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 Post subject: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 4:23 am 

Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:40 pm
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I have not seen anything on feeding herbs to horses here. I know a little bit about herbs for people but not for horses. Does anyone have any herbs that are helpful to you?


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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:34 am 
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Hey there!

There's a little bit on herbs and horses buried in a thread about hedgerows...

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1308

And I'm vaguely remembering that there is maybe another thread that touched on this...???

There are several people here who are quite educated about herbs and horses -- the person who is leaping to my mind as having great things she's shared is Patricia -- I know she's done a lot with herbs with her horse Tir. (There's some stuff imbedded in her diary...but again, I'm remembering another conversation somewhere, but I've not landed on it!)

Romy, with her encyclopedic memory of the list, may be able to point us to the right place. ;)

And, if I'm misremembering, I'm sure that folks will jump in here! :)

Best,
Leigh

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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:48 am 
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Leigh wrote:
Romy, with her encyclopedic memory of the list, may be able to point us to the right place. ;)


But not concerning health and tack related topics, which I only skim most of the time. :blush:

Anyway, I remember one big herb post by Patricia, which she had made in Bine's diary:

Patricia wrote:
Tir had also digestive problem that I rely on gastric lesions. I did research about it and it seems it affects nearly all horses who once raced. I have just created a topic in the "care section" to maybe investigate this idea and the symptoms... some horses show colic symptoms.
http://www.artofnaturaldressage.com/viewtopic.php?p=22076#22076

I also copy here some phyto prescription for digestive pbs, with pictures (so you can see if they can grows in your country). Some of them you can problably also buy in botanic stores.

The basil calms down the cramps of the digestive tract, calms the pains and the difficult digestions: aérophagie, gaseous diarrheic stomach pains, facilitate the digestion. Fight against the gastritis.

Image

The tarragon has similar properties to those of the basil. We use it to stimulate the work of intestines, eliminate the Eliminate the excess of fermentation, stimulate the process of assimilation and clean up the digestive tube.

Image

The fenugreek is the plant of the restoration of the tired or made thinner horses, to develop the volume of the muscular mass. Calm down the stomach ulcers, increases the biliary secretion, and regulates the rate of sugar in the blood, a plant was advised horses diabetics. The fenugreek possesses a big nourishing value, rich in proteins, phosphor, lecithin, mucilage, calcium, potassium, cholin, and lipids the fenugreek is used for a fast taking of weight and appetite.

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The green anise aperitif, and digestive it is stimulating of the stomach and the intestines. Against swellings, gas, and digestive slowness.

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The fennel, is as the anise, it is aperitif and liqueur, helping the work of the stomach and the intestines. To fight against the pains of stomach, the abdominal fermentations and facilitate the digestion and the intestinal assimilation.

Image

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The rosemary stimulates and drains the liver, it is a digestive plant, and also facilitates the elimination of the waste and the toxin.

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The camomile calms down the parasympathetic system, antispasmodic, quiet the central nervous system. Also used during ulcer of the stomach. Relaxing muscular, successful plant against the physical confusions ensuing from the stress of the nervousness, from the anxiety and from the impatience

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The stinging nettle : Diuretic.
Stimulating and fortifying, it activates the elimination of toxin as: lactic acid, uric acid, and the waste which are notably generated during the violent efforts.
Wild tonic effect, it is an exceptional stimulant; proteins represent 40 % of its weight. Rich in minerals and trace elements: iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, calcium, phosphor and zinc, in vitamins B2, B5, C, K and in folic acid. Its wealth in minerals in fact a plant very much employed to raise the weakened horses, helps in the binding of the calcium and some iron.

Image


primavera veris

Flowers, balmy and soothing, are used in pectoral mixtures (miscellany). Leaves are anti-bruising. All the plant and particularly the root have analgesic, anti-spasmodic, diuretic and expectorant properties

Image

dandelion

Diuretic, cholagogue (facilitate the evacuation of the bile.), depurative, stimulating of the appetite, increase of the secretions of the bile, possible action on certain tumors (cancer). The dandelion drains and relieves congestion in the liver and in loins. Stimulant of livers, and “lazy person”. The dandelion is diuretic and helps the digestion.
Image


For the whole discussion see here. :smile:


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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:21 am 
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I mix my own range of herbs for horses (and dogs and cats).
I also be teaching a class on herbs at the Belgian Shiatsu school next year.

so if you have questions, just shoot! :)

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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:04 pm 

Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:40 pm
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Thanks that helps a lot. It is really cool that horses (and people) can find all they need to heal themselves in nature.


