotics (such as fructo-oligosaccharides or xylitol). These supplements are ‘food’ for the probiotic. They are substances that the horse can’t digest, but the bacteria can digest.  Giving a prebiotic is like putting manure in a garden; it is thought to foster a healthy environment for the probiotic.

There are various problems with some of the probiotics available. The downside of using a living organism is that probiotics may die on the shelf. In fact, a study reported in 1990 found that most acidophilus capsules on the market contained no living acidophilus. The situation has improved in subsequent evaluations, but still some products are substandard.

Another problem with some strains of bacteria is that they are destroyed by stomach acid. You need to give a probiotic that survives the stomach acid and moves into the intestine alive and able to do good work.

One of the best probiotics, in my opinion, is called Lactobacillus Sporongenes (LS) (Its actual correct name is Bacillus Coagulans). This is the one we use for Digestion and Ultimate mix. This bacterium forms a hard, resistant spore, which is a good thing for two reasons:

• The hard spore makes the shelf life of the probiotic extremely good. Unlike most probiotics, you don’t have to keep LS refrigerated. And, when you purchase a probiotic containing LS, you will be obtaining a higher proportion of living bacteria.
• The hard LS spore is resistant to the acid in the stomach, but slowly opens up in the intestine, where it is needed.

Energy

During exercise, a compound called pyruvate is formed. Now, pyruvate can end up as lactic acid, which builds up in muscles and causes stiffness and muscle fatigue. Thiamine helps to stop pyruvate becoming lactic acid by converting it to Acetyl Co A. Studies by Topliff et al (1981) suggest that an exercising horse may need twice the thiamine that a non-working horse needs.

Calming

Another important function of thiamine is the transmission of impulses along nerves. So, a thiamine deficient horse will be irritable, nervous, jumpy, easily distracted and difficult to work with. Sometimes, supplementation with thiamine will help correct problems like these. Other times, it could be some other problem – genetic, training or other nutritional problems.

When there is not enough

Often the thiamine deficient horse is not an undernourished horse. On the contrary, thiamine deficiency often occurs in horses on high carbohydrate rations with rigid work loads.

Is it safe?

Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin, and so supplementation up to 1000mg per day is very safe. Excess is simply eliminated by the kidneys.

Without a chemist to analyse every component of our horses diet, every day and relate the results to his energy requirements, we are, to a large extent, guessing when it comes to feeding our horses. Realistically, all we can hope to do is to provide all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that he may or may not need during the day.

Expensive urine?

It has been argued (in humans at least), that supplementation with vitamins is unnecessary and results in nothing more than yellow urine. But this is like arguing that water is unnecessary because it also ends up in the urine! Taking vitamins is like drinking a glass of water – as they are needed in the body, they are used. If a need for a certain mineral or vitamin exists, and none is available, signs of deficiency will manifest themselves.

Quality

All sorts of variables play a part in whether or not supplementation is necessary. The quality of the grazing and/or the hay is important. So is the quality of the concentrate fed. And even a very good quality hay or concentrate deteriorates on storage. Also, even if a nutrient, vitamin or mineral is present in the diet, this does not mean that it is present in an easily digestible form. Some chemical forms of iron, for example, are very difficult to absorb.

Special Requirements

Then there are the horses with special requirements. Older horses have digestive systems that are less efficient than younger horse’s, so they don’t absorb the nutrients as well as they should. Horses who have had severe worm problems or who have been starved may have damaged digestive systems. Other horses have weak hooves and require more of certain nutrients to correct this. Show horses need to be in exceptionally good condition.

Sport horses, like endurance horses, eventers or racehorses have much higher energy requirements than horses in normal work. They also need more protein and amino acids for muscle-building. Muscles are made up mainly of proteins, which in turn are comprised of strings of amino acids joined together. Certain amino acids, e.g. lysine, are known as essential amino acids. This means that they can’t be synthesised by the horse’s own body. So if they are not supplied in the diet, and a certain protein needs to be made, when it comes to the place in the protein chain where that particular amino acid fits, protein synthesis (and therefore muscle development) just stops.

