Universal ordering

Have you ever tried universal ordering??  Want to know how??? My friend, my mother and I had a pow-wow at the weekend.  We asked for help for all the horses and animals who need assistance, the health of our businesses and we asked for help for people we know who need extra energy and fortune......

Beccy's Top Tips: Pioneer herbal liquid soap

Like the vast majority of horse owners, money is tight at the moment.  So I want to share with you some top tips which will not only help the health of your horse but the health of your bank balance too!

First in line: 10 uses of Herbal Liquid Soap!

What is Herbal Liquid soap?

This is a super rich natural herbal product with antibacterial and antifungal properties made by Pioneer Herbal and sold by Holistic Equine.  It is made for the equine industry but we have found many uses for it, such as;

Hoof Thrush....at a glance (well actually a flowchart!)

So I made a flow chart and saved it to a PDF but cannot for the life of me work out how to save a copy on here so here is a link to a copy on my website! Sorry about that folks...answers on a post card to me please if you can talk me through step by step how to put it on here!
http://www.holisticequineservices.co.uk/pagescat_10_74/hoof_thrush_info

Enjoy (and do let me know what you think won't you?)
And if you think your horse has Thrush...dont panic...most horse have it (but remember this doesnt make it 'normal' or healthy! ;)

If you are within an hour or two drive from me (HU15 1RE) and would like a consult, contact me!

Hoof thrush....is it normal???

Thrush is an infection usually with bacteria and fungus living in symbiosis where they help one another digest and live off hoof matter. 

Thrush is so common now that it is not seen as much as a problem unless the horse becomes lame.  Is this the right attitude to take towards a potentially life threatening disease?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Thrush is caused by improper environmental stimulus for health and its prevalence is a reminder that the domestic horse is faced with unhealthy and stressful environmental stimuli.

We need to better understand the causes and treatment of thrush and most of all; how to prevent it…...

Equine Podiatry - money well spent?

I had a chat with a podiatry client the other day and she admitted that she used to think that £40 for an applied equine podiatry consult was a lot of money, especially when considering the price of a farriers trim.  Now, however my client declared that the £40 I charge for podiatry consults was THE BEST £40 SHE HAS EVER SPENT! 
The reason for this she feels is due to the enormous amount of incredibly in-depth and enormously useful information given at the time of the consult (and on the phone/by email, whenever support is needed) and that this is saving loads on pointless and harmful supplements and vet bills as her horses are in the best health EVER!...

Fix your horse?-Fix your environment!

I talk about environment A LOT!  But why?  Becasue your horse is a product of its environment!

The horse is made up of cells which form tissues which make the structures or parts of the horse, which make up the WHOLE.  For health, these parts must work in equilibrium via correct metabolism. 

Cells are constantly dying and being created and also transported around the body to where they are needed and chemical messages are being delivered, which help determine how the body responds to stimuli.

This stimulus is received via the horse’s environment continuously and this allows the horse to adapt to its surroundings.  So you could say the horse is a product of its environment, or more accurately, the horse’s internal environment is a product of its external environment and therefore the health of the internal environment determines how it receives stimuli from its external environment, and so on! 

Barefoot versus shod??

Actually this is quite the opposite to what I am about!!!
There is too much energy placed by both 'camps' arguing their cases for or against shoing horses.  They both fail to ask the most basic question; 'is this horses foot or hoof healthy and WHY?'  Then the question of whether they are justified in their actions can be answered! The barefoot movement is huge but sometimes it moves with too much compassion and not enough disicipline.  Meaning that whilst the reason for wanting to go barefoot is commendable however, it is sometimes done by owners who dont realise the consequencies of their actions, and dare I say it can cause harm by their well meaning actions.  There are also barefoot trimmers who are doing the same.  It all boils down to one thing...lack of understanding of true foot function!

enter the world of adsense

Yep...in order to fund my passion and make a difference in the world I have had to resort to adsense (these sometimes random ads which appear on the blog) and whilst there is a general link to horsey ads they are not necessarily endorsed or recommended by me or Holistic Equine! (although I did spot a red horse ltd ad earlier which are fab products and we sell them on our shop!!)

