equine
wellness Your natural resource!
PREMIERE ISSUE JULY/AUG. 2006
How to feed your horse naturally
Allergies?
Tips to get the itch out permanently
Holistic vet advice Natural solutions for making flies
buzz off Acupressure $5.95 USA/Canada
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1
Display until Aug. 20, 2006
for colic
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contents
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columns 8 Neighbourhood news
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Book reviews
20 Holistic veterinary advice
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Horsemanship tip
62
Tail end
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Heads up!
25 Product picks
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Events calendar
37 Wellness resource guide
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Marketplace
Talking with Dr. Joyce Harman
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Did you know?
departments 6 Editorial
Equine Wellness Magazine (ISSN 1718-5793) is published six times a year by Redstone Media Group Inc. Publications Mail Agreement #40884047. Entire contents copyrightŠ 2006. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher. Publication date: June, 2006
Our Cover: Blue Moon, a 14.2 H purebred Arabian, lives at Thornapple Farms in Walton, New York. The gelding, who was foaled in 1997 and started as a four-year-old, is fun, healthy, intelligent and enjoys spending time with the herd, according to his family.
equine wellness
Photo: ŠCarien Schippers
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PREMIERE ISSUE Volume 1 Issue 1
Editorial Department Editor-in-Chief: Dana Cox Senior Editor: Lisa Ross-Williams Graphic Designer: Stephanie Wright Graphic Designer: Yvonne Hollandy Š
Photography: Carien Schippers Š David Lloyd
Columnists & Contributing Writers Cheyanne West Joyce Harman, DVM, MRCVS Catherine Bird Amy Snow Nancy Zidonis Jessica Lynn Anna Twinney Audi Donamor Frank Gravlee, DVM, MS, DNS Melanie Sue Bowles Administration Publisher: redstone media group inc. President/C.E.O.: Tim Hockley Office Manager: Lesia Wright Information Services Director: Vaughan King Circulation Manager: Samantha Saxena Administrative Assistant: Joanne Rockwood Distribution and Marketing Director: Elyse Campbell Submissions: Please send all editorial material, advertising material, photos
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Canada is $24.95 including taxes for six issues shipped via surface mail. Subscriptions can be processed by: Website: www.equinewellnessmagazine.com Phone: 1-866-764-1212 US Mail: Equine Wellness Magazine, PMB 168, 8174 S. Holly St., Centennial, CO 80122 CDN Mail: Equine Wellness Magazine, 164 Hunter St. W., Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9H 2L2 Subscriptions are payable by VISA, MasterCard, American Express, check or money order. The material in this magazine is not intended to replace the care of veterinary practitioners. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor, and different views may appear in other issues. Refund policy: call or write our customer service department and we will refund unmailed issues. Dealer or Group Inquiries Welcome: Equine Wellness Magazine is available at a discount for resale in retail shops and through various organizations. Call 1-866-764-1212 and ask for dealer magazine sales, fax us at 705-742-4596 or e-mail at sales@equinewellnessmagazine.com. Printed in Canada
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Improving the lives of animals... one reader at a time.
equine wellness
Making hay by Lisa Ross-Williams
W
Feeding your horse the natural way
We’ve all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat”. But does that apply to our horses? In fact, equine nutrition plays a crucial role if you want a happy, healthy horse. Unfortunately, it’s still lacking for far too many. Many horses have had their fundamental eating habits changed either because of lack of knowledge or human convenience. By getting back to a more natural feeding program, you can give your horse a new lease on life and allow her to reach her full potential.
Infrequent feeding is unhealthy A horse’s digestive system needs small quantities of food numerous times daily. This is because his relatively small stomach can hold only one to four gallons of food at a time. This food moves into the gut track very quickly so the horse feels hungry again about an hour after eating. Infrequent feeding
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equine wellness
can unbalance his intestinal bacteria, resulting in stomach disturbances, diarrhea, and colic. It can also contribute to gastic ulcer disease, estimated to afflict 60% to 90% of mature horses. Ulcers occur when stomach tissue is damaged by digestive acids. Because a horse is meant to graze on an almost continual basis, his stomach constantly produces digestive acid for the breakdown of food. When there is food in the stomach, the acid is properly absorbed and neutralized. Allowing your horse free access to pasture or grass hay, while cutting down
on grain and concentrated processed feeds, lowers his risk of developing ulcer disease. It also re-establishes a more natural feeding pattern and wakes up his foraging instinct.
What is a natural diet for horses? There’s more to feeding a horse than offering free-choice hay, as not all hay is created equal when it comes to equine health. Different types of grass hay, such as Bermuda, Timothy, Orchard, Brome and Rye, along with small amounts of alfalfa or grain hay, give your horse a variety of textures, tastes and nutrients. When feeding your horse on a freechoice basis, grass hays should comprise the main course, with legume hays like alfalfa serving as a condiment only. One reason for this is that alfalfa can contain 50% more calories and protein
Sparagowski
per pound than grass hay. People often make the mistake of feeding alfalfa hay in the same quantities as grass hay, or worse yet, as the only feed. No horse needs this much protein or calories. In addition, alfalfa has a high calcium to phosphorus ratio -- often 4:1 and higher. The ratio for a healthy horse is 2:1.
Sturgill
Arabian horses have captivated people for centuries with their athleticism, intelligence and heart.
Furthermore, a University of California study confirms that too much alfalfa may lead to a higher risk of enteroliths. These rock-hard mineral deposits, also known as stones, build up in the stomach or intestine and can cause colic and death. The study revealed that horses suffering from stones had a higher pH concentrate in their colons, and more alfalfa in their diets.
You should also consider the types of hay and pasture your horse eats, as some are naturally higher in sugars than others. Cool
Margo Flynn
Ingredients which contribute to high levels of starch and sugar in feeds include grains and molasses. These can wreck havoc on a horse’s glucose levels. The surge of glucose causes a quick release of insulin and a rush of adrenaline, which results in fatigue lasting several hours. With insulin resistance, the easy-keepers cannot tolerate these up and down levels and eventually their bodies stop processing the glucose properly. Instead of high sugar/starch feedstuffs, try alternatives such as rice bran, wheat bran and beet pulp.
Sparagowski
Traditionally in the past, horses have been fed high starch/sugar diets, but recent research shows this practice has detrimental effects. While a low starch/sugar diet is extremely important for easy-keeper breeds, a “better safe than sorry” approach may be appropriate for most horses.
Photo: Suzanne Sturgill
Detrimental sugar and starch
Sparagowski
Too much grain can also cause health disorders. In the wild, a horse finds grain in only small scattered amounts, often when winter is approaching and the horse needs more calories. It is neither natural nor healthy for a horse to consume large amounts of this highly concentrated foodstuff, which can cause vices, colic, ulcers and high insulin levels if overfed.
Log on to ArabianHorses.org for your free “Guide to Ownership” and DVD or to find an Arabian horse farm to visit near you.
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