Holistic Horsekeeping
How to have a healthy happy horse

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In This Issue:

1. 3 Reasons Why Fire horses get Leaky Gut
2. Mentoring Opportunity You Don’t Want to Miss

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1. 3 Reasons Why Fire horses get Leaky Gut

If you have a Fire horse you know these horses have sensitive digestion and can be very picky eaters. The theatrics when a new food or supplement is introduced can be annoying to the point of being humorous. My Fire Mare, Cerise, once actually rubbed her tongue on the ground after encountering a new ingredient in her food. If your Fire horse starts acting too picky about eating or develops loose manure, something more serious may be going on – Leaky Gut. Leaky Gut is a condition where the lining of the gut wall becomes damaged and partially digested proteins are absorbed. These proteins trigger an immune reaction causing pain and inflammation. There are 3 reasons why Fire horses get Leaky Gut.

1. One organ associated with Fire is the heart. The heart is responsible for blood circulation in the body and if circulation is impaired the cells that are most active will suffer first. The lining of the gut is one of the first areas to be affected by poor circulation. Without good circulation the tiny finger like villi in the gut wall start to deteriorate. Good bacteria live between the villi and without a good place to live their numbers will decrease. When the numbers of good bacteria decrease then other types of bacteria come in their place. This disrupts the balance of bacteria and interferes with digestion. Pathogenic bacteria may produce toxic byproducts that cause further damage to the gut lining.
2. Another organ associated with Fire is the small intestine. The small intestine comes after the stomach and it is where protein digestion and absorption takes place. If the small intestine is not functioning correctly then digestion of proteins is impaired. Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. These amino acid chains are normally broken down into single amino acids to be used by the horse. When the protein chains are only partially broken down and they pass through the gut wall into the blood stream the immune system is triggered to react and remove them. The immune system reaction causes inflammation in the gut wall further damaging it.
3. Anxiety is the stress emotion of the Fire horse. Anxiety causes the horse to shift into a sympathetic, fight or flight, state. In a sympathetic state the body shifts blood away from internal organs to the muscles in preparation for fight or flight. It is not uncommon for the Fire horse to get stuck in the sympathetic state when he has ongoing stress that causes him to remain anxious. Decreased blood flow from ongoing stress will cause the same issues as poor circulation from heart problems.

These are the 3 reasons why Fire horses get Leaky Gut. Leaky Gut can be prevented by making sure the horse has adequate circulation to the gut. Hawthorn is an herb that supports the heart and improves circulation. Older Fire horses may benefit from this herb. GastroPlus Pro is a product that increases blood flow to the intestines and promotes a healthy layer of protective mucous. GastroPlus Pro is especially good for Fire horses in competition.

Ration Plus is a great product for small intestine support and it contains fermentation byproducts from lactobacillus bacteria. If the lining of the small intestine is compromised then the good lactobacillus bacteria will decrease in numbers but Ration Plus will still provide the protection their byproducts would normally provide. This helps prevent overgrowth of undesirable bacteria until the lining of the gut can be re-established.

The Fire balance formula helps reduce anxiety in the Fire horse and provides support nutrients for the heart and small intestine. This formula is only needed during times of stress.

The Fire horses do well with alfalfa hay and it really seems to help keep their digestive system healthier. Blue green algae is an important addition to the Fire horse diet. It helps provide a sense of well-being and it is a protein source that is very easily digested. This nutrient dense food also helps heal any damaged cells including those in the gut. You can find out what feeds cause problems for the Fire horse here. http://www.horsetemperament.com/firehorse-feeds.html

2. Mentoring Opportunity You Don’t Want to Miss

Madalyn Ward DVM is offering a unique opportunity for others to mentor with her. This can be done long distance with the help of technology so don’t worry that you have to miss out if you don’t live in her area. This one-on-one study allows Madalyn to design a program to suit your needs whether you are a professional, horse owner, or just interested in increasing your equine knowledge. You can choose from topics on “Horse Nutrition Mentoring Course – Using foods to heal” or “Homeopathy Mentoring Course – Beyond Arnica”. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn from a holistic horse expert. Email info@holistichorsekeeping.com and ask for an application. Details about the program are available online. The number of students is limited at any one time so that Dr. Ward can spend time with each, so get your application now.

If your schedule just doesn’t allow you to commit right now to the 6 month Mentoring Course, you can still increase your equine knowledge and skills with books , ebooks, audios, or a self-paced online course open to anyone interested in learning more about the Horse Temperament Types. If you want to learn more about determining the temperament type of your horses, this course is the one for you. You can sign up and find more information at http://horsetemperament.com/class.html.

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