Please tell me more       Close Window  

   FEEDLINE……… MARCH–APRIL 2008  No 51

Do ask us for a copy of the Skinguard formulary for 2008 it also appears on the back of the Noof data sheet and www.justbespoke.com. There are some new entries based on successful formulations we trialled last summer and subsequently. In most cases of skin mal-conditions it is important to do something from the inside as well as topically and the guide gives an indication of this.  

L94 is a classic herbal tonic and pick-me-up for horses. Over the years it has benefited thousands of horses, each one helped by its ability to augment metabolic processes, promote nutrition and imparts strength, condition and vitality.  A well formulated tonic is designed to have an effect on a specific organ or system; in this case of L94 it is particularly effective in helping the Liver, Spleen and Pancreas and in turn Kidney function which invariably has a profound effect on the rest of the horse’s body.

Within the formula are some very important individual herb extracts to help the Liver and just as importantly some beneficial synergies that are derived from the blending. To start, L94 contains extract of Wild Chicory, known as the Blue or Italian Dandelion or (Kasni – On which no day passes without the waters of paradise are showered upon it). In it own right it is remarkably useful for a whole range of mal-conditions however it is made even more potent by the addition of the juice of Capparis spinosa. This inclusion from highly prized Capers buds immediately forfeits any chance of the formula being inexpensive, for the best are grown in hot barren places of the world and are much sought after. In turn the effectiveness of these two ingredients is widened by critical levels of an extract of Solanum nigrum a relative of the purple egg plant; this is especially supportive of splenic function and the heart, so important for performance horses, and for swollen legs, skin conditions and chronic cirrhotic conditions.  The heart is again taken into account with the inclusion of Arjuna which is obtained from the bark of the majestic Arjuna trees which does not involve their destruction. Arjuna is a cardiac/liver tonic preferred in L94 to the Hawthorn because of its additional hepatic supporting properties. Described as one of the 40 great herbs of the world Cassia angustifolia, (Senna), is included in L94 not only for healthy bowel function and avoidance of colic, particularly suiting recovery from disease like laminitis etc but for its salutary effect on the Liver and so too are the galls of Tamarisk gallica. These bitter galls, smaller than Oak galls, caused by the piercing of a small insect, indigenous to the trees that also produce Manna, the sweet resinous exudation that falls like dew or hoar frost on the grass and ground below and which sustained the Israelites of the Old Testament. Finally to orchestrate the whole, an extract of Achillea millifolium (Yarrow) and Honey, of which Maria Trebans, one of the most influential Herbalists of the twenty first century wrote “It is difficult to do without”, is included. The action of Yarrow is to gently open up surface vessels enabling more blood to be circulated and is a digestive and blood tonic.

Many generations have created L94 it has not been sudden. At Trinity we are its caretakers, it is important that it will still be helping horses long after we are all gone, so we try to ensure that it is blended properly and can always be relied upon.  

Nearly every one of the numerous Horse owners who contact us regarding us helping to improve hoof quality, has already been purchasing one of the well advertised proprietary hoof supplements so too succeed for them it is important that we formulate something better than what for them is disappointing. This we can do with a Tenderfoot Formulation, it will take several months but even in the short term there can be definite indications that things are improving. There are a number of outstanding technical reasons for this, so we do not think we are being pushy in urging owners not to wait too long for results using advertised feeds before speaking to us. It is something you have to get right there is no ‘filling the glins’* on this one, you can’t even pass the horse on without a potential buyer noticing.    

We have talked about this before and recent events and conversations with clients is confirming that a different strategy may be needed with horses and ponies that are prone to Laminitis due to Cushings as opposed to the condition being brought on by faulty digestion, concussion or other changes where we recommend that Founderfrei be fed on a regular basis after an initial 10 days or so of L94. With Cushings we are increasingly finding that it may be better to follow the first 10 days on L94 with L94 at 50 ml day and instead of Founderfrei feed VN10 at 15ml per day raising it to 30ml per day in the week before the full moon and the first week of waning.  

We are pleased with the results being reported back to us on Oxymum. It certainly helps in cases of breathing problems complicated by allergies. Indeed it has been suggested by one expert that it should be sprayed onto hay before consumption but we are not sure how that would work. It certainly has helped a number of owners who from time to time have taken it themselves diluted in a little water to help with their own breathing difficulties.

This spring will be interesting as Oxymum, which is a play on words between Oxygen and the principle ingredient; a specially prepared Ocimum sanctum extract, will be freely available for the first time. With Oxymum we have managed to do everything round the wrong way, we laboriously made it up, found it was worthwhile and then had to work out how we were going to make more that the odd bottle in a week. This has been difficult but we can now make on demand (well fingers crossed). In common with the more easily prepared Zephyrex Formulae which we recommend for coughs and colds it has effective bronchial dilatory properties, slightly less expectant  properties but with a higher level of cortisol reducing properties which helps considerably with allergic reactions. 2 Lts is currently £39.54 Nett and will last about 40 days at the 25ml per feed fed twice a day rate. 

