FEEDLINE……… OCT – NOV 2008  No 53  

A client whose horses we have helped in the past came to us for help herself recently. She had been treated for depression and was finding the medication not only making her feel very tired but also she was still feeling panicky most of the day. We were asked if there was anything we could do to help her overcome these issues and following a little more discussion she said she felt angry and had a lot of ‘noise’ in her head which was very tiring and the feeling of constantly being on the alert. This was following difficult personal circumstances, whereby she’d replay conversations in her mind, so much so that this ‘noise’ was taking over her daily life. What she was experiencing were adrenocorticotropic surges, part of the fight or flight process. Much the same as many of our horse owner clients will report that affects their horses when under stress or change. So we made up some EMP-10VN capsules and some Magnesium Glycine capsules.  The EMP-10VN formula balances the Oestrogen surges. Many women will be able to report they can feel at stages within their menstrual cycle, feelings of anger, impulsiveness, lethargy and a lack of patience, EMP-10VN also has a calming effect. Used together with Magnesium capsules which limits the stress-begetting stress-begetting-stress cycle the combination works extremely well. We have since been told by our lady client that she since she has taken the EMP-10VN and the Magnesium capsules together, the ‘noise’ has stopped, she’s able to concentrate and she doesn’t have the constant running adrenaline feelings.  

One of the significant reasons why L94 & A24 helps increase performance and reduces the incidence of tying up in horses, that despite all the efforts of the experts continue to disappoint, is because of the way these two liquids help to increase tocopherol and liver glycogen levels. This way of helping the horse to help itself is a feasible alternative to the continual use of supplements, the argument for which can look overwhelming, but often supplementation plateaus out, doing little to lift threshold levels above those that already exist. At the beginning of  the 2008 flat season a horse was randomly picked from a yard of nine horses to be fed on A24 (Black Gold) for the entire season. The horse was destined to race on the same track nine times during the summer.  Other than the A24 the horse received the same feeding and training regime as the others. The horse would mainly race against the same opposition with additional rivals on occasions so the role of the handicapper was as important as the fitness of the other horses to maintain competition.  For the first month nothing much happened and the horse ran according to previous season form then started to progress and with the exception of one race where a last minute substitute jockey did not ride to instructions his handicap increased. By half way through the season it became clear that there existed some serious differences despite the penalties of the handicapper and he went from strength to strength recording three straight wins to round off the season despite an amateur jockey riding in the last race. Physically the horse became the pick of the yard by anyone visiting and took on a look of special presence. We are seeing the same progress occur in all the horses on A24, the same pattern of performance and appearance whether in racing, in sport horses or in general. A24 is the result of 10 years of trial and observation with literally hundreds of individual Ashva Mitra Formulae that we have made over the years, all based on the same nutrient enhancing principle as opposed to solely considering nutrient contribution. The lack of perceptible change in the first month in some horses is a drawback but after that there is no doubt of something good happening. 

It is early days so we do not have that many of this years forage samples to go on but already they appear to be dividing in to the good, the bad and the downright ugly as was the case for 2007. This is because of the fact that some forage was conserved before the mid season floods and the rest after. The early cut made well without too much turning and on the whole is showing adequate protein levels, that after is coming back low in protein because of its maturity or through leaching.  Protein percentage drops about half a point for every month up to the New Year so meanly fed horses in March ‘09 on late cut forage will not look well at all. With the exception of Alfalfa fed in realistic quantities, most auxiliary roughages such as chop straw and commercially purchased chopped hay is fairy low in protein as well, so it may be that we will need to feed a mugful of Goldenmeal to some horses and ponies by Christmas. Goldenmeal is ideal for balancing digestible crude protein; it has low starch so it does not cause problems to horses and ponies that are starch intolerant but does in self support pancreatic function very well. It contains intracellular fats with its own lecithin supply making the oil usable instead of being liable to be excreted as is often the case with bottled oil supplementation. If you are feeding from a parcel of conserved roughage that is going see you through the winter and especially if it came from the same vicinity as the grazing, it may well be worth doing an analysis. The cost on the service is about £30 per sample for Fibre, Protein, and Energy etc and a little more for a complete mineral analysis. If forage is poor you may not make a saving but you will know where you are, if the forage analysis is good you will almost certainly do so. For those unfamiliar with the procedure you receive a form, a clear self-sealing bag and a freepost envelope to the Lab. Fill the clear sample bag with the forage to be analysed, depressing the bag as much as possible to expel trapped air. This is particularly important for haylage and grass samples. Place the form and the sample in the freepost envelope and post as soon as possible. We receive the analysis figures, do the necessary calculations, set them out and then forward them to you in various easy to read forms.     

We seem to have got over some of the problems we were having with horses not eating Stride B. However we are still inclined to send a sample for acceptance to new clients but things on the whole are better. There are alternatives to Stride B but if it is accepted it is a really superior formula. 

Due to its complexity it is better to use a well made formula when trying to promote the workings of the liver than by engaging the use of a single herb. In recovery from paracetamol overload a selection of the herbs deemed best out of some 400 plants known to favourably influence the liver were compared with the L94 formula.  The straight herb extracts were without doubt effective in helping recovery but in no case was speed and completeness of recovery so pronounced as when the L94 formula was used even at smaller comparative daily amounts. Though most of the knowledge accrued in herbal formulation has been around for a long time, the last 25 years has seen acceleration in techniques and quality control and many other improvements since we first introduced the now superseded Remount as one of the first really functional hepatic formulae for horses. Standardization of herbal extracts involving HPTLC(High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography), HPLC(High Performance Liquid Chromatography), GC(Gas Chromatography) etc have now become the norm and UV(Ultraviolet) spectroscopy for chemical identification & quantitative measurement of the active constituent allows us to be much more certain of results. Such lab aids does not stop us from smelling and tasting all new supplies before manufacture but they do help us to be more certain of the things we can’t test for.

 W14 – Equisette has been quietly gaining popularity for helping Sore Shins and other micro-fractures, as a Calcium absorption regulator and vulnerary (healer). It’s a liquid made up of extract forms of Equisetum arvense (Mare’s Tail), Symphytum officinalis (Comfrey) leaf, Trinity Purified Shilajit and Cissus quadrangular, this last plant is a vine with a square stem, famous for repairing broken flesh and bones. Recently when fed to a dog over a period of a month or so it has helped reduce a sizable calcification on its leg that was hitherto deemed as permanent.   

There is an excellent product in use in France which we have been trying out ourselves. It is Mont St Michel Equine Mud Pack. It is rich in activated sea algae and in mineral & iodine content. We have used it after hunting when there was some irritated skin from a rubbing boot and it brought down the swelling and the slight infection in one day. It is easy to use and washes off. Just put on a layer, wrap with brown paper and then bandage on top. It helps with inflammation, ligament and splint injuries and promotes good circulation.  We have some now in Jersey it’s available in either 350grm two leg pack or in a 7.5kg stud tub. The 350grm costs £4.98 or the 7.5kg is £35.

You can now post horse pictures, chat with other clients, share successes and join the Friends of Trinity Consultants on Facebook.com if you are signed-up to Facebook. Our handle is Trinity Cons and the page is maintained by our Jersey office.