Nutrition and Lifestyle

"My horse has scratches" or "my horse has rain rot" needs to be thought of deeper - as a sign of immune system weakness and stress.

How does a horse live?

A horse by nature is a nomadic prey animal, foraging on a variety of scrub-type vegetation, and moving 20 to 30 miles a day on average over varied terrain with about 4 hours spent resting or sleeping.

Humans expect horses to adapt to our schedules, and conveniences and ways of eating, sleeping and exercising - which for the most part horses can do because they are highly adaptable (e.g. they have survived for millions of years through all climates and changes). HOWEVER, the stress brought on by continuous unnatural living conditions create, and exacerbate, chronic disease and a long term overall weakening of the immune system.

What is Health?

Health is defined as "Freedom from disease." In Conventional medicine, "normal" chronic conditions are accepted as healthy as long as the animal is free from devastating illness. Many signs of chronic problems or "dis-ease" , when non-life threatening, are accepted as normal health.

Whereas in holistic veterinary medicine, true health is defined as freedom from any sign of disease. A healthy individual should be able to mount an impressive immune system response to a pathogen or illness. That means "my horse has scratches" or "my horse has rain rot" needs to be thought of deeper - as a sign of immune system weakness and stress. In horses that repeatedly have skin issues, or allergies, in my opinion I would be concerned about their general overall health and would consider them immunocompromised in some way. Allergies especially are an autoimmune disorder in an organism where the immune system is imbalanced or over reactive.

"Skin is the largest organ in the body, with the internal health and nutritional state reflected in the skin and hooves. The dry, dull, bleached coats on which clients spend a fortune on shampoos and supplements, can be best treated from the inside using a [balanced nutritional] approach. One of the primary signs of a healthy horse is a deep rich color to the hair. Truly healthy horses have a glow to their coat and they do not bleach out in the sun."

-Dr Joyce Harman, DVM, CAVM

What I believe Dr. Harman so aptly is saying is that we need to give more thought to the nutritional needs of horses and how it impacts all aspects of health. For too long, horses have been subjected to high concentrate (grain) diets and not enough long stem forage (hay) which their digestive system so badly needs to maintain itself and function properly. For too long, horses have been subjected to standing in small boxes, in their own feces and urine, during most or part of their lives. They are not cave dwellers. The feeling of enclosure and restricted movement gives them no sense of safety. And for much too long, have they been required to stand and move on metal rims around the periphery of their hooves - making a structure which was provided at the birth of every horse over millions of years - to support, protect and provide traction for a nomadic desert animal - the inability to function as designed and intended.

What do horses need for health?

They need movement, in a herd environment (horses are social animals) for their psychological health, and to eat from ground level (for the healthy digestive process to start). They need roughage, fiber, at a steady trickle through their small stomachs - not large meals twice a day. This is how they are biologically designed. They are horses, not humans. Their bodies, language, motivations, and biological evolution are starkly different from ours. We tend to anthropomorphize their needs, using our own preferences and needs as a guide, which is understandable when one is uninformed. But I tell you, horses have not, and do not thrive by this traditional system of management. This is seen in the lameness issues which are so prevalent in domestication (not so in the wild. Why?).

The American Farrier's Journal estimated that some 90 percent of horses in domestication could not pass a soundness evaluation. The degrees of lameness varying. This is a direct reflection on our management practices. It is also seen in the shortened lifespans of our horses ("old" being a relative term). Wild horses actually live longer on average than domestic horses. They do this with no intervention from us telling them to eat corn, barley and oats; or get vaccinated for every possible contagion; or chemically dewormed every two months. Their immune systems being so much the stronger.

I have seen these amazing creatures first hand in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. They are not the weak, emaciated, ill creatures which had been represented to me by certain equine professionals. I only WISH I saw body condition like that on our horses , movement like that - floating over rocks - incredible athletes. Just the flexion, the grace, the movement - and of course the resulting hooves - like works of art painted by nature. They made an indelible impression in my mind. Every horse owners dream.

What are they eating?

We need to figure this out. This is the key that unlocks the mystery. Dr Katy Watts has recently completed research showing that horses in the wild get between 12-13 percent protein from their diet, consistently. There are more results of Dr Watts research you can find on her website: safergrass.org. One thing is certain - they get some variety. They also eat on the move, not standing still.

What about their teeth? How do they chew food without the help of a "float"? Wouldn't they starve or be eaten by a predator if they had horrible dental problems?

Most of our horses get more "nutrition" from a square yard of grass that they stand on, than wild horses get in 20 miles of foraging! So why do our horses have so many "issues"? Overfed and underexercised seems to be a theme.

Detoxification Required?

Every day since birth, our bodies have been bombarded by environmental toxins including heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and various chemical components (Benzene, Mercury, Arsenic, Thimerosol in vaccines, are some examples) which are used in everyday products we buy or consume. The job of the Liver and Kidneys is to flush, or filter these toxins. These toxins and heavy metals interfere with our bodies ability to heal and be healthy. Since the industrial age, our bodies are unable to keep up with the constant pace of toxins entering our cells.

Scientists are calling Natural Cellular Defense one of the most important medical discoveries of our time. NCD is a purified liquid Zeolite, heated to 900 degrees for purification and cleaning. Zeolite is highly negatively charged and attracts the positive charges of Mercury, benzene, arsenic, all heavy metals, pesticides, and eventually viruses. It traps and escorts these dangerous, interfering entities from our bodies via the urinary system. It is odorless, and tasteless. Athletes using it report quicker recovery times, and more energy.

Please read about the product, testimonials, and order from my website at http://www.mywaiora.com/319165.

Use it for yourself, use it for the health of your horses. It works. BUT DO NOT use any other source of Zeolite. If it is not properly cleaned, you will ingest the toxins it naturally attracts. Waiora is the original natural source of pure Zeolite.