There is a tremendous difference in the nutritional needs of the sedentary horse or even that involved in light exercise and one that is required to perform a hard training schedule and compete on a regular basis. Strenuous training pulverises many of the types of tissue in the body. Muscles are damaged, tendons and ligaments and joint cartilage sustain tears and bones develop micro fractures. Within reason, the harder the work the more the body is prepared to sustain high heartbeat activity but in turn there is more wear and tear and more damage is done. The damage is caused by micro fragments thrown off due to friction and the exhaust fumes of catabolism a very natural process but if not eliminated from the scene as soon as possible clog the engine, so to speak and if raced before being ready, causes costly disappointment and in turn even longer time off the course. It is not always so easy to know when it is right to race again, to start with the damage done may be so below threshold that another race is possible in a matter of days and that will still not result in debris accumulation to such a degree as to inhibit performance but if that is not the case in anything but poor company, the race will be lost before the start. Two inextricably connected factors prevail, the degree of waste product still existing and the speed of elimination. Seeing a horse looking well and indeed doing some fast work may not be the absolute criteria for racing well next time out because we do not always know how close to threshold the debris count is or how quickly the elimination process is working. Of course this is where the Trainer earns his or her corn because it can come down to just an affirmative feeling or a nagging doubt (quite often not helped by the owner) who do not always know of such things. How many times is one good result followed by a string of not so good ones?  If such is the case it is much more likely to do with the accumulation and elimination of the exhaust fumes of exertion than any lack of nutritional ‘fuel’ so often claimed to be the case.

One of the reasons for interval training is to increase the efficiency with which the individual horse deals with the ebb and flow of metabolites and waste. Efficiency being defined as the degree build-up is minimised and clearance maximised. Without proper training all the formulae we can make to help the situation will be of no avail however there is always the situation where despite good training it is worth reaching for a helping hand. For just such cases we make three very important feeds Hydrobase, L94 and Espirit de Course and are most useful in helping regulate cellular balance, minimise hydrogen ion and free radical build up and reduce the effects of athletic stress as well as imparting a quiet sustainable strength. Espirit de Course  follows L94 and works particularly well when fed with Hydrobase or Hydrobase T (T is for a Taurine inclusion of 10%) it is an excellent whole body tonic the benefits of which are still not fully understood as we say there is enough of the unexplained in Espirit de Course to permit us to dream! 

At the best of times it is hard enough to find convincing evidence that Sulphur Chondroitin is worth including in arthritis ‘flex’ formulae for horses and just recently it has been a whole lot harder. Reliable sources tell us that the routine way of checking the level of Chondroitin in any material purporting to be Sulphur Chondroitin has been to measure the sulphate levels and then to mathematically calculate the Chondroitin level, a perfectly sound method assuming the sulphate in the material is that, that in which the Chondroitin is a part. However closer scrutiny has revealed that sulphates from other sources have been included in large quantities of imported material and instead of the material being 98% Chondroitin as expected it has been actually 3%. How long this deception has been going on cannot be established. As the material has been included in arthritis formulae with stalwarts such as MSM and Glucosamine no one has complained as the two latters are so efficient together. We now do not know whether our scepticism about the value of Sulphur Chondroitin in arthritis formulae for horses is correct or not. All we know is that up to now we have found that replacing expensively prescribed mixtures containing Chondroitin with Belgian Formula (2:1 MSM & Glucosamine) at much lower cost appears just as effective.

 Digestion and appetite can be deranged by poor Kidney function, temperament and condition can be affected and on occasion it can appear that the horse has backache as discomfort is transferred up and along the spinal processes. Blood Mg and K conservation can be affected and normal urination impaired. Horses are usually unthrifty and not themselves. In all cases of suspected kidney problems a Veterinarian should be consulted. For recovery and then long term help L94, K63, K8 and Hydrobase are proven formulae. Do contact us if you need to.  

Do make sure you visit our website www.justbespoke.com, it is full of interesting articles, information on ailments & conditions and a full glossary of our raw materials and standard formulations.  You no longer need to use a password to visit the site and we are encouraging already existing Clients to point their friends and colleagues towards the site, particularly if they have a problem they’d like to research.   

* ‘Filling the Glins’ is an old Gypsy practise of making a tiny incision  in the glins either side of the horses head, inserting a straw, inflating, gluing and then disguising with a little soil to make the horse look younger when selling..