Hoof abscess horror story!

I heard a horror story today about a horse which had poor foot balance resulting in stress to the foot (due to improper environmental stimulus-trim/shoe etc); and as a result developed an abscess in its hoof wall.  Rather than calling out a DAEP who could liaise with the vet to help implement a proper treatment protocol, they just went along with what was suggested and got a whopping vet bill (in the thousands of £'s) and a very sore horse....

laminitis and sleepless nights

I had a pretty poor sleep last night.  I think I am worried about popular public opinion which is, lets face it..pretty different from mainstream veterinary sciences and the farriery trade. 

I am working on a much simpler way to show you how EDE typically occurs and typical treatment protocol using flow charts and diagrams so bear with me...I'll have them soon.

Hopefully if anyone takes on board what is on my blogs then less horses and ponies will suffer this year and just in time for the spring.  But you really need to work at getting better feet NOW before the environment becomes more suitable for laminitis.

I will also write a blog on how to prevent EDE and the dreaded laminitis and the signs but for now I am off to visit 2 wee Shetlands with EDE in Lincolnshire for a podiatry consult where I will apply the theory of AEP using the HPT method!  No rest for the wicked x

Laminitis/EDE...either way a modern epidemic?

The picture right shows a horse with historical signs of EDE characterised by a change in conformation of the horn at the back of the hoof including the coronet band-notice how it raises up at the quarters before dropping down toward the heel bulb as a result in the change in conformation of the lateral cartilages.  The horizontal hole is a where the farrier attempted to cut out an abscess at the coronet band which occured as a result of the EDE and laminitis a few months previous.  The growth rings also show increased growth at the heels from metabolic imbalance and increased stimulus from a heel first landing from pain during laminitis.  This horse is now sound and has a healthy hoof capsule and no signs of EDE as a result of AEP.  Incindently the horn beneath the coronet band where the abscess was 'relieved' still produces unhealthy cells more than 2 years later and the hoof wall beneath it is susceptible to minor outer hoof wall infection.

Laminitis or Equine Digital Elastosis

Many years ago I used to think laminitis was only found in fat ponies which had been neglected by their owners and let loose on acres of lush pasture.  How far from the truth was I?  As a barefoot equine podiatrist, I see Equine Digital Elastosis or EDE in many horses and this is a common precurser to laminitis.  In the next few days I will be writing about this condition including what to look out for in your horse.  It will give you an insight into how AEP trained barefoot equine podiatrists work and think too as well as some personal thoughts on the matter....

A thought for the day...If a horse is lame if it is not in shoes, is it clinically unsound? Mmmm...

Our Horses...Florida the DWB!

I want to tell you about our horses and will start with Florida, whom my mother and I have owned the longest of our current bunch.  We own 7 in total with 4 being permanent members of our family and the latest 3 being more like adopted kids which may have to be loaned out once they are fit and well.  They are a mixed bunch from a variety of backgrounds and questionable health!  They have all, to a certain degree; suffered with their health as a result of the harsh or unsuitable environment afforded by their domestication.  That is; they have to some degree been spoiled my man....

What's it all about?

Hello! I want to share my world with you....my thoughts, my ideas and things that make me do what it is I do.  Amongst other stuff I do, I am an Applied Equine Podiatrist which sounds a bit dry but actually it's THE best job in the world!  This blog roughly features around this topic but by its nature it encompasses a whole lot more! I have a website for my business which is just fabulous but I want to a bit more creative and expressive and if you want to get involved, that's fine...and if you don't, well that's fine too!  Some of the stuff I talk about is a bit contentious and it may offend the odd reader but I want you to know that's not my intention.  To be serious for the moment...my intention and my goals are to help create a better world and my medium is the horse.  I don't know much about anything else but I know that my journey has led me to help people too and my ambition and passion to help domestic horses live better lives has also made me a better person. Ahhhhh...