FEEDLINE……..  JUNE - JULY 2006        No 42

Trinity Consultants is named after the sleepy little parish in the centre of Jersey. Being told this several new clients have recently said they remember some incident that happened in Jersey involving horses being lost in the fog. Well, coincidently, it was Wills wife Suzanne who did the original report so we have asked her to reprint it for the Website www.justbespoke.com.  It involved two ordinary lady riders going out for a routine ride along the beach, something they had done hundreds of times before when they were silently overtaken by the most impenetrable fog, it eerily engulfed them turning what was an innocent ride into a terrifying life or death situation and a rescue that involved a whole community.  We can post you a copy should you wish. Sues story the complete article.

 The latest attempt by pharmaceutical industry to oust homeopathy, acupuncture and other non drug treatments from the NHS was fairly transparent as was the timing of their campaign, brought forward, to try to deflect from Prince Charles’s speech on embracing a wide variety of treatments for the betterment of mankind. To a drug company, another drug company brings out quite a degree of disquiet but nothing compares to the spectre of treatment at an infinitely lower cost without any side effects. There must be some pro pharmaceutical company zealots in the Veterinary world but we do not know of any. Our own relations with Veterinarians are excellent but that is probably because their nutrition is just about as good as our surgery so our paths are separate and we respect each other’s skills. If we were rivals in the cure business, as opposed to prevention, there maybe clashes. However, it does seem that from what the many alternative therapists tell us that there is fortunately a lot more of the understanding Prince Charles is calling for in the horse world than there is in the human world, which must be good. 

  Some large horse establishments are being able to save hundreds of pounds a year by using our faecal worm count service and worming only when necessary and not on a blind routine basis. Indeed it has become a matter of some satisfaction to the staff of one very large organisation to see their good field and stable hygiene reflected in measurable results. If you are in charge of a yard and not doing faecal counts we urge you to talk to us about it, the routine is not difficult and you learn so much more about the individual horses. We are also now able to predict the likelihood of laminitis by faecal examination.  

 Besides regular use of Sweet Minerals, we have four common formulae to help prevent itchiness. In some degree their benefits overlap and in some situations it is a little difficult to know which to use, nevertheless the following notes are an indicator.

 Dry flaky or scabby skin – Formula 4161

Allergic reactive skin – Berberine Mixture

Fungi infection, Rain scald & Mud Fever – Scratches Formula

General Itchiness in hot weather and skin dehydration – Cooler Salts

In all cases it is a good thing to precede all attempts to improve skin health and function by feeding L94 for ten days and where necessary to spray/ sponge with Noof AZ Wash. Make up a fairly weak solution of AZ Wash to start with and do not try to do to much too quickly. It is amazing how effective Noof can be at low dilutions as long as you keep at it. Shampoo occasionally to get a clean start again but only in sunny weather, for sensitive horses it is best to avoid those Shampoos that contain Sodium Laurate and for those that are sensitive to non-allergenic shampoos ask us to send you a small quantity of Soap nut. As long as it is included with other requirements we do not usually charge clients for this. 

 It is important that when a horse is, as we would say for ourselves “off colour” it is treated gently. The idea that you can train through an “off form “patch is wrong and old ideas of a horse anthropomorphically “having you on” must be dispelled. Viruses are only too frequent and horses must always been given the benefit of the doubt. Not only does the immune system take up a lot of energy it takes energy priority over other functional systems such as digestion and certainly that of movement so it is therefore essential not to make any demand that saps energy. Any depurative must be gentle and tonic as well; experience has taught us that L94 is the right strength: stronger would be debilitating, weaker would be non effectual. Feed L94 in all recovery situations and if necessary also feed Hydrobase to help the critical water balance between the inside and outside the cells.

 Having been banging the drum about Magnesium for a very long time it is nice to see that it is currently flavour of the month and horse owners and therapists new and old are understanding more about the implications of this element to the metabolism. As with anything that is suddenly ‘in vogue’ (remember Selenium in the nineties)  there are a number of overnight experts and a degree of misinformation but we would rather that than the older idea that maintained that Mg was of far less importance to the horse than it was to cattle and sheep. The words of an eminent Cattle nutritionist  still echoes from 40 years or so ago “ Cattle and Sheep die of Hypomagnesaemia, horses merely lose their heads” As horses do not suffer the dramatic effects of Hypomagnesaemia it was long thought that Mg was of less importantance to the horse. Summer grazing and well conserved forage is a good source of Mg but spring and autumn grass and a lot of convenience chops especially those with a high straw content are replete of the element. First described in 1935 as ‘transport tetany’ Mg is the cell mate of K and the first to be lost through non-athletic stress, so levels can be different in horses receiving the same amount of the element per day. Sweet Minerals contribute important levels of Mg. For further supplementation feed Maglyte at a spoonful per day. For swift restoration feed Crazy Horse and between the two there is Hydrobase M and Travel Mixture each meeting Mg and other special dietary requirements. If you have any queries about Mg feeding or supplementation do contacts us, we promise to not go on too long about it.

 A number of clients have asked us to send regular repeat orders of L’Essence de Vie so we have instituted such a system whereby you are sent a fresh supply every month. All you do is to tell us when you do not want them.  More Clients are asking about L’Essence de Vie Capsules, what are they? Will they help me personally? Well depending on how much time there is and how the conversation goes we journey from the mists of time to modern day scientific research as quickly as possible finally pointing out that it will invariably help especially as you get older.  Mention here in Feedline has to be even briefer but suffice to say that life seems just that bit more enjoyable when you take them, much of this being  attitude of mind. Four capsules a day do not stop you getting ill and do not stop you getting down once in a while but it does stop you being so ill and it definitely stops you being down for any length of time as you become more tolerant, more inspirational and prepared to make that little extra effort. I would like to be on the reminder system please.

 A new use for an old formula. We were recently asked to make up a dietary support formula for a horse suspected of having an insidious internal bleed preventing it from recovering from the effects of founder. We suggested feeding some Rakt Ramani which is so successful in helping bleeders in racing. Recovery immediately accelerated  and what was most interesting was that the farrier reported a massive improvement in the growth and adhesion of soft tissue and blood vessels to the interior of the hoof wall and indeed the horse is now quite sound again. We fed eight Rakt Ramani capsules per day for a month and indeed so pleased was everyone with the general health of the horse the owner has continued at a lower daily feed rate. A number of trainers do this also due to the upturn in performance often experienced. One of the principle ingredients we include in Rakt-blood Ramani- diffusion and that which gives it its red colour, is Lac. Lac is resinous substance once used in the making of gramophone records. In cold weather twigs of Banyan, Acacia and Lac trees (Laksha taru) often swarm with the minute Lac insects like a red dust. The females suck on the plant juices with their proboscis and whilst doing so produce a glue like substance from which the young hatch and fly away. The twigs are dried in the shade and they shrink, leaving the Lac in hollow tubes. These concretions are then washed in lime water and melted, filtered and spread to cool into glossy flakes. It has a number of useful properties not least its capillary and tissue strengthening action when fed in conjunction with other ingredients with similar haematemesis properties such as Ironwood (Mesua ferrea). We speculate that Rakt Ramani could have implication in the transition to barefoot hoof management.