Disadvantages

What are the disadvantages of supplementation? Some people argue that our horse feeds are balanced, so supplementation with vitamins etcetera, unbalances the feed. Here again, we can return to the “glass of water” analogy – if the horse doesn’t need what we are supplying, then it just passes straight through. So at worst, we are just wasting money! But if the horse’s body does need what we are supplying, it is there and can be used.

Over dosages and side-effects

This is, of course provided that we don’t go completely overboard and overdose with vitamins and minerals. This is possible, especially with the fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A (Retinol). So, it is of utmost importance to feed only as directed by the supplier and not to use too many different supplements at once.

Herbal supplements, especially, must be regarded as medicines. One can overdose on herbs and side effects are also common. In some countries, certain herbs e.g. Valeriana, are banned and are tested for when drug testing takes place. So be sure to choose a reputable supplier of herbal supplements.

Conclusion

Overall, the choice to supplement or not is up to the individual horse owner. Keep a close eye on your horse’s condition – he may need extra supplements only at certain times of the year, or only during periods of hard work. Or he may have one of those digestive systems that need extra supplementation all year round. Every horse’s situation is unique and each horse needs to be treated as an individual.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a form of medicine very difficult to describe. This is because no one, not even the best of homeopaths, knows exactly how it works. Homeopathic remedies consist of very diluted solutions of substances to resolve symptoms that they would, in higher doses, cause. Say, for example you have a red itchy rash – a homeopathic dilution of urtica (stinging nettle, which would normally cause a red, itchy rash) would cure it.

The original substance in the dilution is usually natural – of plant, animal or mineral origin. This is progressively diluted (1 part to 100 each time), with violent shaking each time, up to 30 times. In molecular terms, it is very unlikely that any of the original substance exists in the final dilution. Yet somehow, a “memory” of the original substance remains and this triggers a healing response in the horse’s body.

Herbalism

Herbal medicines are not diluted in this way. They are usually administered in the concentrated form or as a relatively strong solution. Consequently, they do not have the “opposite to expected” effect that homeopathic remedies do. (In other words, stinging nettle in an undiluted form causes a red itchy rash.)

Herbs consist of a “cocktail” of molecules, some of which are therapeutic in some way, some not. In fact, the effects and sometimes even the identities of all of the molecules present in herbs are not always known. Scientists, trying to pin down the therapeutic action of herbs to one molecule have come up with problems. For example, the anti-depressant qualities of St John’s Wort were attributed to a molecule in the plant called hypericin. But synthetically manufactured hypericin had relatively little anti-depressant action. It was then discovered that several other molecules present in St John’s Wort contributed to the anti-depressant action. (Message: don’t mess with nature!)

History

Herbalism is a much older art than homeopathy. The use of herbs dates back to the Ancients Hippocrates (468 BC). Homeopathy was developed by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann in 1796.

Trends

The use of both forms of medicine, as well as other alternative therapies, is growing in recent years, for both humans and animals. This is partly a response to the failure of synthetic pharmaceuticals to treat the problem as a whole. Doctors and vets have tended to prescribe drugs to treat the symptoms of a disease, instead of treating the root problem. Holistic practitioners, on the other hand, using both homeopathic and herbal medicines where appropriate, look at the entire picture and treat each individual uniquely. Also, instead of treating the horse after catastrophe has struck, natural medical practitioners believe in maintaining good health in order to prevent disease. This said, it must be remembered that, in some circumstances, it is vital to call a vet and in no circumstances would it be wise to delay this.

So…
This article is not intended to advocate either discipline – Herbalism or Homeopathy. It is intended to advocate a holistic approach to horse care.

