Tag: equine

From Warts to Lipomas – Understanding Pet Lumps 💛

16 March, 2026

Finding a lump or bump on your pet can be worrying; however, a veterinary diagnosis can help determine the cause and guide the next steps, as some lumps require more care or monitoring than others. These growths can range from warts and skin tags to lipomas and tumours. Lumps and bumps can develop in animals at any stage of life. From a holistic perspective, factors such as diet, environmental exposures, immune balance, hormonal changes and metabolic stress may all influence how tissues grow and repair themselves over time. Minor skin growths, cysts or fatty deposits can sometimes form as the…

Not All Oils do the Same Thing for Pets 💚

23 February, 2026

Fats and oils play a vital role in animal health, supporting skin, joints, hormones, immunity and nervous system function. But not all oils are equal and not all pets are getting the essential fats they need, even when their diet appears “complete”. Understanding where oils come from, how they’re processed and how they’re used in the body can make a meaningful difference to your pet’s long-term wellbeing. The issue with Processed Pet Foods Many commercial pet foods are exposed to high heat during processing, particularly extrusion and rendering. Heat can –  While fats may still be present on the label,…

Heat Stress & Dehydration in Horses: The Biggest Summer Challenge

9 February, 2026

Summer places unique demands on horses. While many owners struggle with risks like colic, heat stress and dehydration are the most significant challenges horses face during warmer months and they can develop quickly, sometimes without obvious warning. Understanding how horses regulate heat, what signs to watch for, and how to support them through hot conditions is essential for maintaining health, comfort and performance throughout summer. How Horses Regulate Heat Horses primarily cool themselves through sweating and respiration. As temperatures rise, their bodies work harder to release excess heat, especially during exercise, transport or periods of high humidity. Unlike humans, horses…

Natural Breeding & Pregnancy Support Guides

11 December, 2025

Free Downloadable PDF Guides for Dogs, Cats, Goats & Horses 🐶😺🐐🐴 Whether you’re preparing for breeding or caring for a pregnant animal, having the right natural guidance makes all the difference. These FREE Holistic Pregnancy Support Guides are written to help animals before conception, during pregnancy, and in preparation for birth. 🐶 Canine Pregnancy Guide Learn how to naturally support your dog through breeding preparation, the 9-week gestation period, and early maternal care. Download Canine Pregnancy Guide (PDF) 🐱 Feline Pregnancy Guide This guide covers nutritional support, mineral balance, immune support, and calm environment preparation for mum and kittens. Download…

Toxins in your Horse’s Environment 

4 September, 2025

Toxins in Your Horse’s Environment: What You Need to Know. As horse owners, we do everything we can to keep our equine friends healthy from quality feed to regular vet checks. But one area that often gets overlooked is the environment they live in. Subtle toxins in paddocks, stables, and even hay can have a real impact on your horse’s health over time.  Weed Control Chemicals: A Hidden Risk  Many horse owners use chemical sprays to control weeds in paddocks and on hay crops. While these products can be effective at keeping pastures looking tidy, they contain chemicals that may…

Head Flicking in Horses

5 August, 2024

Head flicking in horses (or head shaking) is characterized by some or all of the following: There are a variety of conditions that will ‘trigger’ head-shaking episodes: Important: Head-shaking/flicking is not ‘naughty’ behavior. Forget trying to physically restrict the horse with any kind of ‘tie-down’or trying to ‘school’ him out of it. It is a debilitating, painful condition, see below. The Trigeminal Nerve It has been established that head-shaking/flicking involves the malfunctioning of the trigeminal nerve in the horses head. The trigeminal nerve originates behind the horse’s eye and has branches down to the mouth, nostrils and up to the…

Leaky Gut in Horses

1 May, 2024

What is leaky gut? Leaky Gut Syndrome in horses is a condition where the lining of the horse’s intestinal tract becomes damaged, leading to increased intestinal permeability. This means that substances that would normally be contained within the gut, such as toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles, can pass through the compromised gut lining and enter the bloodstream. This condition can lead to a variety of health issues due to systemic inflammation and immune system reactions. Causes and Contributing Factors Several factors can contribute to the development of Leaky Gut Syndrome in horses: High-sugar intake from grazing green grass can…

Grass Choices: Which is best for our Horses

20 June, 2023

Understanding Horse’s Digestive Needs Horses possess a unique digestive system that thrives on a continuous supply of nutrient-dense, high-fibre forage. This forage is digested through fermentation in the hindgut, providing essential nutrients and energy. Impact of Grass Moisture Content The moisture content of grass significantly affects fibre intake. Green grass typically has lower fibre content compared to dry, mature grass. Horses grazing on lush grass day & night, without adequate fibre are at risk of imbalances in their gut microbiome. A horse’s hindgut is a fermentation vat that digests fibre, producing fatty acids for energy and absorption of essential nutrients….

