NUTRITION for GREAT VISION HOW TO OPTIMIZE HIS
Digestion
TOP HERBS
FOR HEART HEALTH
The attraction of MAGNETIC THERAPY
Seasonal Shoeing
PARELLI NATURAL
HORSEMANSHIP
DISPLAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30 2014
Grooming Naturally
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4
$5.95 USA/Canada
August/September 2014
EquineWellnessMagazine.com Equine Wellness 1
Contents 16
56 FEATURES 9 FUNCTIONAL
24 THE ATTRACTION OF
conformation is genetic, but did you know environmental factors can also play a role?
alternative therapy has been around for over 2,000 years, and can offer enhanced healing benefits for your horse.
CONFORMATION We often think
12 NUTRITION FOR EYE HEALTH These foods and herbs
can help keep your horse’s vision sharp.
15 FUNGAL DAMAGE
It’s
the preliminary cause of serious hoof problems
16 MAKE GROOMING
ENJOYABLE Grooming is about
much more than presentation. Here’s how to keep your horse looking great and enrich your relationship…naturally.
22 MUSTANG MAKEOVER
Showcasing the versatility and trainability of America’s wild horses through competitive training events.
4
Equine Wellness
MAGNETIC THERAPY This
27 A BIT ABOUT FISH OIL
Supplements can provide your horse with the essential Omega-3s he needs.
28 OPTIMIZING HIS
DIGESTION Good nutrition is only healthful if your horse’s digestive system is working properly.
44 BUILDING A GREAT
RELATIONSHIP Getting a new horse is exciting. Here’s how to start your relationship off on the right hoof.
47 WEARABLE PEMF
Miniaturized technology puts healing right on the injury.
50 SEASONAL SHOEING
Many people opt to shoe their horses for the show or riding season, then pull them. Let’s explore some pros and cons – and alternatives – to this practice.
32 CENTERED JUMPING
53 BALANCING ACT
38 TRAINING CYCLES Don’t get stuck in a rut! Understanding training cycles keeps both you and your horse progressing.
56 TOP 3 HERBS FOR
How to apply Centered Riding techniques in jumping.
You can’t balance his diet perfectly all of the time. Ensuring he absorbs as many nutrients as possible will help make sure he gets what he needs.
HEART HEALTH Preventing issues with supportive herbs can make a big difference in his health and performance.
28
12 COLUMNS 7 Neighborhood news
DEPARTMENTS 6 Editorial
48 To the rescue
31 Product picks
54 Holistic veterinary Q&A
40 Equine Wellness resource guide
62 Homeopathic column
42 Social media corner 43 Heads up
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Tips, contests and more! Like us /EquineWellnessMagazine Updates, news, events @ EquineWellnessMagazine
58 Events 60 Marketplace 61 Classifieds
Product reviews and tutorials EquineWellnessTV
50 Equine Wellness
5
By Cathy Alinovi, DVM
These foods and herbs can help keep your horse’s vision sharp.
NUTRITION
FOR EYE HEALTH We have a general idea of what to eat to benefit our own eyes, but it’s not as obvious when it comes to our horses. While carrots are great for our eyes (yes, it’s true!), we are less certain if they have the same effect on horses. Good eye health starts with a good immune system, and a good immune system starts with great nutrition. Short of trauma, most equine eye conditions can be avoided through good nutrition. Once an eye condition has developed, feeding specific, high quality foods and herbs can greatly reduce recurrent issues.
FEEDING NATURALLY Studies from the 1950s, first with Pottenger’s cats, then when Dr. Weston Price studied native peoples, showed that patients who eat what grows naturally have fewer health issues. For horses, this means the ideal food is in the pasture. The next best option is nutrient rich, leafy hay. Lower on the immune building scale are stemmy hays, pelleted feeds, and sweet feeds (worse if they contain GMO ingredients). Because most of us don’t live where we can provide fresh pasture year-round, we are forced to feed the best hay we can find and provide supplemental nutrition for what is missing from the hay. The purpose of this article is to discuss supplemental food sources that help build eye health. Because our goal is prevention, it’s best to select a supplement that rounds out your horse’s nutrition. The supplement will preferably be non-GMO and whole food12
Equine Wellness
COCKSCOMB
Good eye health starts with a good immune system, and a good immune system starts with great nutrition.
based, like chia or flax seed. However, because many of us do not consciously search for foods to build great immune or eye health until there’s already an issue, we’ll also cover foods and herbal formulas that can assist in building good eye health.
FEEDING FOR OVERALL EYE HEALTH General food items that have been used to help the eyes are anything that provides Omega-6 fatty acids (like GLA – gamma linolenic acid). Omega-6s are usually provided in the carnivore’s diet by eating meats, but horses must find other sources. Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of GLA. However, due to potential risk of colic, it is not advisable to feed nuts to horses. Therefore, seeds such as chia or flax are the best source of GLA for horses. Black sesame and feather cockscomb seeds are other less well known sources of Omega-6s for horses. Chia and flax seeds are commonly available and usually eaten whole, while other seeds, such as black currant, borage or evening primrose seeds, are fed/ eaten as oils. Any of these oils, which are high in GLA, can help with general immunity and eye health. Feather cockscomb seeds have been used for centuries for equine eye health.
SOLUTIONS FOR SWELLING Swollen eyes, regardless of trauma or infectious causes, can be treated with several different foods. As a reminder, if your horse has swollen eyes from rolling due to colic, treating the eyes first is not the priority. However, once colic is ruled out, you can try applying a poultice of grated apple or potato on the eyelid (do not feed potato to horses; it can be dangerous in high quantities). Just as humans take down swelling by applying fresh slices of cucumber to their eyes, cucumber slices can also work for horses. Adding parsley, mint or chrysanthemum to the diet can help reduce the swelling associated with conjunctivitis. Chrysanthemum and mint are especially helpful for allergic conditions. They can be fed either as whole flowers or leaves, Equine Wellness
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