Horse Matters

This is how Barefoot Movement had Began | Jaime Jackson with Grace Diviney This interview explores the origins of the natural horse care movement which preceded the emergence of the barefoot movement. Few people with barefoot horses...

Nitrates Affect Horses Differently to Cattle

A good subject to understand when grazing horses in winter

Potassium & Nitrate spikes in the grass occur whenever growth is inhibited - cold or freezing night-time temperatures or lack of sunshine.

Nitrates affect mono-gastric animals like horses DIFFERENTLY to ruminants. In ruminants the Nitrates are rapidly converted to Nitrites which cause oxygen starvation and sudden death. Evidenced by brownish discolouration of blood.

Due to the different layout of the digestive tract Nitrates affect horses differently.
Refer the “Mineral Tolerances of Animals” - Non-ruminant animals (including horses) have NO requirement for Nitrates at all “and a toxic effect of acute nitrate levels is generally severe gastritis” (Page 456)

What are the symptoms of nitrate toxicity?
Note this is referred to as ‘toxicity’ but nitrates are not toxins like mycotoxins and are not eliminated by toxin-binders.

Obviously you should immediately call your veterinarian for any of the following.
Symptoms can come and go over weeks - or suddenly

The primary effects of 'severe gastritis' are softening of manure/diarrhea/ weight loss due to loss of protein and inability to produce critical Vitamins (especially B Vitamins), lethargy, loss of appetite, excessive drinking and urinating to excrete the excess urea/edemas (ventral and lower limb swellings).

More serious secondary effects occur under certain climatic conditions which directly affect the nutrient composition of the grass.

They include drowsiness, lethargy, weakness, more serious weight loss, muscle tremors, increased respiratory rates, staggering, inability to chew (like 'lockjaw') and recumbency (lying down flat on their sides), and even grass tetany.

Why is feeding SALT helpful:
There are multiple reasons but here is the relevant one for this subject: Salt is ‘sodium chloride’. Sodium is the positively charged cation for which the negatively charged nitrate ion has the greatest affinity – nitrates can be excreted as Sodium Nitrate.

However, all forage is very low in Sodium and in the absence of sufficient salt in the diet, magnesium and calcium ions are used instead and can thus be rapidly depleted in the efforts to excrete nitrates, causing acute deficiencies of these minerals – the secondary effects listed above.

They may or may not show up in blood tests (eg high BUN -urea, low calcium) because the blood is responsible for keeping the heart beating so is kept 'topped up' as long as possible.

To minimise risk:

If possible, over a week, so it isn’t a sudden change, eliminate the cause (the green grass) and replace with plain grass hay, no lucerne.

If you have no means of doing so feed as much hay every day as the horse will eat

For the reasons outlined above add SALT, CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM and B-VITAMINS to feeds twice daily.

As explained in the Grass & the Domestic Horse video the metabolic consequences of excesses of potassium and nitrate can be serious -ANY grass of ANY species whether short or lush, if it is green and growing under changeable environmental conditions, poses a significant risk especially where there is rye/clover or capeweed (known to be high nitrates).

References:
**“Mineral Tolerances of Animals” (2nd Revised Edition 2005) Page 456
***Nitrate Toxicity, Sodium Deficiency and the Grass Tetany Syndrome - T.W. Swerczek, DVM, PhD.

PB Paddock Paradise Livery Open Day 22 - Hoof Matters & Calm Healthy Horses PB Livery is hosting its 3rd Open Day with guests Georgie Harrison of Hoof Matters and Sue Dawson of Calm Healthy Horses UK.

We are honoured to announce that we are rebranding PB Barefoot Rehab and Retirement Livery at the request of the brilliant Jaime Jackson himself, founder of the Paddock Paradise.

We are incredibly grateful to be given this opportunity by Jaime to actively push the Paddock Paradise and all of the many incredible benefits they provide. PB has always held ourselves to an incredibly high standard, continuing to follow the four pillars of the Paddock Paradise to enable our care and facilities to benefit any horse or pony to the absolute best of our abilities.

Over the years, the term 'Track System' has become a watered down version of what it once was and for many, doesn't follow the true beliefs of the Paddock Paradise. The core beliefs Paddock Paradise was built upon are the 4 pillars.

