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2008 was not a great year, neither for me nor my horses. Firstly, my
stallion Poco Blue Moon (Charlie) developed stifle problems.
Secondly, my old broodmare Poco Peppy Kate (Kate) was so much in
pain and stiff in her joints from Arthritis that I thought about
putting her down. And to top it, I broke my ankle. It was a very bad
injury, as I nearly tore my foot off and had several return visits
to the Hospital due to complications.
Charlie’s Story: Charlie got injured just before the 2007
Reining Futurity Final. He was treated using massage & chiropractic
treatments by a Vet and a Chiropractor to perform to his best
abilities (and even ended up winning). He had a limited
breeding season (thank you EI!), and by January developed clicking
and soreness in his stifle.
I had the Vet look at him, and then treated with acupuncture.
Nothing changed………….
The next step was my Equine Chiropractor. He assessed the situation,
gave Charlie some manipulation and relieved his pain. In the
meantime, I put Charlie on (very expensive!!) Cosequin. He seemed to
be pain free, but still very stiff in the stifle. With regular
trotting, he got better, but as soon as he did not get ridden for a
couple of days, his stiffness returned and the clicking got worse.
So after the initial success of Cosequin, I still thought after
awhile "I am wasting my money here".
I had a long hard think about the situation and decided to go back
to natural help in the form of herbs. In the past, when all else
failed, herbal remedies were usually the last suggestion of my Vets,
but my first choice – and guess what – they did work! > |
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I developed a dry herbal blend containing Comfrey, Devil’s Claw,
Yarrow, Meadowsweet, Glucosamine, Turmeric + other goodies. I made
my own tincture as well using Devil’s Claw, Chamomile & Calendula
(given orally onto the tongue twice daily). The horse totally
recovered within 7 weeks. The herbal treatment combined with
corrective trimming (building up the heel in the hind hooves) has
brought him back to his best.
Kate’s Story: Kate is now about to turn 21. Being a broodmare
all her life, she must have had a rough life - her body shows the
story in plenty of scars.
She always had bad arthritis in both her hind fetlocks (they are
about twice the size of a normal fetlock), which made her lope
always look funny (a bit like locking up with both hind legs). Last
winter she got even worse, being totally stiff in her joints and was
in very skinny condition, despite being fed well twice daily. Her
teeth were fine as well, but pain can make a horse loose condition.
I was thinking of putting her down as I did not want her to suffer.
This coincided with the development of my dry herbal blend for
Charlie. I put her onto the same blend and within 6 weeks, she was
loping around the paddock!!! She behaved and looked 10 years
younger.
This year Kate is the fattest horse in the paddock and highly
pregnant. Winter is approaching now and she developed a large
arthritic lump on her knee. She is not lame or in pain, but I put
her back on her ‘once a day tablespoon’ of dry herbal mix, omitting
the Devil’s Claw and Yarrow with MSM, Chondroitin and other herbs
and minerals. |
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Barbara’s Story: I broke my ankle in October last year. It was a
very bad break and by now I am still not fully recovered. My pain
management regime is working well with the help of Red Light
Therapy. Red Light Therapy is like acupuncture, just without
the needles. The red light
stimulates cell regeneration. I now use
it on the horses as well and they surely appreciate their
treatments.
I also use my 'Mobility Oil' whenever my ankle is stiff. It works
really fast due to the oils being absorbed quickly into the skin - I
lose the stiffness
within 15 minutes.
The Red Light Therapy is available in Grafton & surrounding areas.
So far, all my treatments had a 100% success rate. I am very proud
of this
result and nothing makes me happier than seeing a horse
recovering and being healthy, shiny, pain free and HAPPY :) |