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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 7:46 pm 
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Two quotes of Patricia from Sue's diary:
Patricia wrote:
I looked in my "bible" for herbs, to see what you could had to help Brodie's recovery.
First, you have the anti-infectious plants : tea-tree in essential oil for example, or thyme. Also Eleutherococcus will help the organism to recover from the stress, the fatigue, and is good in prevention for infections.

Then the anti-inflammation : the meadow sweet is excellent, a natural antalgic also, and good against fever, and the arnica (homeopathic). The horse chesnut is excellent against hematomes.

To help the liver and the loins to eliminate the toxins (hematom, dead bacteria, lymphe....), you have the dandelion and the Greater Burdock (you can make an infusion then applies the decoction on the wound).
Nettle is good for both inflammation and drain.

With all that you can compose a first class menu ! :pet:


Patricia wrote:
Oh, and I forgot something you must have to got even in Taiwan : clay !

Clay (not on the open wound) is incredible to drain the oedeme. My mum worked as a nurse in a hospital service for the bad burnt persons and that what they used... I have myself the bad habit of hurting myself (musing around horses helps for that, as you know ;) ) and doing huge hematoms that makes people asked during a month if I am an abused housewife. My life changed when I discovered the clay power for pumping the swollen in less of a week. Last time, Tir stepped on my heel, made me falls, then stepped again on the bony parts... ouchh! :sweat: When I went back home, the swollen was so big that it was horrible to take the shoes off... around the size of an orange (still 3 weeks after, the tip of my toes are still blue from it). But with 2 days of clay on it, the 2/3 of it was gone. It's magical ! :yes:
Clay power rules ! :rambo:


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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:09 am 
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Two little herb quotes by Jessy:

jessplum wrote:
rosehips is one of my favorite herbs. it can completely regenerate kidneys, it helps and (i have found cures) tying up, fertility, energy levels. etc etc. apparently it is good for hormone ballance.


jessplum wrote:
chamomile is not a total guarentee you will not get a colic, but it has really done wonders for us. it is a natural pain reliever, calming properties, and an anti-spasmodic for the stomach. i find that prevention works well with this, but do not think that you are totally safe, but on this i have never had a colic case!


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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:08 pm 

Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:11 pm
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Location: Barcelona
this is a good topic.
I am busy makeing a little book for myself about herbs and horses.

Thank you.

Love,

helene

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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:17 pm 
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Circe had been having trouble with hives, and we treated this with herbs that are growing at the ranch.

Two have been mentioned already:

Stinging Nettle (which I let wilt overnight and then chopped up)
Chamomile (she rooted this out in one of their pastures -- I didn't even know it was growing there.)

And a third:

Milk Thistle: this she went after herself, with great gusto, ignoring the grass near it. It is supposed to be very good for the liver; a cleanser.

(Not to be confused with yellow star thistle, which is really toxic to horses!)

She's feeling much better and I'm really amazed to watch her self-medicate...two of the three herbs we used she decided she wanted.

:D
Leigh

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 Post subject: Re: Herbs for Horses
PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 5:50 pm 
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Hey all:

Just came across this article on thehorse.com:

Quote:
Scientific Review Reports Pros and Cons of Equine Herbal Supplements
by: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

According to a recent scientific review, there is only limited evidence supporting the administration of herbal supplements in horses, despite their widespread use in the industry. Further, adverse events associated with herbal supplementation are an under-recognized and potentially serious issue.


You can find the whole thing here:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10211

And here's another one about possible drug interactions for St. John's Wort and Gingko Biloba:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.asp ... 086&src=VW

Not slamming herb use in ANY way! Love it, love it, love it -- but these articles were good reminders that not everything we use on our horses has actually been studied on horses, and that herbs can have strong interactions with other drugs -- especially NSAID's like Bute and such.

Cheers!