Grasses & The Problems They Present

18 April, 2023

Grasses are a common component of a horse’s diet, but not all grasses are created equal. Some grasses can contain compounds that cause symptoms and health issues in horses. In this article, we’ll explore some of the common grasses that can cause problems for horses. Fluorescing pigments are found in some grasses, such as rye, clover, lucerne, St John’s wort, buttercup, and plantain. These pigments give the grass a dark green color, but they can also cause photophobia and photosensitization in horses. Horses that consume these grasses may develop symptoms such as mud-fever and sunburn. Oxalate is another compound that…

Rainscald & Midge allergy

19 May, 2022

Just giving you an update on Chief’s condition. With all this rain we have been having, he did have a 2nd relapse, but with perseverance we got there, with all his “medicated baths”, scrubbing of skin adhesions and this wonderful Calafea oil, it has been a godsend. Would highly recommend it to anyone that has rain scald, or a grass or midge allergy. Thank you once again for your help. Tracey W.

Horse Diet – Feeding Naturally

9 July, 2021

Horse diets vary significantly based on the individual horse and its regular activities. The nutritional needs of a racehorse, for instance, are markedly different from those of a weekend leisure pony. The following is provided as a basic guideline and will need to be varied according to your horse’s breed, workload, and nutritional needs. Horses are grazing animals and naturally cover extensive distances in the wild (averaging 30+ km daily) to find food and water. Wild horses spend around 18-20 hours daily grazing on native grasses with relatively low nutritional content. This differs from the lifestyle of most domestic horses,…

Stomach Ulcers in Horses. Or is it something else?

11 June, 2021

Stomach Ulcers in Horses present with signs such as going off their feed, and sometimes also becoming grumpy, twitchy and girthy. Horses on unsuitable forage, especially cool season pastures (rye-grass, cocksfoot, timothy, all clovers) when they are in growth mode, or in spring and autumn also get grumpy, twitchy and girthy. Girthiness or Ulcers? How can you tell which it is?  The scoping procedure to verify the presence of ulcers isn’t the most pleasant experience and can be costly. Here are a few points to consider: Horses with gastric ulcers usually go off their feed, it is like they want…

Toxic Plants & Food for Horses

13 January, 2021

There are quite a lot of plants that are toxic to horses, so it is important to ensure you know that is growing in your paddocks. The list is too long to include here but I will list a few common foods, herbs and grasses that should be avoided for horses Many garden plants and fruit trees are toxic to horses so it is a good idea to avoid throwing prunings or garden waste into paddocks to avoid accidentally allowing them access to something toxic Grass Clippings (from mowing) should never be given to horses as the mall particle size…

Heat Stress – How to avoid

10 November, 2019

During Summer with scorching temperatures it is important to avoid equine heat stress. It is all about your horse being able to maintain his core body temperature close to 37.5C. This he can efficiently do on his own under most environmental conditions provided he has choices, for example access to shade and a clean trough that dispenses nice, cool water. Heat stress is the result of a build-up of heat in the horse’s body, usually due to some impediment to the normal sweating process.  In the horse, sweating is the most important means of reducing core body temperature. It works…

Grass Affected Horse – How do you know if it is the grass?

17 May, 2016

If its Autumn or Spring, the risk is highest, however certain grasses, supplements and feeds can affect some horses all year long. A ‘Grass Affected’ horse is one where one or multiple aspects of their diet are adversely affecting their health and behaviour. This usually originates from the forage (grass) but can be further exacerbated by the addition of other potassium rich feeds to their diet. The fastest way to create a ‘Grass Affected’ horse is to graze them on dairy pasture or other pasture that has been fertilized with potash, super-phosphate, DAP, Urea, NPK etc. This is enough to create a…

Laminitis and Founder – What to watch out for

6 April, 2016

There is a difference between laminitis and founder – Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae (which is the tissue that attaches the coffin bone to the hoof wall). Founder, is where the laminae have let go allowing the coffin bone to ‘sink’ within the hoof capsule. Laminitis nearly always precedes founder. Laminitis is a CHEMISTRY problem, which is relatively easy to rectify if action is taken early enough. However, once the laminae have ‘let go’, it is now a PHYSICAL injury or a mechanical problem which is a whole different kettle of fish to recover from. To rehabilitate a foundered…

Cool Energy Feeding for Horses

10 March, 2016

How do you know if a feed is going to be ‘heating’ for your horse? It is actually quite easy when you understand the following information on how the horse’s digestive system works. Food that is first chewed and thereby mixed with saliva passes into the stomach which has a very acidic environment because it is expecting to have to start the breakdown process of high fibre forage. This material then moves into the small intestine (which is actually quite long and narrow) where the ‘simple’ sugars (for example from growing grass or molasses) are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream….

