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 FEEDLINE……………JUNE-JULY2007   No 47

 An increasing number of horse owners are choosing to ask us for our advice on muscle stiffness and joint and joint related problems and amongst the variety of reasons for asking, is the sheer complexity of proprietary joint specifics horse owners are faced with, which can make it difficult to decide on a course of action. Our advice is to prioritise and as soon as you do that you start thinking Relief or Repair? Of course it is hardly a decision to start with, a lame horse in pain is horrible and relief is all important but as time goes by emphasis may change. Age may well be a big decider, a 12 year old with still a lot to do is different from a 22 year old.  Repair may be more of a consideration for the former than the latter along with the nature of the condition or injury. Relief may need be no more than a sachet of Bute a day or Devils Claw and Yucca or such. Repair is more complicated, however whatever the ratio between relief and repair the supplement you should choose to use first must be, or contain, sufficient quantities of Methysulphonylmethane – MSM. This is because MSM prepares the ground and opens up the access needed by the rescue services and subsequent construction workers. This low molecular weight Sulphur (about 34% S) and methyl donor enables things to happen. In its own right it relieves pain, allows for the dissipation of inflammation and dilates blood vessels thus increasing blood flow. It reduces muscle spasm and has an immune normalizing effect making both relief and repair easier. Feedrate is very important and every horse is different, some can show miraculous results on as little as 8 g/day but  others of the same weight may need twice or even thrice that amount especially to start with. MSM is a food supplement, in the US it is also called a non-toxic drug which in Europe can set the cautionary mind on edge but in the US an innocent corner shop that sells milk shakes and newspapers is call a ‘drugstore’ so we should not be alarmed. MSM is very safe as is evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of humans that take it daily, in lethal dose terms it can be compared with water. Its use does not endanger any species it is in fact made from timber. 

The older the horse gets the more herniations and sack like pockets develop in the lining of the colon these become filled with putrefying faecal matter, yeasts and toxins that can cause swelling, inflammation and pain which can sometimes lead to stress if not colic. Probiotics can help, but they are not the whole answer. As with Humans that suffer from diverticulosis (inflammation of the diverticuli in the gut) a lack of sufficient fibre and parasite damage at any time now or in the past will exacerbate the problem to such an extent that some horses are only kept fit and well if such craters and crevices are kept clean and clear. We write this provision into many formulae, such as L94 and Ashva Mitra etc that gently clean dirty filters thus promoting good digestion, assimilation and digestion, the gateway to health and well being. Without these being right we will not achieve much else.

Research continues to verify folk traditions in the use of purified Shilajit which we use in a wide range of regular and corrective nutrient formulae. In a recent study its supportive properties showed Shilajit halted the decline in the effects of chronic morphine administration. Over a ten day period tolerance to the analgesic effects of morphine were found to be significantly inhibited. Repeatedly we are finding Shilajit filling the role as an enabler and an enhancer of the effects of other ingredients. For sometime we have included Shilajit at significant levels in Seagarden Sweet Minerals and can easily notice the difference it makes. The Shilajit content in L’Essence de Vie affects the inherent brain properties of Withania Somnifera and Brahmi contained within the formula, by increasing cortical muscarinic receptor capacity, which affects preferential events in the cortical signal transduction cascade that helps creativeness, cognition and memory improvement. Its effects as an enabler in healing bone and peptic ulcers and in helping various specifics to relieve arthritis are also now being substantiated. Its inherent low molecular weight & Fulvic Acid content has much to do with it usefulness but so diverse are its properties science has much to do to reveal all its secrets indeed it is only recently that there is definitive agreement on its derivation. It is of plant origin but instead of man doing all harvesting, blending, processing and preserving it has been done by Mother Nature from indigenous vegetation breaking down and slowly seeping into deep fissures on steep rock formations only to exude out again after perhaps thousands of years  of immense pressure and curing when the temperature and time is right. Shilajit differs depending on which mountains it is obtained from so for continuity it is all important for us to get the right Shilajit from the same hole in the rocks every time and what is more, tradition has it that the best quality has to be “given not got” so it must be collected as it bubbles out of the rock on summer evenings and not mined for. ‘All a bit of a palaver’, some cynics and the biased would say but that may be a good thing as there is not enough of the best quality to go round any rate.

In cases where horses appear lack lustre and listless or lacking appetite, when droppings are hard or coated with mucous a general improvement can be obtained by feeding L94 and Hydrobase for a month. Beneficial effects will be observed in about 10 to 14 days if not sooner. General presence will improve, coat will brighten and become less coarse and the horse will become more willing and eager.    

