What is the essential foundation of a quality natural horse care program?
Something I’m good at is identifying patterns. I love to discover common patterns in most anything.
Since I have such a deep-rooted computer science background, identifying and understanding patterns comes naturally to me. It can be any kind of pattern. For example, common patterns exist in both the human and animal health care industries. Most of which are both counterproductive and detrimental.
However, the type of pattern to encourage is a positive pattern – in other words, a pattern that results in a desirable outcome.
Principles and Positive Patterns
Anyone who knows me well understands that I take my health and the health of my animals seriously. My diet is strict (although I do occasionally treat myself to pizza and beer).
Since I grew up on a typical Texas farm, great home-style cooking was abundant (just thinking about it makes my mouth water). Like most people “from the farm” I love to eat, so developing the discipline of consistent, healthy eating was not easy. However, over time, it was apparent to me that my health depended on my eating habits, and changing my lifestyle became a necessity.
For more than 20 years, I’ve been passionate about constantly learning and implementing key health and wellness principles in my life. Many of which I also apply to horses.
By modifying my behavior when it came to diet, I was able to overcome many health challenges earlier in my adult life. Additionally, I continue to manage certain issues I know can resurface or that can manifest into something worse.
Quality food is much like a dear friend to me and I honor its ability to heal the body. I also have respect for the fact that the wrong kind of food can cause debilitating disease.
When diet is wrong medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no need.” ~ Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb
Over time I developed a daily regimen that I continue to fine-tune and improve upon each year. That regimen includes, but is not limited to, high quality superfood/superherb supplementation, as much gluten free as possible, minimal sugar and red meat intake, no processed dairy (except for pizza night), and avoidance of genetically modified (GMO) foods and ingredients.
My horse care program is quite similar. The principles and positive patterns I adhere to – in order to keep my horses sound, healthy and happy – are much like the principles I use for my own health. The reason? It works. More importantly, the pattern is that it works and it works for the long term.
Principles That Just Work!
What works is choosing to follow a healthy lifestyle regimen where you promote your horse’s health, which is even better than prevention of disease and illness.
Put this approach over quick fixes or having to treat a problem.
The quick fix or “Silver Bullet Poisoning” approach only works in the short term.* Sometimes it doesn’t work at all.
Writing this article got me thinking about what I would do if I had to start over again. What elements of my current horse care program would I need to recreate in order to have a good foundation in place? I covered most of those necessary components in my book, Guiding Principles of Natural Horse Care, but what we still need to address is this:
The first definition we need to agree on is that a consistently healthy horse has few, if any, health issues over the course of her life. In other words, she has quality of life and longevity and you achieve the ideal of minimal veterinary expenses.
This seems obvious, but few people can say, “My horse has no health issues and my vet expenses are practically non-existent.” When you follow a healthy, consistent regimen, if something does happen to your horse, she heals quickly and most times (since you are your horse’s confident, well-informed captain) you’re able to handle it on your own minus the expensive vet bills.
Common Equine Health Issues
To jog your memory on what can be considered a “health issue,” here are a few common ones horses experience:
- Allergies
- Colic
- Ulcers
- Reoccurring thrush
- Low-grade or full-blown laminitis
- The “need” to have metal shoes nailed on to their hooves
- Chronic runny eyes and nose
- Vices such as cribbing and weaving
- Manure that indicates health issues
- The next “disease” wave
And the list goes on …
As far as fundamental indicators of poor or vibrant health, most concerns revolve around:
- Skin and hair quality
- Hoof health
- Dental health
- Immune system health
- Digestive health
- Hormonal health
- Mental and emotional health
The majority of domestic horses experience health problems from that list – daily.
Any person of sound mind would agree that’s a problem.
You Can Choose Principles that Minimize Equine Health Concerns
How many horse guardians can say their horse has been consistently healthy for more than 10 years? The key to knowing if your foundation is working is to know that your guiding principles are working in the long run; otherwise they’re quick fixes.
Any time you have a problem with your horse’s health, there are holes in your natural horse care program.
A problem could be anything – just name it – such as reoccurring thrush, brittle hooves, hair coat bleaching out in the summer, hormonal issues, “needing” to chemically deworm your horse, any time you have to administer a drug, ulcers, arthritis, tying-up, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), Cushing’s, insulin resistance (IR), digestive system problems, and the list goes on.