Disillusionment with modern synthetic medicines has bought about a gradual, but definite growth in natural medicine. In recent years this has become known as the “herbal renaissance”. This trend, which began in humans, has extended to horses and other animals. Horse owners are no longer relying solely on vets for advice. They are becoming more and more likely to consult alternative practitioners such as homeopaths, herbalists, chiropractics, etc.

In the words of Wendy Pearson of the Equine Research Centre in Ontario, Canada: “The way of the future is the way of the past”.

• moderate allergic reactions,
• calm upset stomachs,
• correct mineral imbalances,
• kill some parasites,
• relieve pain and inflammation, and lastly,
• be a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant.

Double Blind Trials

Now, being a natural sceptic myself, this looks to me like some supplier of MSM claiming to have discovered a “wonder drug”. So, I did some research to see whether any of these claims could be scientifically substantiated. To my surprise, I found that all of these claims were actually true and had been tested to work.

Double blind studies have been done on horses and humans which prove this.This is where two groups of patients are given either a placebo (no MSM) or MSM and their responses are measured. Neither the scientists conducting the trial nor the patients taking the medicine know who is taking placebo and who is taking the drug.

At the end of the trial, it is made known which group is which and responses are compared. In the trials that I looked at, an 80% improvement was shown in the group taking MSM, compared to the group taking placebos.

History

The history of MSM is interesting. It dates back to a chemist called Herschler who worked for a paper- processing company. His boss asked him to investigate possible uses for one of the company’s by-products, DMSO.

Herschler found that DMSO decreased inflammation and pain when applied to horse’s swollen legs. Although it became quite popular, there were some disadvantages to using DMSO:

• It’s effect is transient, as it leaves the tissue very fast
• There are possible toxicity problems
• It causes bad breath
• It causes dry, itchy skin
• It stinks!

Herschler then decided to experiment with a molecule called MSM, which had a stabilising oxygen atom bound to the sulphur of the DMSO. This small change in molecular structure resulted in many positive advantages:

• It had long-term therapeutic values
• It is very untoxic (similar to water)
• No bad breath, itchy skin or stink
• Biochemistry

Although it is not known exactly how MSM works, it is assumed to be because it is a source of sulphur. Animals can’t use sulphur on its own, and MSM (which contains a sulphur molecule) can be easily used in the body. Sulphur is a very fragile element and, although it is present in big quantities in fresh foods, (eg. fresh hay), even minimal processing (eg. cutting and drying of hay) or storage causes the suplhur to be lost. This means that most horses (and humans) are deficient in sulphur. MSM can correct this imbalance by supplying sulphur in a form which is easy to use.

Case-Studies

Together with his veterinarian friend, Dr Metcalf, Herschler continued to experiment. This is what he found:

• Both men suffered from respiratory allergies. When they dosed themselves with MSM, the allergy disappeared. When they stopped taking it, the allergy returned.
• Dr Metcalf’s labrador was able to stop her daily dose of four bute tablets per day when given MSM.
• Dr Metcalf’s daughter’s showjumper became a different horse (no tail swishing, ears back or refusing) when put on MSM. He since had a lot of success with MSM in treating back pain in jumpers and race horses, especially with sacroiliac problems.

Fast-growing foals often develop epiphysitis, especially when their diet is too protein rich. This is a painful inflammatory condition when the foal’s body grows faster than his bones can develop to support the weight. A small amount of MSM fed daily can prevent this.
Further problems that were cured were: severe diarrhea in a valuable Arab stallion, gastric ulcers in foals, lameness, internal parasite (worm) infestations.

Caution

Dr Metcalf is quick to point out that MSM must not be regarded as a cure-all. “We must determine the cause of discomfort and make sure the cause no longer exists. Obviously, if there are joint chips in a horse’s knee, you might get temporary relief from MSM, but it isn’t going to make him sound.”

He also cautions people to always consult their doctor or vet before starting to use MSM.

Studies in animals and humans have revealed that serotonin is responsible for feelings of well being, calmness, relaxation, confidence and concentration.

