If you are clipping the horse's 'whiskers' or vibrissae, you are essentially depriving him of an essential sensory organ needed for his safety and ability to detect food and other things in his environment. Did you know that each vibrissae is associated to a distinct part of the horse's brain?

From Evidence Based Horsemanship:

Did you know that horse whiskers actually have a name and a distinct purpose? They're actually sensory organs called "vibrissae."

They act as feelers for the horse and help protect vital areas like eyes, ears and lips by detecting things which may be in the horse's blind spots or too close for visual focus. While it may look pretty to clip these whiskers, you're actually increasing the risk of trauma to the face by removing these important sensors.

Want to learn more about how they send messages to the brain? Martin Black and Dr. Peters talk all about it in Evidence-Based Horsemanship.

Equine Ulcer Treatment - Before and After by Mark DePaolo, DVM

I have suspected that one of my horses has been having ulcers and hind end acidosis issues for a while now, and after doing the easy palpations explained in this video, my suspicion has been confirmed.  This is a great way to check a horse for ulcers and other digestive issues without having to resort to an endoscopic exam, where the vet inserts a tube with a small camera ending to scope out the horse's stomach, a procedure that requires sedation and can be quite uncomfortable for the horse, not to mention expensive.

Diet and stress are two major factors in the development of ulcers.  My horse is on a forage only diet with minerals, no grain or carbohydrates, so I can rule out this cause.  However, this year she has been through a series of traumas requiring aggressive medical treatment, not to mention the stress associated with long term stall rest, the medication and the extensive traveling we have been doing across the USA and Canada.  Not to mention the frequent changes in forage and environment inherent to this type of lifestyle.

I started treating her with a Miracle Clay solution, some of the herbs listed in the video and essential oils and will be looking into adding aloe vera juice and the other herbs to her diet.  Red lighting the sensitive points as well as CV12 is also effective.

If she does not show significant improvement in the short term, then I would consider adding a course of medication as suggested by Dr. DePaolo after consulting my own vet.




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Does your horse really need a blanket? Thermoregulation in horses

Most horse owners are aware of the damage and crisis inherent with fever states. Few horse owners realize how well adapted horses are to deal with cold when certain aspects of their lifestyle are in place for them.
Over thousands of years, the wild horse has spread over the entire world. Whatever place in the world they live, the horse was exposed to constantly changing temperature — through a day/night rhythm or a seasonal rhythm. Yet even today wild and semi-wild horses, as well as domestic ones, provided with species appropriate living conditions, survive perfectly any conditions Nature exposes them to. Whether it is the north of Europe, or Australian deserts, the horse is exposed to all of Nature's changing elements — wind, sun, rain, snow, fluctuating temperature, etc. Never in nature seeking such excessive enclosed shelters as man-made stables and barns nor caves, never in nature seeking ways of covering themselves with fabric. The horse has naturally evolved ways of thriving.  

Heat in the horse's body is continuously generated as a by-product of metabolism, and a healthy animal has significant internal sources of heat from the metabolic processes (Bicego at al., 2007). To control internal heat loss during the cold time of year, the horse is provided by Nature with complicated and extremely efficient anatomical, physiological and behavioral thermoregulatory mechanisms. In order that the mechanisms are used in the most efficient way, or at all, the horse requires conditions equaling species appropriate lifestyle environments.

On a genetic level, the domestic horse is the same as its wild counterpart: it has the same abilities and needs to survive. Basically, they do not need anything more from the human than only to provide keeping conditions that this species is supposed to have by dictate of Nature: freedom of movement 24 hours a day, free access to appropriate food 24 hours a day, herd life, proper hoof care, shelter which it can enter and leave freely. Under human care that respects the horse's natural needs, and provides it doesn't make this animal a subject for anthropomorphism through stabling, changing eating habits, blanketing, clipping, shoeing, etc., the domestic horse is able to properly use its amazing natural thermoregulatory abilities exactly the same way as the wild horse.
Let's take a deeper look into how the thermoregulatory mechanisms work in the horse, and how it can be interfered with and damaged through unnatural care and keeping practices.

Click here to read the full article

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Dr. Robert Bowker on Navicular Disease

I came across this interview while browsing the Internet and being a big fan of Dr. Bowker's work, I had to share.  I love how he explains a fairly complex field of study of horse health into simple terms for everyone to understand.

Navicular disease is still so widely miunderstood, Dr. Bowker's work is truly helping bring some scientific evidence to shatter a few myths and reveal the ingredients of keeping a horse healthy and sound.

Quoting the author of The Naturally Healthy Horse blog:

Although much of Dr. Bowker’s research continues to be ignored by those in traditional veterinary and farriery circles, he pushes on, continually bringing to light the misinformation that is often printed in student and veterinary texts.  The evidence he has collected on the natural function of the foot is overwhelming and is cited time and again by natural barefoot trimmers and holistically-focused veterinarians.

Quoting Dr. Bowker, DVM:

From my studies, I’ve been led to believe that it’s our husbandry practices–the way we care for our horses–that have created navicular disease.  Essentially, navicular disease comes down to vibrations; vibrations destroy tissue in the foot. 