Again, interestingly enough, these are common health concerns in the equine world. Most horses have five or more of the issues I’ve listed at one time!
A common pattern in the horse industry is that most people believe this type of stuff is “normal” – and it is, if you’re not a naturally-minded horse care guardian.
The Natural Horse Care Guardian Has a Different Approach
When you’re naturally-minded, you ask yourself, “Where are my holes?” or “Do I have holes in my horse care program?”
From there you decide to dig deeper and become a more informed equine guardian rather than looking for a quick fix. You also decide to become the CEO of your horse’s health.
As a good friend of mine says,
Utilize experts but do not rely on them.”
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Although the quick fixes offered by most equine experts appear to be the easy way out, in the end those “fixes” may create more problems in the long run – some that are sadly irreversible.
My challenge to you is to strive for that ideal of a consistently healthy horse and intentionally interrupt any common, destructive patterns in the equine industry.
What are some common patterns you can identify in your horse care program or in the horse care industry? Are they positive, negative, destructive, or counterproductive? What have you observed?
Now over to you. The action happens in the comments, so share your thoughts!
Keep it soulful,
Stephanie Krahl
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Original Photo Credit – original photo modified in size and to include the Soulful Equine name, URL and article title
Well?? Are healthy humans a dying breed? If healthy humans are a dying breed then our horses will follow if they stay in the care of humans who are not healthy either. I really did not get it about a healhy horse until I was concerned about my own healthy health! When I began to realize that my health started in my gut then I began to look at my horse’s gut too. Hum? How much of what we eat every day effects our health? How much of what a horse eats effects their health too?
I have an excellent farrier who tells me he sees it in the feet of the horses he trims as to what they are eating. Many time he tries to tell their owner but some of them refuse to hear what he has to say.
Hi Dianne,
Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Awareness is the first step. When a health issue surfaces for someone, usually that’s the time they consider their horse’s health as well. It’s another common pattern. Until you tap into your own body’s healing mechanism and fully overcome an illness, then it’s difficult for most to understand that this ability also exists in the horse.
Your farrier is dead on. I consider a horse’s hooves the window to their health. When a horse is fed an unnatural and inappropriate diet, the hooves will reveal it in an undesirable manner. The fact is, the horse’s general health for the last six months will be revealed in her hooves.
Healthy humans ARE a dying breed, literally – thanks to Monsanto and the quick/easy/cheap center aisles in the Supermarket. How much of the food you eat has been sprayed with Round-Up? It takes education and work making sure your food is healthful.
For food producers and pharmaceutical companies, human and animal illness is more profitable than wellness.
Bambi
Hi Bambi,
Yes, unfortunately the reality of it all is much like what you stated. It’s even more important now than ever to be the CEO of your own health and your animal’s health – thus the significance of sites such as Soulful Equine that help to increase awareness and empower individuals to take charge of their own health.
Although I’m more of an optimist, I’m also a realist. Staying positive usually takes precedence over negativity when it comes to what I choose to project out into the world. However, the state of our human and animal health care industries is not getting better – it’s getting worse. I still believe that as long as our right to choose is not completely stripped from us, then it’s our responsibility to protect our God-given rights (and our companion animal’s rights) to longevity, quality of life and fulfillment.
As you know, I have always been impressed with your writing. And this article in its logic and precision of expression is just off the charts. Great expository wrting.
I especially appreciated your discussion of patterns. Reflecting on patterns is so very revelatory; a really useful tool in most areas of life.
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for bringing up these issues. Unfortunately, most horses are over-vaccinated, over-shod, over-medicated, and over-treated – including wild horses who are rounded up with helicopters, corralled and vaccinated. Thanks to the wild, their hooves trim themselves, or the gov. would slap on pads and gels and borium spiked SHOES so Mustangs wouldn’t slip on the slickrock!
I would add to your list of health issues/causes:
-keeping horses in stalls with “runs” (12′ x 20’…? really?)