1. Diet - as near to species appropriate and natural as possible; a low sugar, low potassium, high fibre diet.

2. Movement - understanding the nature of equines and providing them with a mixed herd to encourage natural behaviours and dynamics. No stables or paddocks.

3. Hoof care - understanding what a natural hoof is and trimming to replicate what nature would leave and what nature would take.

4. Natural schooling, ridden work and ground work. This is based on what movements are natural to the horse - nothing is forced.

All 4 of the pillars work together to support each other for the equine - healing and strengthening the horse's body, mind and soul.

PB replicates to the best of our ability what a horse would receive naturally in the wild. While we have referred to ourselves as a track system livery in the past, we feel it is important to stay true to the Paddock Paradise and separate ourselves from the 'track system' name.

While we are unsurfaced without beautiful walk-in-barns and we are not what you would consider 'fancy', we do always keep the mental and physical wellbeing of our equines at the forefront of our mind and continually strive to achieve better, staying true to the Paddock Paradise.

With the help of our close friends and colleagues Georgie Harrison of Hoof Matters and Sue Dawson of Calm Healthy Horses UK, we are incredibly thankful and throughouly excited to begin this new chapter of PB, now known as 'PB Barefoot Rehab and Retirement Paddock Paradise Livery'.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT coming later today!

While we're in the middle of Winter, we're seeing more and more questions being asked about how to keep weight on a horse or pony that is old through Winter.

This is Jesse, a beautiful 31 YO Arab - a Retirement of ours who also has a very small amount of teeth at the front.

We feed her the following - Hay Cobs, Copra, Linseed and Meadow Nuts as well as Salt and Vitamins (Vits sourced from Calm Healthy Horses). This is made into a wet mash that not only is easy for her to eat with the little teeth she has, but also aids with gut function. Jesse also receives an additional bucket of Thunderbrooks Chaff (finely chopped).

When feeding an oldie, you need to feed a high fibre, low sugar diet with no nasties or fillers. High quality vitamins are also highly beneficial to their diet. This sort of feed is Laminitic friendly and great for horses who drop weight easily or horses with little teeth.

Jenny will give a brief introduction followed by Q & A and discussion.

Any and all aspects of keeping horses on our NZ grasses

Health, movement & behavioural issues, staying safe, equine well-being, pasture management

Feel free to share with friends or other equine groups.

An indication of attendance in the comments below would be appreciated.

All welcome on the night.

For all of you that would like to buy yourself a little gift for Christmas or for your horsey friends i highly recommend this book 👇👇👇👇😍😍😍😍

Hoof, Body & Soul: Part II My Search for the Truth Hoof, Body & Soul: Part II My Search for the Truth

We have finally entered the pre-launch phase! I am thrilled to announce the members of my launch team for Part II: My Search for the Truth of "Hoof, Body & Soul": Louise Bach-Holler from Denmark/Spain; Nick Hill from Scotland/Bulgaria; Georgie Harrison from the UK; Maria Sytnikova Dvm Mvsc from Kazakhstan and Monica Meer from the US. All of them are amazing and experienced professionals in the field of Natural Hoof Care.

Part 2 from sue 😁😁

Great job Sue Dawson he looked amazing last time I saw him xx proof is always in the pudding 😉 your hard work, knowledge & dedication is paying off 😍😍 I highly recommend sue for a consultation and if you can implement the changes required big changes can happen in your horse 😍

Great job sue 👏 he looked amazing last time I saw him xx proof is always in the pudding 😉 your hard work, knowledge & dedication is paying off 😍😍 I highly recommend sue for a consultation and if you can implement the changes required big changes can happen in your horse 😍

Brown patches in your fields?

We have had some people enquiring why their horse’s urine is killing the grass.
The horse’s urine will vary in content and appearance over the course of a day depending on what he has been eating, drinking and his level of exercise.

Normal horse urine is cloudy because it contains calcium and foamy because it also contains some mucus.
It can vary in colour, from pale to dark yellow and can be darker after exercise which is, more often than not, normal OR it can be a sign of a tying up episode (which will be otherwise obvious).

Excess nitrogen from fresh grass, legumes like Lucerne and clover, or a high protein diet will also cause darker, strong smelling urine which can ‘burn’ the grass leaving brown areas.

This is because urine contains urea and ammonia. Protein which is not used immediately by the horse's system is broken down to release the nitrogen which is in turn converted to ammonia to be eventually excreted in the urine.