Big Head disease recovery

30 September, 2015

Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism Recovery In December 2010 my horse was diagnosed with signs of big head disease. The swellings on each side of her head were extremely large and appeared over a matter of weeks. She was reluctant to go forward and spent hours each day standing around with an extremely depressed look in her eye. Her coat was dull. When she was ridden it was almost impossible to get her to canter and when she did she had very short, choppy strides. Apart from the facial swellings the other signs I mentioned appeared twelve months before she was diagnosed,…

Flash’s suspected Fractured Pelvis Recovery

24 September, 2015

Our 15 year old stock horse developed what we thought was arthritis around 3 months after we purchased him (he had been fully vet checked prior to purchase and passed with flying colors). He was intermittently lame which would come and go randomly and he would often drag his hind feet when walking and struggled walking down steep hills. Flash was a successful show jumper with his previous owner and we eventually had to retire him from jumping a year later as we didn’t want to put any more strain on his joints and he was struggling to lift his legs high enough to clear…

Spooking and Shying Violently

24 September, 2015

I have been using the whole Calm Healthy Horses Plan for over a year now with amazing results and would like to share the experience. I had searched for the right horse for months and a friend found him in the Eastern States for me and I was assured that he was very quiet and would suit me well. He had come from fairly drought conditions, and he was fine for a short while until my green pasture hit his system. He then became unmanageable for me, both to handle and ride, shying violently and becoming highly reactive to stimuli…

Sore Back and Nipping

24 September, 2015

I bought Duke in early January, 2010. When I went to try him he was a calm, unflappable horse who seemed to take everything in his stride. My mother and I brought him home and put him in a large paddock with lots of feed because he was a little skinny. The first few times I rode him, he was just as good as when I looked at him but he soon deteriorated and every time I caught him, he would try to bite me. One time he even reared up and started lashing out at me with his front…

Leg Splints Disappeared

24 September, 2015

Barry was broken-in in March, 2009, at four years of age and quietly worked through the winter, attending some winter clinics. After shedding the winter woollies and going from the ugly duck to a beautiful swan, he was shown three times in August for a promising start with three Champions and one Supreme. Things looked good for his newcomer season. On the 1st of September things started to crash with Barry starting to get a bit scratchy, a subtle lameness that would seem worse on corners and not real evident which leg it was. We decided to put a set…

Suspected Fractured Pelvis or Sacroiliac Injury

24 September, 2015

Great news! The horse with the suspected fractured pelvis is back to normal! I know a lot of people will bethinking ‘How can this be?’ Actually it is not at all difficult to understand when you realise how much mineral balances have to do with nerve and muscle function. When Susan bought ‘Millie’, a Sir Tristram bred TB in March of 2007 for her daughter Carmel, she was everything she was wanting for her next horse. Calm and quiet, with a fantastic temperament, she had already proven herself as a Show Hunter finishing 6th nationally on the 2006 Circuit. She took to…

Sacro-illiac and Saddle-fit Problems

24 September, 2015

These are so common and more often than not are NOT the result of an injury. They can easily be just another manifestation of a serious mineral imbalance, that of excess potassium relative to sodium, chloride, calcium and magnesium! Often this goes along with the other symptoms of being touchy, not wanting to be groomed, saddled etc. If you put your horse on the lunge, at the walk they may appear normal, the trot may be normal or they may appear stiff or tight behind, not tracking up. Where it really shows up is at the canter especially the first few…

Calm Healthy Horses Plan

8 September, 2015

Tick off any symptoms that you find from the Horse Symptom Checklist. Make the recommended diet changes in the CalmHealthyHorses Plan for one month, then, revisit the Checklist. If necessary continue the process for another month or until your horse is completely back to normal. This may take several months for more serious problems such as Head-Flicking. The Calm Healthy Horses Plan will help eliminate digestive flora problems, mineral imbalances, mycotoxin overload and correct the natural buffering system. Your horse will be calm and healthy and riding will be enjoyable again. Introduce any new feeds or supplements slowly, over a period of…

Cushings / PPID in Horses

8 September, 2015

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) or Cushings disease is primarily a hormonal disorder caused by malfunction of the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain. The pituitary is often referred to as the ‘master gland’ as it produces various hormones and substances which control body functions via other glands including the adrenal glands. Overactivity (over-working) of the pituitary causes enlargement of the part of the gland called the ‘pars intermedia’ which then presses on the ‘Hypothalamus’ gland interfering with control of body temperature, and production of endorphins and dopamine. Abnormal sweat patterns and depression are characteristic of Cushing’s…

Laminitis Solutions

8 September, 2015

Equine Laminitis Solutions – Click here for information about the difference between laminitis and founder. There are several potential causes of laminitis Any major infection such as a retained placenta Some medications Any injury which causes constant weight-bearing on the other ‘good’ limb Standing on poisonous substances Gorging on grain from the feed bin Fructans in cool season grasses like rye-grass The sort of laminitis we are talking about here is that which is most common, especially in spring and autumn, and is caused by the mineral imbalances inherent in the grass the horse is consuming, referred to here as ‘Grass-Induced…