-blanketing horses
For three weeks this year in the Rockies, it never got above 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Twice it dropped to -14. My horses, who live in a large corral where they run and buck and play to get warm, got extra grass hay. When it was super cold they’d get more at midnight. Their gorgeous 2″ coats stood on end, UN-flattened by blankets. When it warmed up to 20 and dumped snow, they occasionally stood under the sheltering barn roof. Sometimes a layer of snow sat atop their hair coats, but they never shivered.
Stephanie, I have a question.
My minimalist vet shuns vaccinations for all animals beyond a year old, but believes in de-worming horses every 2 months with ivermectin, and substituting pyrantel pamoate once a year in the coldest month. I know of a woman who lost a couple of horses to a belly full of worms – she was using a “natural” de-worming program.
What are your thoughts on de-worming?
Thank you again for “Helping Your Horse Thrive” – our horses!
Bambi Sterling
Hi Bambi,
I have a lot of thoughts on the subject of chemical deworming.
To answer your question – it’s a management philosophy. It’s people like the person you mentioned who give natural horse care and its approaches a bad reputation. Simply relying upon a “natural” dewormer to address your horse’s parasite load is just as irresponsible as blindly chemically deworming a horse. Additionally there’s no such thing as a “natural deworming program.” The person you mentioned, without a doubt, had severe holes in her horse care program.
Some people switch to what that they think is “natural” and still approach their horse care with a quick fix mentality.
What most people don’t understand is that even chemical deworming is becoming ineffective due to the severe parasite resistance problem equine guardians and the veterinarian community have created. I go into great detail about this in my book.
What I can tell you is that the program I have had my horses on for more than 10 years works!
Hi Stephanie,
Thank- you for your wonderful article. I have been concerned about the state of horses health for a few years now. I’ve had horses all my life. Growing up, our 4 horses were healthy
and lived long prosperous lives. These receipt years I am shocked at the amount of horses that are ill, have laminitic, colic, ulcers, etc. problems. Every new year seems to bring new and more health problems. Even in my own herd I’ve had problems which have brought to mind many questions, and many hours on the internet researching.
I have had 4 to 6 horses over the last 10 years and all have had different problems. Many on your list. I continually search for holes in my equine care program. I have tried to offer my horses the best chance at a healthy, chemical free, balanced mental, emotional and physical life. Despite my efforts they still aren’t healthy.
Being together as a herd, having lots of interesting places to wander, and offering a provocative training approach to stimulate their mind and offer curiosity has always been considered. My horses have pasture with access to the barn, and covered arena in bad weather. Gravel and sand base for paddock and arena area seems the best footing for a wet climate. They all are bare foot, and their feet attended to every 4 to 6 weeks.
Buying low sugar hay with no chemical sprays, and not giving them process grains has been considered. I have changed my hay on many occasions trying to find the most suitable. Even consideration to their water source has been checked into. I don’t vaccinate and don’t over deworm. I won’t use chemical fly or mosquito
spray.
Spring and Fall are times they are brought off the fields, or limited to short durations, for fear of too much sugar. Thinking back 40 years ago, my horses were out in a herd situation, in a field setting 24/7 and we never had laminitic problems like I see today. These horses were always healthy…
Although most Vets are life savers, and knowledgeable it seems we need to educated ourselves. Beet pulp and Soya Husks were thought to be safe for horses who were sensitive to sugar. Many Vets recommend them. Both these products are GMO , and have caused problems amoung horses. Dewormers were thought to be safe, and we were encouraged to use them regularly. Now they say we should have a fecal count before we deworm. I believe people should have been doing this all along. Why would anyone put chemicals in a horse not knowing if they are needed or not?
I have spent thousands of dollars on Homeopathy, Natural remedies, Vets and have spend endless hours on the internet trying to educate myself, and still my horses aren’t healthy. There is so much to consider, so much to be watchful of, and so much to avoid.
Some of my horses have come to me who have been vaccinated, and dewormed to death. I wonder if this has set them up for problems, and I now see the problems? I believe their immune systems are affected.
Skin problems, low grade laminitis conditions, thrush, colic, colitis are what I have dealt with.
I am grateful for sites such as yours Stephanie that make people aware they need to educate themselves, and not be tempted to go for the quick fix. We need to consider everything we give our horses and everything we do with our horses.