If we get a hot summer it may well be worth feeding Western Salts either in the feed or placed in a salt dish for everyday free access. Western salts are an excellent everyday electrolyte and digestive and great for itchy horses that do not have a fly, parasite or fungal problem. Western salts are also useful in the prevention of Laminitis. Last year we blended Berberine Mixture with Western salts (Cooler Salts) but unfortunately despite some good results we constantly had to battle with the formulation going rock hard, the hydration precipitated out into the soluble plant extracts, setting it like concrete. Indeed it was suggested that it would be good a lick!  The principle was however sound and it may pay to ensure that Sweet Itch horses receive some Western Salts when the temperature soars in addition to Berberine Mixture.   

L94 and Hydrobase T was used in cases of Azoturia otherwise known as ‘tying up’ or myohaemoglobinuria which is often brought about in horses undergoing strenuous exercise after being rested the previous day. It is characterized by spasmodic seizure of voluntary muscles of the back quarters and thighs, profuse sweating and coffee coloured urine. In each case the horses had been repeatedly tying up over a period of a year despite judicious feeding, Vitamin B complex supplementation and other treatments including in some cases subcutaneous injections of insulin. The horses were each given the formula L94 at 100ml per day for 10 days and a further 50ml per day for 20 days plus 60g per day of Hydrobase T. In each case it was reported that the horses returned to training and racing without a recurrence of this uncomfortable condition.     

Apologies to those that know, but with summer coming it may be helpful to quickly reiterate the many functions of Noof. Noof is a selected Margosa, Nimba or Neem oil. Our associate and colleague in India insists on sending Double AA grade from known sources and we process it into the various Noof formulae for our Client’s horses.  Noof is used for spot application, for ameliorating the effects of fly bites, sores, harness burns, ulcers and fungal infections whilst at the same time deterring flies from settling. It is gentle and does not smart or burn and it has the additional benefit of stimulating localized immunity from about 5 days from date of application. If you could cover your horse with Noof it would be fully protected from flies and biting insects would go elsewhere, but that of course is not possible so instead we make a soluble Noof called Noof AZ Wash which looks the same but can be mixed with water and used as a wash or spray, which after three or four days forms a protective film of Noof on the skin and haircoat. You add about a tablespoonful (50ml) of Noof AZ Wash to a litre of water to make a “milk” this you wash with or keep in a hand sprayer from your local garden centre. AZ Wash is invaluable, horses become less irritated and bothered by flies indeed if one horse in a group is regularly sprayed with AZ Wash it will be plagued far less than the other horses. The fly deterrent properties of Noof can be enhanced by the addition of Sitaphal, the oil from the immature pips of the Custard Apple (a sort of Quince) so we further process it to make Noof AZ Wash plus Sitaphal. Another worthwhile addition is Arbor Vitae (Tree of Life) and this with a little Calendula oil is added to Noof for combating persistent Tinea (ringworm) infections. This is Noof MF Liniment and should be massaged into legs and other areas daily and then from time to time washed off with horse soap (not a detergent or chemical scrub) and then reapplied. If Coal Tar cannot be prescribed Noof MF Liniment would be the choice for Coronet dystrophy. 

In addition to Capers, our trusted liver and general well being tonic for dogs, we can now make up Bouley Bay Elixir for Client’s older dogs that may need more strength and vitality. It is a liquid containing Shilajit; herb extracts with honey and apple cider vinegar and is easier to feed than our similar D74 and D76 powders. Excuse the name but being Trinity Consultants and with the liquid containing Herbe de la Trinité we could not resist naming it after a Trinity legend. “Many years ago the people of Trinity talked of a huge black dog, with eyes as big as saucers that roamed the cliff paths around Bouley Bay in the parish of Trinity, dragging its chain behind it. The sound of the chain would frighten people so much they would stop in their tracks only to be encircled by the giant dog, said to have the strength of 10 men. It was said that Smugglers left out an elixir for the Black Dog, to enhance his strength & vitality. But did the dog ever exist or did smugglers make up the tale so that scared parishioners wouldn’t interrupt the landings of brandy & tobacco in the Bay?  It is still said that if by chance you catch site of ‘Le Chien de Bouley’ you must go straight home as a violent storm will ensue”. 

One swallow does not a summer make: however, so we have been quite successful in reducing excess weight off a particular horse without drastically reducing its intake. In preparing the horse for dressage and event competition the owner has done most of the work by increasing the higher heartbeat exercise within her interval training programme but we have supplied what could be described as slimming minerals. We focused on reducing accumulated (archived) toxins (what the Daily Mail calls ‘cellulite’). It has resulted in the horse being fitter and far less troubled by immunity deficit problems. The formula includes Guggulsterones as contained in hypocholesteremic Commiphora Wightii resin, to stimulate the digestion of stored toxins. It takes time, so even if we can do it again the programme would not be for those that chop and change but may be of some valve for the overweight performance horse. 

Winning, whether it is in competition or simply getting over a problem is very satisfying and can be an inspiration to others, so if you would like to share your success with others who use the Trinity website please do so by E-Mailing Philippa on willjer@itl.net or from our website www.justbespoke.com with your photos and write up. Hundreds of clients now regularly log in to the website every week and our aim is to continue to build this friendly, informative site.