If there is one thing I have learned about horse health care during my
career as an equine veterinarian, it is this:
You can pay for horse health care now ... or you can pay for it later.
In short, caring for any single horse requires a certain sum of money,
and that money can be spent up front, when the horse is relatively
young and healthy, or later on, when the horse is old or ill.
While it seems counterintuitive to spend money on horse health care
above the usual regimen of horse feed, worming, and hoof care, it is
nevertheless money well spent, even on a horse who looks perfectly
healthy. I'm talking about money spent on items like feed supplements,
dental floats, and regular bodywork.
Why should you spend money on these items? Because even a horse who
looks good on the outside may have a compromised immune system on the
inside, invisible to the eye.
Horse Health Care: The Immune System as a Bank Account
A horse's immune system can be compared to a bank account, with
deposits and withdrawals. The larger your horse's immune system bank
account, the healthier he will be, both now and in the long term.
Certain factors affect your horse's immune system. In the beginning,
genetics play a big role. Your horse is either born with a strong
constitution, which equals a large bank account, or a weak one, which
means a small account.
Later in life, other factors affect your horse's immune system bank
balance. For instance, the physical and emotional stress of a hard
training regimen can deplete a large chunk from that bank account.
Poor nutrition, over time, can also chip away your horse's immune
system. Physical or emotional burnout can completely drain the
account, so that horses end up with chronic conditions like laminitis
and Cushing's.
Factors that contribute positively to your horse's immune system bank
account include:
- solid nutrition through supplementation and individualized feeding
- regular bodywork
- regular physical checkups and dental floats
- avoiding excessive vaccination
- matching your horse with a career that suits his personality type (learn more about personality types on the
Horse Harmony website
The bottom line is this: for your horse to thrive and do the "job" you
want him to, he needs to have a strong immune system, which means he
has to have a rich bank account.
Strengthening Your Horse's Immune System
The whole "immune system as a bank account" analogy brings us back to
the original point that it takes a certain amount of money to care for
a horse during his lifetime. The question becomes whether you want to
spend that money by making small regular deposits to his immune system
bank account or whether you want to spend that money later on, when
his immune system is depleted and he is no longer healthy.
The answer, of course, is pretty obvious: it would be better to spend
a little money weekly or monthly keeping your horse healthy and happy
than to make a balloon payment to the vet when your horse is ill.
But as obvious as the answer may seem, many horse owners are reluctant
to spend even a little more money on their horse's health on a monthly
basis. For one, the current economy has everyone tightening their
wallets. For another, many horse owners take the ostrich approach, and
simply hope that their horses won't suffer any serious illnesses. And
lastly, many horse owners simply sell or find other homes for horses
who become unusable because of a compromised immune system.
But do you really want to do that, especially if you have already put
a lot of time and money into the horse? I wouldn't, especially since
paying into your horse's immune system bank account can be both simple
and not very expensive.
The Basics of Maintaining Your Horse's Immune System
Every horse is an individual, so no single recipe of supplements will
keep every horse healthy. However, the basic foundations for
maintaining your horse's immune system are simple. Assuming that your
horse is currently healthy, in addition to ensuring that your horse
gets enough calories and long-stem forage (like hay and alfalfa) to
keep him at an ideal weight, you also need to provide:
- additional sources of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals
- enzymes and probiotics to enhance digestion and prevent ulcers and other digestive issues
- antioxidants to help his body ward off infections and other
- pre-cursors of chronic infections
All of these things boost your horse's immune system, and they all
come in a couple simple forms that are easy to feed. You can give all
of the above supplements using two products:
Simplexity Health Essentials: These daily packets include blue-green
algae, probiotics (acidophilus and bifidus), and enzymes
XanGo Mangosteen Juice:
One ounce of this juice fed daily supports
your horse's immune system, as well as reducing inflammation
That sounds pretty simple, right? Dump a single packet of Essentials
and pour one ounce of mangosteen juice on your horse's feed once a
day. The cost?
About $87 per month per horse
Now that may sound like a lot, especially if you have more than one
horse, but think about it this way: $87 is relatively little compared
to a visit from your vet, which can anywhere from $250-$500, and
that's without complications. Even if you fed half that amount, your
horse would reap huge benefits in terms of his immune system.
A Couple of Examples for Skeptics
Still not sure? I don't blame you, so here are a couple of examples
that might convince you. One gelding I treated regularly had been on
the Essentials as a regular part of his diet. When the economy got
tight, his owner pulled him off the Essentials and fed him just a
regular diet of hay and grain. Within a few months, he developed a
crack in his hoof. When the owner inquired about how his hoof should
be treated, I suggested he be put back on the Essentials. Within a
short period of time, not only were his hooves back in good shape, but
his hair coat and general immunity had improved as well.
Another mare I treated was on the Essentials and mangosteen juice.
When her owner went out of town for a month, the mare was fed only hay
and grain. She immediately reverted to her old pattern of coughing
when eating hay. When her owner returned and started her back on the
combination of Essentials and mangosteen juice, the symptoms
disappeared.
While the symptoms in these cases were not life-threatening to the
horses, they were signals that the horse's immune systems were
compromised. Had these owners continued to feed just hay and grain,
the hoof crack could have deteriorated into chronic hoof weaknesses,
and the cough could have developed into a full-blown case of COPD. In
other words, minor horse health issues could have evolved into chronic
conditions that would have eventually rendered these horses unridable.
So the question remains:
Do you want to make regular deposits to your horse's immune system
bank account now, or try to shore up his immune system when it is
already bankrupt?
It's the same amount of money, but the first option contains a lot
less suffering for both you and your horse than the second option! At
the end of the day, the first option is like health insurance for your
horse while the second option is more likely to end up in
hospitalization. Me? I'll take health insurance any day for my horses.
What about you?
About the Author
Madalyn Ward, DVM, owns Bear Creek Veterinary Clinic in Austin, Texas. She is certified in Veterinary Homeopathy and Equine Osteopathy. Memberships include American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinay Medical Association and the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. She has authored several books and publishes the monthly newsletter, “Holistic Horsekeeping.”
Contact
Madalyn Ward DVM
11608 FM 1826
Austin, TX 78737
303-575-1170
www.holistichorsekeeping.com
www.horseharmony.com
www.horseharmonytest.com
www.yourhorsebook.com
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