Horse temperament plays a part in how horses age. Tess, my 30 year old, Jue Yin mule has been limping lately. I know exactly why this is happening. After enduring a miserable, record breaking drought and temperatures over 100 for 90 days the weather has cooled off. When the weather was so hot the horses did not move much but now that it is cooler Tess has been frisky.
You see, Tess goes with me when I trail ride Cerise. She follows quietly in most cases but lately, with the cooler weather, she has been dive bombing Cerise and I from all directions. As a Jue Yin horse temperament, Tess loves to explore and go new places. With the summer heat I did little trail riding and Tess was obviously bored all summer. Now that we are riding again you can see how thrilled she is to be back out exploring.
Tess got a little sore last year after following Cerise and I up a few hills so I recognize the signs of body soreness from overworking. The Jue Yin horse temperament can work very hard without problems but Tess is 30 now and she can’t do what she once could. Tess has never needed a joint supplement like glucosamine and since she has the Wood component in her temperament I have kept her diet as simple as possible.
Current regular diet for Tess:
Kool and Kalm extruded feed
1 flake alfalfa hay/day
Free choice coastal hay
1 packet Simplexity Essentials/day
1 oz noni or Xango juice/day
Extras for Tess when she overworks herself:
Homeopathic arnica for muscle soreness
Double dose noni or Xango juice
Ani-Motion with yucca and devil’s claw
Simplexity CoEnzyme Q10, 120 mg/day
As you may notice, antioxidants play a big part in both the regular and extra support diet for Tess. The Wood part of Tess is prone to build up of toxins and the Fire part has problems with inflammation. Healthy Wood or Fire types, who have a good diet, metabolize minerals well and have strong bones and joints so many glucosamine based joint supplements are not as beneficial for them as other horse temperaments.
The Fire horse temperament can have digestive issues which are addressed, for Tess, with the easily digested alfalfa, extruded feed and probiotics and enzymes in the Essentials. The blue green algae in the Essentials is also very easy to digest and has the added benefit of chlorophyl, which helps with liver function.
The antioxidants in the Animotion address more the connective tissues around the joints than the joints themselves. Devil’s claw has a pain relieving action and yucca supports health gut function, which allows fewer toxins to form or be absorbed, thus lowering the work load on the liver. CoEnzyme Q10 is wonderful for liver function and antioxidant support.
Usually when Tess plays too hard she recovers within a few days on her extra support diet. I continue to allow her to come along because it makes her so happy. I go slow so she can keep up and enjoy participating in her games. It is worth it to both of us if she needs extra supplements. Madalyn
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