Leigh

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 Post subject: Horses and Herbs
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:39 am 
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I just love this time of the year, and I practicaly spend all my time with the horses letting them browse the hedgerows, of course they love it too :D

It is so wonderful to watch the herbs they are particularly drawn to throughout spring then summer, as their taste changes constantly. My guys loved the Dandilion early spring when it was most full of goodness, but now the summers kicked in, they won't touch them. Early Docks are also eaten, but not in the summe. Of course a regular favourite is Hogweed, they simply can't get enough of it. And Nettles will only be eaten later in the summer when they get their tassles.

Also, I have lots of nettles in the paddock, so a realy great thing to do about now, is cut them, lay them around the field to dry like hay, and the horses will love them,especialy as my boys are so grass restricted, and they are sooo good for them. I could go on for ever on this subject, I love knowing my horses are benefiting from the seaons herbs........which will help them through the coming winter.....and that it is so good for them mentaly being able to browse, and sooo good for their teeth.

I'd love to hear if people notice what herbs their horses are drawn to mostly at any one time of the season, it's alo a good indicator of vits and minerals they may be difficient in. All in all a very interesting thing to study.

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 Post subject: Re: Horses and Herbs
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:18 pm 

Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:50 am
Posts: 321
I am so glad you started this topic! I have seen mentions, here and there, while reading through old posts and threads about how enthusiastic you are about hedgerow herbs for horses. And I've been meaning to ask you more about it, and find time to read you diary, as this is something that I'm quite interested in.

Walking along a few days ago with Honey, he really wanted to stop and get his head into the hedge for a munch. He was particularly keen to eat the tops off of as many hogweeds as he could find. It also seemed that the hawthorn hedge was quite appealing to him as well.

My main question,though, is how worried should I be that he is going to inadvertently eat something he shouldn't? The ivy seemed to be something that he wanted, but I wasn't sure if it was OK, as its on the list that I've been using for reference: http://www.horseweb-uk.com/features/plantmain.htm

Is there a better reference?

Many thanks in advance for sharing your fantastic knowledge!

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 Post subject: Re: Horses and Herbs
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 3:22 pm 
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That is sooo interesting!

I do the same thing with the nettles.
I also thought they were called poison ivy by the way?

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 Post subject: Re: Horses and Herbs
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:32 pm 
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Hey Shannan, it's one of my most favourite subjects ;) My belief being that we have everything around us to heal ourselves, and our animals. The planet is totaly a self contained unit, everything is here, and if only people would realise this we would respect our wonderful planet more. The problem is that Pharma companies cannot patent natural products, so, they've led us to believe that we need modern medicine to help ourselves.......in the meantime, they make lashings of money, and we lose our health, as most pharma products don't treat problems holisticaly, they only target the one problem, which isn't helping long term, also, alot of longterm medication can lead to other problems, so the whole situation is very sad. Of course modern medicine has some wonderful things, and for saveing lives its a must....but, for long term issues like blood pressure, artheritis etc, herbs are definatly the way forward. Anyway, I'll shut up on that one.

You don't need to worry about Hogweed, and yes, they love it, I must say it does smell good, a bit like celery. Also Hawthorn is wonderful, especial now when horses are prone to a bit of laminitis, it aids blood circulation, so helps with blood flow in the feet. In the winter my guys also get regular handful of the berries in their feed, they are very high in vit C. As for Ivy, well, I'm always on both sides of the fence with that one, remember this is only my opinion, someone else would probably curse me for it, but Ivy is mildly astringent, so I think in small doses is good for the kidneys, Like I say, only my opinion. You certainly wouldn't want them to eat that alone. When I used to look after sheep, Ivy was my main medicine. If a ewe was sickly after lambing, I would always feed Ivy, they are up straight after a munch, also if a ewe was sick or off colour and not eating, a bunch of Ivy would always be eaten, it lifts the spirits, and gets the gut working again. In the winter deer totaly rely on it as a food source. They are both ruminants however, unlike the horse, but I still think in small doses it does have it's place. Certainly a nibble in the hedge will not hurt your horse. My guys nibbled at it regularly throgh the winter, only takeing what they fancied.