What happens if you don’t have enough serotonin? Fear, aggression, anxiety. But serotonin deficiency is often simply due to dietary imbalances. Easy to fix.

This is how serotonin is made in the body:
Tryptophan (an amino acid) is converted into 5-HTP (another amino acid) which in turn, is converted into serotonin (a neurotransmitter).

When we first started making herbal products, we formulated Calm mix using tryptophan. But we encountered a problem – the product seemed to become less effective with time.

A bit of research showed us where we were going wrong:

• Tryptophan doesn’t pass easily from the blood into the brain.
• It is also used to make proteins – hence some of it is used elsewhere.
• The liver breaks it down to a mildly toxic substance.
• It feeds back on itself, and inhibits its own conversion to serotonin.

Because of these problems, we switched to using 5-HTP. 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan (5-HTP) is also a completely natural substance, derived from the seed pods of Griffonia, a West African plant. Side effects are very rare and 5-HTP has been shown to be VERY effective.

As far as I have seen, our Calm mix is the only product for horses which uses 5-HTP instead of tryptophan. This makes it a safer, more effective alternative.

It means that if you have a spooky, flighty horse or an overly aggressive dog, supplementation with Calm mix (for horses) or Serenity Formula (for pets) might just help. Why don’t you give it a try?

Your horse’s body is made up of more than 100 000 different proteins. There are proteins in hair, in eyes, in blood, in muscle, in every single cell of your horse’s body. Protein actually makes up about ¾ of the dry weight of most living cells. They are involved in many of the essential functions of life as nutrient carriers, enzymes, antibodies, etc.

Proteins are made up of smaller “building blocks” called amino acids. There are two types of amino acids – essential and non essential. Non essential amino acids can be manufactured by the body if they are needed. Essential amino acids must be provided in the diet as they can’t be made in the horse’s body.

Once a protein has been eaten, it is broken up by the body into these smaller molecules. Then the amino acids are dispatched to wherever they are needed in the body for protein synthesis.

Protein Synthesis

Imagine a huge factory with DNA “workers” standing at a “conveyer belt” assembling protein molecules. (DNA, the molecule that forms genes, is coded with specific recipes for proteins – this determines what we look like, think like, what colour eyes we have, etc.) Along the “conveyer belt” come the amino acids that we have consumed. Each “worker” collects the amino acids he needs and puts them together according to the specific recipe encoded on the gene.

Limiting Amino Acids

What happens when a “worker” can’t find the specific amino acid which he needs? Then protein synthesis simply stops. That protein can’t be made. (Everyone goes home early. )

The amino acid which most often causes this problem is called lysine. It is known as the first limiting amino acid. The second limiting amino acid is usually threonine or tryptophan. This is why protein quality is of such utmost importance. 

Protein Quality

When ordering your horse’s feed from your supplier, you will probably ask for a 12% meal, or whichever version you feed. What exactly does this mean? The value refers to the total amount of protein in the food. The interesting thing is that it’s not so much how much protein is in the feed that counts – it is the quality of that protein that is important.

In other words, some proteins are better than other proteins. The best protein, from a horse’s point of view, is one in which the amino acid profile is exactly what the horse needs. So, the DNA “worker” described above has exactly what he needs to do his job – making a specific protein with none of the essential amino acids missing. Some proteins are of such low quality, they are totally useless and you might as well not feed them at all.

Supplementation

During hard training, the equine athlete will damage muscle tissue as a result of lactic acid production and over exertion. These damaged tissues need to be repaired as soon as possible. This, of course, is a process that requires protein synthesis. As does the building up of muscle tissue from scratch when training.

Growing horses also need much more protein and amino acids than average.

If your horse fits one of these categories – building muscle, growing or in hard work, it would be wise to supplement his diet with a source of amino acids and proteins. The Herbal Horse products which are suitable are: Sport Horse mix, Endurance mix.