RELAX – Repercussions from Chronic Stress

May 2022 – Mid-Month By: Dr. Madalyn Wardwww.HolisticHorsekeeping.com

Dr. Madalyn Ward and Martini

I remember taking riding lessons as a kid and my trainer yelling at me to relax. Well, I don’t think relaxing is something you can do on demand. At least, I couldn’t do it. Relaxation is something that my body has to find in a passive way. For me, relaxation occurs when I acknowledge and release the thoughts that are causing anxiety of fear.

So why does my trusty Shao Yin (Fire/Water) mare go from relaxed grazing to anxiety when I go to catch her? She is reacting to me! So, if I want my mare to relax, I want to find relaxation for myself. This is not such an easy process. There is a lot of scary stuff happening in the world. If I focus on the world, I get anxious. So more and more I am finding relaxation in trusting that there is a higher vibrational energy that has my best interests in mind. Of course, my mare has been trying to tell me this for years.

Because I have spent so many years trying to control my world and freaking out about everybody else’s world, I have done some damage to my body. My Temperament Type is Tai Yang (Water/Fire) so my kidney and adrenal glands are my weakest organs. The adrenal glands produce hormones to help the body deal with stress. I have really given mine a workout and they are just not strong anymore.

I have had testing that has shown very weak adrenal function, but I can tell more easily because my mid back gets tight when I get stressed. The mid back area is right over where the adrenal glands are located. For the last 6 months I have been taking a product called Phyto Adrenal. I take a dropper every morning and if I feel my mid back get tight during the day, I take another dose and my back releases immediately.

I noticed that my mare was also showing some mid back tightness, so I started her of 1 cc of Phyto Adrenal daily. Shao Yin horses don’t handle stress well and I had been taking her on lots of trail rides and I think she needed a break. The improvement in our interactions since both of us have been taking Phyto Adrenal has been really interesting. I find it easier to find my relaxed state and Martini stays relaxed when I stay relaxed.

We have been doing some fun ground exercises and both of us are ready to do some riding again. I plan to stay on Phyto Adrenal. Martini doesn’t need it as often now, but she still likes it and opens her mouth willingly when I offer it to her. If you are feeling stressed, you can let go of the need to control and trust a higher power to guide you. This is so important. To address the physical repercussions from chronic stress I love Phyto Adrenal.

Have you read Horse Harmony: Understanding Types and Temperaments and Horse Harmony: A Feeding Guide? If you are new to the temperament typing system developed by Madalyn Ward, DVM, then this is an excellent place to start. You can find both in paperback and digital Kindle formats on Amazon by clicking the links above on the book titles. You can see a preview of Horse Harmony HERE to see what it’s all about. Then surf over to https://horsetemperament.com/ and you’ll find plenty of other temperament typing resources including help in typing your horse from one of our specially trained temperament consultants, an overview of each type, an online class on temperament typing, balancing formulas by type and more.

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