Nettles, well they are simply amazing, so full of goodness, rich in iron. Used in humans for anemia, arthritis, and they have found that if you rub nettles on painful areas of the body, it will actualy get rid of the pain, odd when it is so painful normaly. It apears to take away the swelling, the chemicals in the nettle seems to stop the imflammatory chemical in the body. It's also proveing to be wonderful for men with prostrate problems. Some early work is also showing that nettles may lower blood sugar and blood pressure in animals! This time of the year I regularly make nettle quiche, you need good gloves to collect your leaves, then steam them very gently for only a few mintes, them mix with cheese and eggs and milk and some fried onions, chuck into a pastry base, and you have a wonderfuly wholesome meal, you can always replace spinach in recipes with nettles.....oohh I just love them!

My other favourite is Dandilions, they are so special. If you taste the milk of dandilions you'll notice it's realy realy bitter, and genraly all bitters are excelent for the kidneys and liver, like milkthistle too. Make sure your horses get access to these when they are at there best in the spring. Willow, another love of horses, that has natural painkillers. Ash and Hazel are also huge favourites of my guys. I have had all my guys from babies, so I have shown them the best things to eat, but generaly, they do know whats bad, most bad things taste horrible, and often only touched when the horse is desperatly hungry.....but don't always rely on that, some can be very silly!! Especialy when poisonous plants are cut, they become nicer tasteing, but unfortunatly the poison can get stronger. As a rule of thumb, most evergreen plants are not good, but I will keep my open mind on Ivy ;)

There are lots of good sites listing pictures of the real badies, so always familiarise yourselves with those too. We have alot of Black Bryony in our hedges right now, which is realy horrible for the horses,and I was watching Misty very closely as she picked through it for Hawthorn leaves, they have the most incredible top lip that knows exactly which herbs they want, and it quickly pushes all the stuff they don't want away, so lovely to watch.

I certainly think also takeing horses out to take what they want from the hedge is so good for the spirit, we must contain them safely in paddocks, but by doing so are denying them access to what is truly good for them, so a regular trip on hedgerow foray is just a wonderful thing for the horse, and special time when you are both together and asking for nothing from them, it makes very happy horses indeed.

Sorry, I've gone on haven't I, like I say, it is a favorite subject of mine :blush:

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 Post subject: Re: Horses and Herbs
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:29 pm 

Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:50 am
Posts: 321
Please go on as much as you want... I've already bookmarked this thread for future reference!

I agree with you about the pharmaceutical industry. I'm also a keen gardener and have included as many 'healing' plants as I can in my own garden. I have two colonies of nettles that I leave in the 'wilder' part of the garden, but mainly because they are so important to wildlife (particular butterflies especially). Never tried eating them myself... :)

Thanks for the advice about the ivy. (Josepha, 'poison ivy' is not found in the UK - to my knowledge, but seemed to be everywhere where I grew up in the US.) I'm sure he won't eat a lot of it, but at least I know I don't need to try to get it out of his mouth if he does nibble at some.

There are lots of nettles along the fence line of the field. If I have time this weekend, I'll spend some time cutting some of it down so the horses there can all have a treat.

Funny thing about dandelions (I have more of those in my garden than I'd like to admit!) but, the pony that lives with us LOVES them. He will even walk away from his hard grains to eat the dandelion leaves that I cut for him. So, when I got Honey in April, I thought I would take him a treat of a bucket full of dandelion leaves, and he took a little nibble and walked away. Different tastes, possibly?

I'm really lucky, I think, with the field that Honey is in... it has many different types of grass, as well as both white and a pink clover, yarrow, and a lot of other things. The field is bordered on one side by a traditional country hedge - so the horses can browse hawthorn, elder, blackthorn, hazel - and probably some field maple and other things whenever they want. But 'the grass is always greener' - even for horses! - so getting these things from across the road seems to appeal to him more. I'm sure this is just one more thing that causes people to look at me funny - standing along the road with my horse in the hedge as cars whizz by!

:ieks: <- the look I get from most people as they pass by....

;) Thanks for your help! If I notice Honey liking anything else, I'll be sure to let you know. If you think of anything else when its in season that might be a special treat, please let us know. I'd love to be able to surprise Honey with a nice much of something tasty (especially as it won't be full of sugary sweeteners).

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