BBG Equissage and Equine Therapy

22/10/2023

STRAIGHT IN/OUT OF THE HORSE MOUTH

French White Millet (must be cooked or crushed) is very high in Silica. It is most beneficial in eliminating foreign wastes from the body, facilitates the action of Calcium in the body to strengthen bones and hooves, as well as conditioning hair and skin.

21/03/2023

Louie and Bronson enjoying an EQUISSAGE massage. Always good to see the licking and chewing sessions that come hand in hand with an EQUISSAGE from BBG Equissage and Equine Therapy

09/03/2023

Can Horses Eat Cucumbers?

Yes, horses can eat cucumbers
a welcome answer to those of you with an overabundance of cucumbers growing in your gardens.

Cucumbers are a fantastic source of vitamins such as A, K, and C, as well as potassium.

What's more, cucumber skin provides horses with a natural dietary fibre.

Cucumbers have low calories and low sugar, making them a suitable treat for overweight horses and horses that suffer from insulin-resistance.

01/02/2023

Home Remedies & Acupressure for 'Gunky Eye'

First of all, I'd like to preface this post with the statement: I'm not a vet. If your horse has a condition that your unsure of, take him to a vet for a diagnosis.

With that said, occasionally my horses get gunky eyes for one reason or another, and I usually just treat it myself. Three of them have the eye gunk currently, so I'm guessing that it's some sort of viral conjunctivitis (pink eye). I thought I'd share a couple homemade remedies for treating conjunctivitis in horses and a few acupressure points that can help clear up eye problems.

Here are the remedies (borrowed from an equine rescue website):

Conjuntivitis Remedy #1
:
Steep several tea bags ( black tea is strongest ) in a cup of hot water (distilled water is safest). Bring to lukewarm temperature. Wash each eye with soggy tea bag saturated in tea. Wash carefully, do not break open the tea bag. Use several tea bags for each eye to make sure the eye is thoroughly cleansed and do not use same tea bag on both eyes, it could cause contamination. Do not dip tea bag back into tea, this will contaminate tea mixture, also. The tannin in tea has antibiotic properties.

Conjunctivitis Remedy #2:

Using unpasteurized honey, mix 3 tbs. honey in 2 cups of boiling water (distilled water is safest). Stir to dissolve, cool, and use as an eye wash. Unpasteurized honey has antibiotic properties.

Note: I haven't used either of these remedies yet, but I plan to as soon as I can get the ingredients. I'll probably try the first remedy since tea is cheaper!

30/01/2023

30/01/2023

Eyes are the gateway to a soul

30/01/2023

Sammy, my 31 year old quarterhorse enjoying his first Equissage

28/01/2023

Every year, doctors prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT)—also referred to as a menopausal hormone therapy—to hundreds of thousands of women experiencing menopausal symptoms.

One of the HRT drugs that has historically been among the most widely prescribed is made from animal waste.

The drug is Premarin, an estrogen-therapy drug currently manufactured by Pfizer (formerly Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), which also produces Prempro, an estrogen/progestin combination.

Both drugs contain horse urine, specifically pregnant mare’s urine (PMU). Not only has this form of HRT proved to be dangerous to humans, horses raised for their urine are also kept confined and pregnant, and their foals often end up in the slaughterhouse.

Where Premarin Comes From
According to an industry report, 19 ranches in remote areas of Canada house approximately 1,300 pregnant mares who produce urine for Premarin and Prempro.1,2 For most of their 11-month pregnancies, these horses are confined to stalls so small that they cannot turn around or take more than a single step in any direction. The animals must wear rubber urine-collection bags at all times, which causes chafing and lesions, and their drinking water is limited so that their urine will yield more concentrated estrogen.3 Once the foals are born, the horses are impregnated again, and this cycle continues for about 12 years.4 PMU ranchers are expected to follow the “Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Horses in PMU Operations,” but beyond the call for an “inspection program,” adherence to these guidelines is not tracked nor enforced.5

Some of the thousands of foals born on PMU farms each year are used to replace their exhausted mothers.

Some are offered for adoption, but the remaining foals—along with worn-out mares—are sold at auction, where most are purchased by buyers for slaughterhouses.

What You Can Do
If your doctor prescribes HRT, discuss your options and ask for one of the many humane alternatives to Premarin.

25/01/2023

Bit of an update to a post on Dandelions causing string halt.

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are not known to be toxic to horses. However, false dandelions (Hypochaeris radicata or Hypochoeris radicata) are thought to cause stringhalt in horses if too many are consumed.

Stringhalt is a neurological disorder whereby the horse exhibits involuntary, exaggerated flexion of the hock. Australian Stringhalt is one of three different forms of stringhalt that have been documented in horses.

It is caused by grazing pastures which contain certain plants that are considered toxic to horses; the most common being Hypochoeris radicata (more commonly known as Flatweed, False Dandelion or Catsear). Other weeds, including Taraxacum officinale (Common Dandelion) and Malva parviflora (Marshmallow, Mallow W**d) have also very occasionally been associated with Australian stringhalt.

Hypochaeris radicata (flatweed)
The condition typically occurs in horses that are grazing drought-stressed pastures. A lack of pasture means that these horses begin to consume weeds such as those mentioned above, as there is no alternate source of forage.

Whilst the exact cause is unknown, there is evidence to suggest that H. radicata plants produce toxic metabolites following chemical or climate induced stress, which, in turn, may cause peripheral nerve damage in horses. There does not appear to be any involvement of brain tissue or spinal cord.

Stringhalt can affect any breed, although taller horses such as draft horses and Thoroughbreds are more commonly represented.