I’m so glad I fell upon your site. I will be passing it along to others like myself who wonder why we struggle with the health of our horses.
Great article, Deworming , well I believe in only treating if treatment is needed but prevention is key. I realized things different then most, I new I needed to keep my horses guts healthy and functioning and realized I should be looking after my own and since I have been addressing my own health I feel great and now see first hand why my horses have little need for vet care. I married my hoof care practitioner so this discusion is had often at the supper table, he tells our daughters often ,”if you want to know anything about your horse , start looking from the hoof up, and he will tell you anything you want to know about his health”.
I own one horse. She is boarded with three other horses. She comes in at night (at first I did not like this, but she seems to look forward to it). She is 9 years old and has been perfectly healthy her whole life. Her farm and the farm next door are father-daughter owned and all told there are about 13 healthy horses. Each horse is fed a custom mix based on his/her use time and level. I cannot say enough good about my horse’s foster mother and the care provided to her. I believe this is why she is so healthy.
Dear Stephanie,
I just wanted to let you know how inspiring your site has been for me. I come from a horse family but a highly competitive horse family. I stopped riding when I was sixteen and told my parents it was because I didn’t want to compete anymore. After reading your articles I had an epiphany. I didn’t stop riding because of competitions, but because I couldn’t stand how we treated our horses. I’m not saying we didn’t take care of them, we did, but some part of me was saddened that we kept them in boxes all day, shod them, and basically regimented their lives. I got my first horse when I was ten– a welsh cob named Ralph. I was allowed to keep Ralph for three years before my parents sold him for an ‘upgrade’. I needed a better horse, apparently.
I purposefully never got attached to the three horses who followed Ralph one after another. Now I’m older and, I hope, wiser. I own a small farm with a guernsey cow named Honey, chickens, a couple of (very naughty) cashmere goats, and my rescue cats. I’m what the farming family next door calls overly sentimental. I refuse to kill any of my animals when they stop producing. Your losing money, people tell me, well yes but I like to think I’m gaining something more valuable in return. Besides, don’t I owe something to the animals who have brought wholesome food to my table and laughter to my life?
I’ve been thinking about getting back into riding and owning a horse. With this in mind I’ve begun to do a lot of research. One of my friends asked me the other day why I don’t just go out and buy one, don’t I already know how to care for a horse? I said no, no I really don’t. There is a difference between owning a horse and having a partner for life. I want a partner. Your articles have been inspirational in those terms so I just wanted to say thanks.
Kate
Hi Kate,
I appreciate you sharing your story. I’m sure many people who stumble upon this website will get a lot of value from your comment.
As you have gathered from Soulful Equine, it’s all about having a partner for life and figuring out strategies to help your equine partner thrive so she can have a long, quality life with you.
A word of caution I give to people who want to have a partner for life and who are getting back into horses, is to choose your partner wisely, and with intention.
Thank you for your kind words! Keep it soulful.
I am so happy to have found your site! Having read this article on consistently healthy horses and also your article on needless blanketing, I wanted to share my experience. I’m originally from Iowa where only the sick or high class show horses that must be clipped in the winter were ever blanketed. Iowa winters are notoriously cold with wind chill factors in the negative teens. Our horses would be standing outside their shelter, butts to the wind, with icicles dangling from their long, shaggy winter coats. They were only found in their stalls (open access to the pasture) when it rained in the winter.
When my husband and I moved to the mountains of California, I saw horses wearing blankets in the mid-40’s! And solely receiving alfalfa hay. In fact, it has proved quite difficult to find grass hay in this area. I have received numerous comments about not blanketing along with curious questions. I explain that in 20 years of owning horses, I have never had a sick one. Never! Not even once! Unless you count a bout of ear mites in a mare who consistently cuddled with the kittens our mother cat gave birth to in her stall every year. So, you can count six consistently healthy horses fed grass hay, alfalfa if needed for protein, allowed access to stalls from the big pasture if they wanted it, and never saw a blanket! No cribbers, stall kickers, or meanies either.
I feel very fortunate and many of my neighbors think we’re just lucky, but we’ve never had a colic, lameness, metabolic disorder, or a nutty horse! I think it’s because we never dressed them up like people or locked them in a “cozy room” with a soft bed and central heating and air conditioning.