Holistic Horsekeeping
How to have a healthy happy horse!
Is your Horse in Sympathetic Burnout Because of You?
No human or horse can live in the fight or flight state indefinitely, yet that is exactly what is happening to so many right now. People are stressed and that stress is transferring to our horses when we interact with them.
When we get stuck in the loop of continued stress it leads to burnout in our nervous system so we become unable to shift into the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state. In the sympathetic (fight or flight) state our tempers flare more easily and it is harder for us to think clearly and make good decisions. Our horses know this about us and this makes them feel less safe.
I take PhytoAdrenal daily to support my adrenal glands because I know my adrenal glands have been weak in the past and I don’t want that to happen again. I also use the Calm hemp formula when I feel I need it to deal with stressful circumstances. I take a packet of algae and digestive support daily to support my gut and provide whole food nutrients.
With this underlying thought in mind, ask yourself how you are feeling when you interact with your horse. You should never beat yourself up for being stressed, it happens to all of us and luckily there are some things to help understand how our horses may be affected.
While any horse can be affected by your energy it is the Fire, Water and Fire/Water temperaments that struggle the most. These horses want to please and to feel safe so if you are hard to please or not feeling safe yourself they feel this more than other types.
A Fire horse temperament will continue to work as long as he understands what he is being asked to do and gets praise for doing it well. Burnout can happen quickly in a Fire horse temperament if he gets confused and is punished for not understanding or can’t do the task due to pain. The Fire Balance formula was designed to help the Fire horse handle stress. Focus mushroom formula and Focus hemp are also beneficial. Low doses of this hemp formula are best for emotional issues, .25cc once or twice a day.
A Water horse temperament will burn out quickly if he is asked to do things that cause fear or pain. The Water Balance formula supports the bones and joints as well as helping relax the nervous system. Water horses can also benefit from Focus mushroom and Focus hemp. If the Water horse has already gone into burnout and is showing constant high anxiety then Calm hemp is given at the rate of .25cc twice a day. PhytoAdrenal is a product that supports healthy adrenal gland function. It is given at the rate of 1cc a day over a long period of time to restore healthy adrenal function.
All horses benefit from an algae with probiotics formula to support their gut health and
microbiome. The algae has nutrients that not only support health but cross the blood brain barrier to give a sense of well being. Support yourself and your horse because burnout is easier to prevent than to recover from.
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