Holistic Horsekeeping
How to have a healthy happy horse

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In This Issue:
1. Pain – How it interferes with accurate typing
2. Holiday Gifts for Horse Lovers

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1. Pain – How it interferes with accurate typing

A horse in pain is harder to type because the pain interferes with accurate typing. A horse in pain will not be his normal self. He will be more anxious, fearful, depressed or angry because he can’t control his pain and yet he is still asked to work. His behavior is now about defending himself and it does not represent who he really is when he is not in pain.

When you see an anxious horse you may think of a Fire temperament. Keep in mind, though, that ulcer pain in any temperament type can cause anxiety. These horses may carry their heads higher than normal, refuse to stand still, resist saddling or girthing and rush forward when being ridden.

GastroPlusPro is a great product to try on any horse showing excessive anxiety. GastroplusPro increases circulation to all sections of the horse’s digestive tract. Increased mucous production is another benefit which soothes and coats the gut providing pain relief. Giving a month treatment course may be needed to eliminate ulcer pain as a cause of anxiety before confirming a horse as a Fire type.

Fearfulness is a common Water horse behavior but a blocked rib can make a horse act afraid because he can’t take a deep breath without pain and shallow breathing will restrict oxygen to the brain. A horse that is not getting good oxygen to his brain will act nervous and tend to shy more easily. Osteopathic adjustment will free ribs that have become blocked in their normal movement. Many a horse has been cured of frequent shying by a proper rib adjustment.

The angry horse is often typed incorrectly as a Wood horse when pain is the real cause for his irritability. Sore muscles, neck or back pain are common reasons for a horse to show resentment towards being asked to work.

InjuryPro is a good product to give for muscle or connective tissue pain. InjuryPro contains herbal antioxidants to support healthy muscles and connective tissues but it does not mask pain like drugs. If musculoskeletal pain is causing irritability, the horse will become much happier after a month or so of treatment. Body work can also be a huge help with sore muscles.

The depressed or low ambition horse may be initially typed as an Earth temperament but once pain from chronic arthritic pain is addressed he will come to life and show his true self. Low grade laminitis can also be confused with laziness because it hurts the horse to move any faster than a walk.

JointPlus will support healthy joints. Adequan is an injectable product that can be given monthly to support healthy joints. Diet should be evaluated for any horse showing laminitis. Metabolic testing will determine if underlying hormone imbalances are setting the horse up for laminitis. While diet and hormone issues are being addressed products like LaminitisPlus or NitroPro will give the horse pain relief and support healing.

If your horse starts to behave in a way that is not normal for him there is a good chance he is in pain. Treat his pain and you will have your good horse back. The challenge is determining what is causing behavior in a horse you do not know well. Temperament typing can be a very beneficial tool to help to understand a horse but typing can be difficult if pain is causing behavior changes. You may want to treat for pain first and then type the horse.

2. Holiday Gifts for Horse Lovers

Yes the holiday season is once again upon us and Holistic Horsekeeping can help you out with some great gift ideas for the horse lovers on your list. Here are a few suggestions. And if you want us to provide you with a gift certificate that you can wrap or send as a physical gift, just let us know when you order and we’ll be happy to do that.

Books, DVDs, Audios, Ebooks
A Consult with Madalyn Ward, DVM
Mentoring Program one-on-one with Dr. Ward
Online Horse Temperament Typing Course
A variety of supplemental products for horses in our webstore

And for gift ideas for your horse friends, take a look at this video letting you know what different temperament type horses would appreciate. If you don’t see the video below, you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIb7VxapIlg&t=2s

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