Wood horses are high-energy individuals who love physical challenges, and must be kept active or they will develop bad habits like kicking and biting. Wood horses also tend to become unhealthy if they are not exercised enough. While the Wood horse is not a picky eater, he does have a very sensitive liver and is prone to ulcers, especially if he doesn’t get enough entertainment and exercise. Feeding the Wood horse is all about selecting horse feeds and horse supplements with few ingredients so the diet stays simple. Too many ingredients in horse feeds and supplements can be aggravating to the liver.

Wood Horse Nutritional Support
The healthy Wood horse has a high level of Qi(energy), is more Yang(high metabolism), is affected by Wind and benefits from the sour flavor. The bitter flavor is also good for the Wood horse because it helps to disperse the Qi.

Neutral to cooling foods which build Yin and contain the sour or bitter flavor should predominate in the diet of the Wood horse.

Examples of ideal foods for the Wood horse include:
•    barley
•    grass hay
•    alfalfa hay
•    wheat germ(1/4 to 1/2 cup a day)
•    wheat bran
•    rice bran( up to 1 cup a day)
•    beet pulp
•    black sesame seeds(1 to 2 TBS a day)
•    parsley
•    seaweeds
•    micro-algae, especially chlorella(1 to 2 tsp), spirulina( 1 to 2 TBS), and blue-green algae with the cell wall removed (4 to 8 tablets)
•    citrus fruits (contain the sour flavor)
•    apple cider vinegar (contains the sour flavor)

Herbs that contain the sour or bitter flavor and help with Qi dispersal include:
•    Buck Mountain hawthorn (10 to 15cc twice a day)
•    Milk thistle (1 to 2 TBS twice a day for a 10 to 21 day course)
•    devil’s claw(combined with Yucca in the form of Ani-Motion )
•    red clover(contained in Four Hoofs )
•    aloe vera( 1 to 2 ounces a day)
•    black cohosh(contained in RelaxHer Blend )
•    chickweed(contained in Bleeders Blend )
•    dandelion(contained in Four Hoofs )
•    hops(contained in Relax Blend )
•    licorice(contained in UF )

Many of these bitter herbs also have a cleansing effect on the blood which lowers the work of the liver in detoxifying the system. Burdock is considered a mucilaginous herb but it also has some bitter detoxifying action. This herb, like dandelion, often grows around barnyards and should be left for the animals to eat as they need.

Even though many horse feeds and horse supplements can be included in the diet of the Wood horse temperament, it is best to select only a few at a time and avoid horse feeds or horse supplements with many ingredients. It is best to keep the Wood horse diet simple. Madalyn

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