When the back part of the foot and frog are not on the ground, the impact energy (from movement) is not dissipated but is instead transmitted to the bones and other connective tissues of the foot. These tissues do not dissipate the impact energy well, and the long-term result is chronic foot problems and lameness.

If the frog is on the ground, the bars will contribute in supporting weight and much of the load will be supported by the sole.

Many people think that barefoot is just about pulling the shoes off.  It’s not.  Proper and frequent trimming and keeping the toe short will result in a good hoof. In my opinion the foot during the active growth season should be trimmed by a trimmer or farrier every 3-5 weeks. In some cases even shorter time intervals. Rarely longer though.

Horse owners have a responsibility to become educated—and they need to start by paying attention to the foot.  I consider proper foot care and nutrition to be the two most important aspects of horse care. 

Click here to read the whole interview

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Does your horse really need a blanket? Thermoregulation in horses in cold temperatures

Here a couple of articles based on scientific studies explaining how complex and efficient the horse's body is at adapting to a wide variety of climatic conditions and very well adapted to cold climates... providing it is allowed to live in conditions approximating those in nature!  Yes, that means outside 24/7, in a herd, free choice access to forage and without a blanket!

I am always amazed to see horses in FLORIDA wearing a blanket!  Our horses here in Canada live outdoors in temperatures often dipping well under -30C for long periods of time (weeks), and they are absolutely fine as long as they are allowed to grow a winter coat, have room to move, are getting plenty of free choice hay and have access to a wind breaking shelter.  They are very healthy and thriving, and much less sensitive to infection and disease as their immune system is fully functional.  They do grow lots of hair, and yes, we do ride them and drive them despite the winter coat!  As long as their breathing and heart rate are back to normal, a good roll in the snow is the horse's way to dry off and fluff the coat.  We have yet to ever seen a horse catch a cold as a result of being turned out damp!

The main reason people bring their horses into the barn at night in this part of the world:  to keep the barn warm and prevent the pipes from freezing... using their body heat as a cheap heat source.  However, that does not qualify as acting in the horse's best interest...



Thermoregulation in horses in cold temperatures by Natalija Aleksandrova

Heat in the horse's body is continuously generated as a by-product of metabolism, and a healthy animal has significant internal sources of heat from the metabolic processes (Bicego at al., 2007). To control internal heat loss during the cold time of year, the horse is provided by Nature with complicated and extremely efficient anatomical, physiological and behavioral thermoregulatory mechanisms. In order that the mechanisms are used in the most efficient way, or at all, the horse requires conditions equaling species appropriate lifestyle environments...

Click here to read more.... 

Here is more information on winter blanketing that may surprise you...
This has been widely attributed to a Colorado State University study, but CSU has actually denied doing such a study.  However, there are other studies to corroborate the information below, and years of field observation of horses kept in natural environments will also validate.

Horses have the ability to loft and lower their coats to many different levels, so it's like exchanging different thermal weights of blankets off and on them all day and night, depending on what they need, without human interference. Their 'self-blanketing' process works a little like 'chill bumps' do on human skin. That is why long-haired horses may seem fluffier on some days than on others. Only three things make the 'self-blanketing' process not work: blanketing, clipping, and wind. Not even snow or rain stops their internal thermostats from doing the job. 

The thermoneutral zone (TNZ) for horses is defined as the range of temperatures in which the horse maintains its body temperature with little or no energy expenditure. Essentially, the TNZ is the temperature range wherein the horse does not have to work to raise or lower its body temperature.  TNZ for horses is when the ambient temperature lies between 5 and 20-25 degrees Celsius (depending on circumstances *). Outside of the TNZ, they are using energy to control their body temperatures. Since they are cooling their bodies when the temp is over 20-25C, they are having to use extra energy to cool themselves when blanketed in warm temperatures. 

Shivering is one of the ways the horse's body uses to warm itself; movement is the other one. Moving generates a considerable amount of heat for a horse, but they can also stand and shiver while napping or resting. It does not necessarily mean that they need to be blanketed. However, a horse MUST have a way to get out of the wind in order for their 'self-blanketing' abilities to function fully. While blanketing makes the human feel good about horse care, it does not fill a need of the horse. Many horse owners think that a blanket is a necessary part of good horsekeeping.  It is actually an item that is very seldom required - provided the horse is allowed to grow a seasonal coat, is healthy and in good weight, has had time to acclimatize to the weather and is kept in conditions allowing lots of movement day and night, ample forage and the ability to interact with other horses. 

* The wide range of the LCT (lower critical temperature) in adult horses extends from 41° F (5° C) for horses in mild climates to 5° F (-15° C) in natural-coated/unclipped horses adapted to very cold temperatures. Young horses and foals have higher LCT than adult horses. Defining the UCT (Upper Critical Temperature) is more difficult and researchers have suggested that it can range from 68-86° F (20-30° C).  Source - Equinews, Kentucky Equine Research Staff.

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Geneviève Benoit offers seminars and workshops on natural horse management, as well as on using Photonic Therapy and Essential Oils.  Contact us for more info and to set one up. 

The Natural Horse Daily Balanced Supplement contains all essential elements for a thriving health of the horse on a forage only diet!  Click here for more info.