It only becomes a problem when there is a lot more nitrogen than usual as in spring and autumn with a flush of grass (which is exactly what a lot of us have just experienced over the last few weeks).

This fresh grass is far higher in protein than mature grass and can sometimes cause bloating and even loose manure. If it is strong enough it will burn the grass

Getting Iron in Perspective
Because excess iron cannot be excreted, there is concern that many horses suffer from iron over-load.
When you have pasture analysed, iron readings tend to be high, usually made higher by soil contamination on the sample. This is virtually impossible to avoid as is the ingestion of excess iron by the horse whilst he is grazing short grass.
Although it varies regionally, soil is inherently high in iron** so the shorter the grass, the higher the iron intake because of the close proximity of the mouth to the ground.
The iron levels in the attached graph have been obtained from Forage Analyses done by Calm Healthy Horses and clearly shows how short grass (< 2”) contains the highest iron levels by far. Long grass (> 8”) has lower iron levels and hay even lower.
The Daily Requirement, for a 500kg horse, according to the NRC Nutrient Requirements of Horses, is 400mgs/day (500 for horses in intense work, 625 for lactating mares. Horses living on short grass have an iron intake which far higher than the Daily Requirement. Water which is high in iron can also be another underestimated source.
The GOOD NEWS is that, because this iron isn’t in a bio-available form, most of it does not get absorbed anyway. Around 80-85% goes through the digestive system and out with the manure.
The iron that is absorbed by the horse is particularly important for optimal health. It is an essential element for the production of blood, for the transport of oxygen plus other roles such as assisting enzymes to perform the trillions of chemical reactions needed for life to go on.
If you are concerned about iron overload, the most effective remedial action you can take is to manage your horse’s grazing in such a way they are not living 24/7 on short grass. Having a high hay diet reduces iron intake substantially.
It is also essential to ensure optimal copper levels because copper is required for iron to perform its functions. And you need 3 x as much zinc as copper (Premium NZ Horse Minerals and Premium MVA are ideal options and take care of these ratios and everything else for your horse)
** Iron, chemical symbol Fe, is the fourth most abundant element available on Earth, according to the University of Wisconsin.

Why do ‘cresty’ necks suddenly go rock hard?

This information is relevant and useful to people who own horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome and are in danger of laminitis or whose horses are intermittently ‘footy’. Understanding this has helped with rehabilitating, not only all the ponies at Jen Heperi’s Mini-HaHa Rescue Haven but many more horses and ponies all around the world.

We learned from Dr Deb Bennett PhD (who has conducted many dissections), that “the horse's "crest" is made of fibro-fatty sub-cutaneous (adipose) tissue similar in texture to high-density foam”.

Have you ever wondered how it is that the ‘crest’ of the neck can harden so rapidly? Sometimes overnight?

The actual reason is because it goes ‘turgid’ (it fills with fluid). Like foam, the crest tissue can take up water like a sponge; so it swells and hardens because fluid ‘leaks’ into it, filling the interstitial spaces until it is hard as a rock, and ‘softens’ when electrolyte balances are corrected thereby allowing fluid to be resorbed.

When the crest swells with edema, other parts of the horse's body like the abdomen and the hooves (significantly the digital cushion is made of similar material, it is a thick wedge of fibro-fatty subcutaneous tissue) -- are liable to be in trouble, too.

Hardening of the ‘crest’ coincides with not only spring and autumn growth spurts but also potassium and nitrogen spikes in autumn and winter grasses. It coincides with early signs of laminitis which are ‘stiffening’ of gait and being ‘footy’.

It is a sure indication that one cause of ‘pasture related laminitis’ is as much to do with mineral imbalances, (particularly potassium and nitrogen excesses concurrent with salt deficit) as sugars and starches. It explains why short Autumn grass can cause laminitis when analysis shows soluble sugars + starch content is only 7.5% while potassium is 3.4%, sodium only 0.154%, nitrogen 5.8%, nitrates 2290mgs/kg (far too high, in mature grass/hay they are undetectable).
It is one of the many reasons clover is such a ‘no-no’ for EMS/laminitis equines and a likely explanation why there are some insulin resistant/elevated insulin horses that can't tolerate Lucerne (alfalfa) and is why Lucerne can perpetuate laminitis when everything else is being done ‘right’.

