October 2014 – Mid Month Update

Holistic Horsekeeping
How to have a healthy happy horse

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In This Issue:

Horse Temperament: 3 Top Supplements for a Fire Horse

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Horse Temperament: 3 Top Supplements for a Fire Horse
Feeding horses according to their Five Element type is a new, but valuable, concept. In addition to a low starch feed and quality grass hay, the 3 top supplements for a Fire horse temperament are Alfalfa hay, a probiotic formula containing S. boulardii, and magnesium. Let’s look at the reasons these products work so well for the Fire horse.

Alfalfa Hay
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the organs associated with the Fire element are the Heart and Small intestine. These organs will be the weak link for the Fire horse that is not in optimum health. In the same vein, extra support for these organs will help the Fire horse stay healthy. In TCM, the Heart controls the emotions. Fire horses are very emotional and this makes them more prone to ulcers and digestive upsets. The small intestine is responsible for the digestion and assimilation of nutrients and stress can interfere with the digestive process.

Alfalfa hay helps for both ulcers and weak digestion. Alfalfa is high in calcium and the calcium can buffer stomach acid for up to 6 hours after eating. The buffering action of alfalfa helps prevent ulcers without interfering with the overall pH balance in the digestive tract. Alfalfa is easy to digest so nutrition is gained from it even if the small intestine is not working perfectly. Good quality alfalfa hay also contains B vitamins, which have a calming effect on the Fire horse.

S. Boulardii
This probiotic yeast is a transient inhabitant of the small intestine. S. boulardii has many beneficial actions including lowering numbers of pathogenic bacteria, helping keep the ideal pH in the gut and supporting a healthy gut wall in the small intestine. S. boulardii supplements, such as ProbioticWise, do not need to be fed all the time but your Fire horse will benefit from alternating them with a good prebiotic containing L. acidophilus fermentation products, such as Ration Plus or Pro-Bi.

Magnesium
The emotional temperament of the Fire horse makes him more affected by stress. When a Fire horse is stressed, his adrenal glands work harder producing stress hormones. The adrenal glands use large amounts of magnesium and if magnesium is not available adrenal exhaustion can occur. Burnout is another name for adrenal exhaustion and this devastating condition can be avoided with the simple supplementation of magnesium. I like di magnesium malate from https://shop.performanceequinenutrition.com/magrestore-p45.aspx. This form of magnesium is easily assimilated by the Fire horse. Extra magnesium is especially important to balance the high calcium in alfalfa hay.

Alfalfa hay, S. boulardii and magnesium – These 3 supplements can make a huge difference in the overall health of your Fire horse.

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