FEEDLINE……..  February - March 2006        No 40

Starting feeding Maglyte to horses that exhibit spookiness and uncharacteristic behaviour when on spring grass. Feed at one spoonful per day mixed into the regular feed. 2Kg will last 100 days and will prevent a host of problems.   

In head to head comparison studies DGL has been shown to be more effective than Tagamet, Zantac or antacids in both short term treatment and the maintenance therapy of peptic ulcers and in comparison free from the significant side effects associated with prescribed medication at a fraction of the cost. DGL is deglycyrrhized Liquorice which is Liquorice with its Glycyrrhetinic acid (which can cause unwanted elevations in blood pressure in some case) taken out. Glycyrrhetinic acid does help with ulcers, so at first it seemed pointless to omit it, however it has been established that liquorice contains more than one anti-ulcer agent and its absence does not effect its efficiency so much as it was first thought and it does mean a safe form of Liquorice that can be taken at higher daily levels than ordinarily possible. We include liquorice in Ulcer formulations for both horses and Humans to a safe level and then add DGL to reach the higher amounts needed.  Many apparent appetite and digestive disorders can be due to ulcers, horses that are finicky about their feed, or quickly tire of one type of feed for another can be suffering from stomach ulcers, nervous horses appear to be more prone to ulcers and those without a constant supply of good roughage. Horses that have a sour attitude and a dull coated can be suspected of having ulcers but by no mean always many such horses may only be suffering from poor digestion and wind so it is probably a good plan to see what a good digestive supplement does in helping to relieve such symptoms before embarking upon an anti-ulcer strategy. Of our own formulae we would suggest G25- (First Formula) which sooths and cleans as well as dispelling excess gas and regularising intestinal function.

Laminitis is caused by change and change is likely to occur however constant we try to be in the management of our ponies and indeed horses. In Florida big warm bloods can go down with laminitis due to the heat and changes in barometric pressure during the hurricane season. It is most common in the UK when it rains after a dry spell and in autumn it is common when we get the first cold rains of winter. Feeding is fraught with problems due to the fact changes can easily occur, whether it be a grasses trying to flower, or suddenly too much bucket feed. In the forest, where laminitis in the ponies is very rare, it can suddenly occur when well meaning people in cars feed the contents of their picnics to them. Anxiety of parting, changes in management and the environment can all take there toll so what can we do to stop it occurring besides being vigilant about not causing change?

One thing that will help is to feed Founderfrei on a daily basis, certainly during high risk periods.

1. Founderfrei helps to maintain stable gut flora by increasing the buffering effect against sudden changes in pH so limiting gastric trauma which in turn leads to unacceptable levels of cell wall debris entering the blood stream and causing endotoxaemia which in turn creates a rise in venal restrictors which can lead to arterial shunt, cell necrosis, and a lowing tissue support to the Pedal bone thus resulting in the onset of Founder.

2. Founderfrei will also help maintain hepatic function during overload, if we fail to stop sudden ascendancies and decendancies in gut flora, the liver can be quickly overloaded therefore it is essential to also help to gently stimulate liver function to deaminise surplus peptides and help in voidance of toxins. Avoiding metabolic slow down with causes stagnation or congestion is very important in helping to prevent Laminitis.

 3. Finally as a 'long stop' Founderfrei will helps to gently cleanse (detoxify) the blood should the liver not be quite able to stop spill-over of toxins getting in to the blood stream which raise catecholamine levels changing pressure and causing painful inflammation.

 By helping in three areas Founderfrei is designed to curtail the domino effect that results in laminitis.

 A discerning Client tells us that the Bute substitute we make up for her horses works a lot better than the shop bought products she has tried. We have no real way of knowing why except that our source of one of the ingredients, Harpagophytum procumbens (Devils Claw), insists that the best quality is always in short supply and that why we invariable have to wait to get it. They tell us there is 100% demand for no more than 70% supply for Devils Claw, so it maybe that there is just not enough of the premium quality to support mass production.

 It is less effort for the predator to pick on the weak, it is easier for disease to gain a foothold when there is little resistance. Many of the common problems that beset our horses and indeed humans are worse because of the lack of firm foundation. If you suffer a flood in your house it is indeed awful but in truth you can, over time dry it out.  Much of what Trinity Consultants do and have done for all the years is tantamount to helping horse owners dry out after a flood whether it be Laminitis, skin problems, digestive upsets, immobility, liver problems, lung problems etc  etc. Now the most difficult houses to dry out are those with rising damp. The horse with a weak constitution is much more difficult to get back to fitness than that which is strong in body, mind and spirit. Good balanced nutrition is the key to constitution; we encounter far fewer problems with horses when this is being done right. With regularity there are more problems with horses fed with feeds from some firms than others this is because the nutrition provided is not contributing sufficiently to the horse’s basic constitution either in units per day or just as importantly in its effect of the intestinal tract and other organs, it seems they are more occupied with what they want to sell you as opposed what is really needed.  Feeding does not have to be complicated but it does have to be comprehensive and it does have to suit. If a key nutrient is present at only 80% of requirement then no matter how good and plentiful the rest of the diet is it will still only work to 80%. Compound that with feeds not being a fresh as they should be because you have to buy so much at a time or it is old before you get it and things can gradually get a long way from satisfactory without knowing.   

 In a recent poll of the greatest all time feats of in race training history it is good to see Pam Neal (now Melville) mentioned. This is because as in any sport we have a soft spot for ‘against the odds’ stories and the people who make them happen. Bred from a £100 throw out Mare Mac Vidi became a public hero when at the age of 14 after hours of lonely training on Dartmoor he won a string of top class races and ending up second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Pam and her brother have been helping us with the development of PNX Spray for Sarcoids. She tells us that a Video of Mac Vidi’s fairytale story is available on info@videoex.co.uk

 To return to good health following a viral infection/challenge to the system - Feed H29 (L94 with Echinacea augustifolia and Shilajit) at 100ml per day for at least 10 Days and a further 50 ml for the next 20 days if necessary in conjunction with the regular diet. At the same time, or shortly after, start feeding one spoonful of Ten-Four-G in every bucket feed. If temperatures are high feed two spoonfuls per feed. From Day 7 - Start to introduce Ashva Mira 42 (an Ashva Mitra formula specifically for enhancing immunity) gradually increasing the amount fed to 3 Spoons per day (54g). Continue to feed Ashva Mitra 42 and Ten-Four-G for at least the next month or so or ideally on a regular basis to help maintain body defences especially when an individual horse's immunity can be easily compromised.

 Our website has recently been moved to another server and updated, the look has been completely changed with a lot of fresh information that is being added to almost every day. Some search engines and older linked sites are still pointing to the old server so if you get the message “site not found” refresh your browser, the address for the site is http://www.justbespoke.com don’t forget to add it to your favorites file. We welcome any comments and ideas as it is a site for your benefit and should contain information useful to you. If you would like to exchange links with your own website please let Will have the details, we are beginning to get a lot of hits so it may be worth your while. With all this new information the site is becoming encyclopaedic but we would also like a couple of entertaining pages including a clients photo gallery if we can get enough pictures so don’t be shy send in your photo’s by email to Will’s email address info@justbespoke.com or post copy’s so we can scan them in. Also let Will have any comments, criticisms and questions you have about Trinity they can be posted on the site with answers when necessary.