People who own horses with EMS are aware they need to pay attention to this vital sign: that just before a horse has a bout of laminitis, the normally soft and spongy crest stands up firm and hard. Then they can immediately reduce potassium/nitrogen intake by eliminating short, green grass replacing it with soaked hay and make sure they add salt to feeds and not rely on a salt lick. If action is taken quickly enough in these early stages, laminitis can be averted, you can ‘dodge a bullet’.

Soaking hay for about an hour not only reduces sugars but also reduces potassium levels by 50%.

Therefore a very important aspect of EMS and laminitis is that identifying and addressing mineral imbalances (particularly high potassium/nitrogen & low salt) are equally as important as sugar and starch content when rehabilitating individuals and assessing suitability of forage for these compromised equines.

www.equinesoul.net

We now have a dedicated fb page for calm healthy horses UK
Please pop over & like xx https://www.facebook.com/calmhealthyhorsesuk/

Not to be missed

Looking forward to seeing you all at the When 'Horse Meets Grass' Events May 2019 😃😃

Lots going on in preparation for Jenny's arrival later this month. New event for Cornwall on Friday 10th May and another in progress for Plymouth on Saturday 11th, Plus Weston-super-Mare Saturday 18th May! full details to follow shortly, meanwhile, the calmhealthyhorses are enjoying their buckets!

For many years now I’ve followed the adventures of Wim ‘The Iceman’ Hof. I’ve always found it fascinating to see him concuer his fears and set records. It wasn’t untill his work was researched for the first time a couple of years ago when I started to realize what lay behind all his work. For those of you that don’t know Wim… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof

Today I would like to share a podcast with you he recently had with Russel Brand, another interesting character by the way and worth keeping tabs on. The reason I’m sharing it on this ‘horse’ page is because his work overlaps with the essence of Natural Horse Care, which is to take the horse back to its innate biology and allow the body to heal itself simply by facilitating their needs.

Wim speaks of reducing inflammatory responses, the effect of the microbiome – not only on the body, but also on your mental well being - and the importance of being part of nature. If you can understand or feel this methodology applies to you, then how easy would it be to understand it applies to your horse as wel?!

It is exactly what Jaime Jackson found when he emerged himself into wild horse country. It is what I found when I sat and walked in those deserts where horses roam free and wild. The stillness Wim speaks of in the water, that same stillness is found in wild horse country. The absolute presence of nature you feel there is beyond comparison.

Enjoy this podcast and its dialogue. Watch it till the end and do the breathing session Russel and Wim take. Close your eyes as Wim takes you through it and feel the rush. Get high on life, breathe, repeat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPPlicAEFec&t=1162s

And if you know people that still think their horse is too special to go without blankets, please share this with them. Their horses need it.

Cause no harm, respect the healing powers of nature.

Björn Rhebergen

Green arrow: Healing Toe Angle (projected angle of growth in domesticated horses.

Red arrow: Diverging Toe Angles (morphological changes due to cellulair breakdown of the capsule)

Most barefooters today will force healing by snubbing the toe of such feet. The reasons for this are suspected lever forces(non existent) that would prevent the hoof to maintain it’s angle of growth and expansion of the capsule (also non existent) during support.

By carefully measuring the hoof we can allign the length of deformed capsule with the future natural toe length and maintain natural lengths and hoofmass.

Snubbing may result in hypersensitivity of the foot, unnatural toe lengths, unnatural weight- and wear distribution and loss of hoofmass.

The Natural Trim simulates natural wear under ALL circumstances. Pathology does not influence hoofcare strategies, people do.

Natural Hoofcare is the holistic approach to trimming a foot through careful care and management of the horse.

The Natural Trim is a series of techniques that ‘mimic natural wear patterns’. The Mustang Roll for example is a natural wear pattern. The hoof displaying a variety of ‘active pillars’ is another.

What a naturally worn hoof does not show is frogs and soles enduring active contact. So when your objective is to trim the wall down and level it with the sole, you have breached a natural boundary and unbalanced the hoof.

Keep in mind, the naturally worn hoof is biodynamically balanced. Anything that deviates from that is not.
Now, we could argue right and wrong ‘till we see blue in the face, but let’s not. Let’s simply agree on what is natural and what is not.