A new approach to metabolic issues

[Dawn Perkins]

I received Cynthia Cooper's latest blog this morning. Cynthia has seven years post-graduate study of metabolic issues and has come to the conclusion that methods currently used to control horses' weight are fundamentally misguided. As Nic Barker and Avril always do in their different areas of practice, Cynthia has observed and listened to the horses themselves so, instead of imposing artificial restrictions on horses with metabolic issues, Cynthia believes we should be allowing the horses to revert to the eating patterns which are most natural to them:-

naturalhorseworld.com/blog/bring-back-the-horses-instincts/

You may also be interested in her updates on her recent move to larger acreage in another location in Tasmania as well as news on a new Australian magazine. I had thought for quite some time that a magazine geared towards people like me, with an interest in a more natural way of keeping horses, would be a good idea, so it could be that someone will take note of how successful or otherwise the Australian version becomes:-

naturalhorseworld.com/blog/new-magazine-and-a-property-update/

Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

Apologies - I have just re-read Cynthia's blog and noticed that she didn't write this article herself. All the references, therefore, should read Juliet M Getty, PhD, not Cynthia!

The links will take anyone who may be interested in the subject to Juliet Getty's own website.

Dawn Perkins

[ange]

Dawn, an interesting article, and well timed - I've not been on here for many many months and thought I'd visit to see what people have been up to, and to post about Millie, who at only 13 has recently been diagnosed with PPID, and is most likely also Insulin Resistant (waiting to test for that at next vet visit).

As the article says, it's nothing new, but sadly for many UK horse owners, finding somewhere to keep your horse where a truly natural environment can be replicated is VERY difficult - and it really does need to be a full replication of the 'hunt for forage' and natural low starch/sugar if it is to succeed - simply throwing your already IR horse out in the typical UK field will kill it more quickly than anything else.

So in the absence of the ideal, we have to be realistic, and do what we can to help our horses with the means we have to hand.

Cheers, Ange.

[Dawn Perkins]

Hi Ange,
It's lovely to hear from you. I'm sorry to hear about Millie but it seems she is far from alone.

It is, as you say, very difficult to manage metabolic conditions when UK grass is so high in sugars and spikes can occur at all times of year. However, a track system, however small, can help in terms of movement and working for food. I know you are already familiar with track systems but I have posted examples of really small ones which, with a bit of ingenuity, can encourage lots of movement and provide constant access to forage but at various staging points set as far away as possible from the shelter, rather than immediately available. Easier said than done, I know, but Em seems to have been very inventive with hers! I'm still hoping for photos of it!

It would be wonderful if livery yards would take up the idea of a track system, as it would benefit them in the long run. Fields would not be ruined in the winter, horses wouldn't risk injury on frozen ruts and poached areas if pea shingle and scalpings could be put down on the most frequently used areas, horses wouldn't have to be taken out for exercise so frequently and hay or haylage could be made from the field centres. Rugging would also be less onerous because horses could choose whether they wanted to be under shelter or out and with company or not, so some of the guesswork as to what the weather will do throughout the day or night would be taken out. With climate change, it may be something all horse owners might eventually need to consider.

It would be lovely to hear updates again on Millie's progress. As ever, everything crossed for you and Millie!

Best wishes,
Dawn

[ange]

Hi Dawn, thanks...

the local yard owners are all, erm, very 'traditional' in their ways and none would consider a track system, although with the rate of laminitis and/or positive PPID diagnosies on the yard I'm on at the moment, that 'might' (very small chance but...) change.

I have been looking, but the nearest track system yard I can find to me that offers what I'd need is about 15 miles away - that would be do-able if it didn't have a huge shopping centre between us, with roads that are always very busy and slow, and that are in gridlock throughout the Christmas and sales periods! I'd be looking at an hour+ travel each way most of the time, which wouldn't leave me with any time to do anything in the week, such as ride!

It is very frustrating!!!

Booked in for repeat bloods for ACTH and for insulin/glucose on Monday, so we'll see how things look after that.

Thanks, Ange.

[ange]

Just a quick update -

Millie's ACTH is back in normal range at 25.3 (seasonal normal is <47) and both her Glucose and Insulin are very low, so absolutely no signs of Insulin Resistance.

But she now has Pinworm, which are a real pain to erradicate! (The Cushing's makes them far more susceptible to worms and infections.)

On the blood test front, the 'normal practice' in the UK when testing for IR is to do a starvation test - not a good option when your horse is ulcer-prone. In the US they have been testing successfully for IR without starvation for quite a long while, so I decided to stick to my guns, e-mail my vet some background technical details, and politely insisted that we went with the non-starvation test - he didn't put up much of a fight, so if anyone finds themselves in this position don't be affraid to push!!!

[Dawn Perkins]

Hi Ange,
I'm so glad to hear the encouraging results from Millie's tests (and that you stuck to your guns).

I don't know if this is of any help with the pinworms but I heard of Jenny Pearce through Cynthia Cooper of naturalhorseworld.com quite a while ago. She is a natural horsemanship practitioner in Australia and this was her solution to the problem. Obviously, I only have her word to go on and it does require frequent administration!

www.jennypearce.com.au/horse-health/a-simple-non-chemical-method-to-treat-pin-worms/

Dawn Perkins

[erika george]

Yes it is all very interesting, and 8 years into horse ownership something I am still learning about. All of our horses are good doers, and with George there is absolutely no point in trying to starve him. The horse/rhino who can demolish, hedges, electric tape, barbed wire, 5 bar gates ......, starvation paddocks are not an option. Exercise is obviously a big part of the answer, but at this time of year I am lucky to get 2 rides in a week.
I am extremely lucky to have my horse at home where I can see what he and his friends are up to. Where ever possible I give them access to a hedge, they spend hours picking off the blackberry leaves and fruit, and foraging for other things. Sometimes I can only see 2 bums poking out of the hedge row. Also I have never sprayed my land, it doesn't look like a lawn. Infact it looks quite ragged in places, but as soon as they are turned onto the next stretch the first thing that is eaten are the thistles. The paddock is a mass of different grasses, wild plants and yes docks. They won't eat the docks, but the docks help the drainage and diminish the buttercups. When I am gardening, the horses queue at the fence. They are given thistles and dandelions with their roots, which they love. And finally, I have quite a healthy herb patch and quite often add a bunch of fresh mixed herbs to their feeds, such as parsley, mint (swiss mint smells just like polos!), oregano, marjoram, nettle and sage/rosemary in small quantities. It costs nothing, and on the odd occasion a horse has got into my garden, they have made a bee-line for the herb patch.
Spoilt, you bet! But then the chickens get banana and organic bio yogurt for breakfast.
Erika & George - forever learning

[Dawn Perkins]

Hi Erika,
I remember you posted about your grazing land before (when someone else had posted a photo of horses enjoying playing in a deep pond) and your grazing and water feature sounded idyllic! I am very interested in your use of herbs. I bought Victoria Ferguson's "The Complete Horse Herbal" earlier this year. It was another book recommended by Cynthia Cooper and, although geared to an Australian readership, it is an extremely useful resource.

You may have guessed that I love the idea of grazing being an adventure for horses, rather than a simple square of grass. It is not always possible to achieve it to your standard but there are so many ways that it can be made more interesting and provide a wider range of nutrients than is grass alone comprises.

I hope George's lameness has resolved or is at least on the road to recovery and I look forward to reading more updates on him (and on Millie, Ange).

Best wishes,
Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

For anyone who might be interested, this is the link to Victoria Ferguson's website:-

www.facebook.com/thecompletehorseherbalbookclub

Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

I meant, of course, Facebook page!

Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

Gosh, Nic Barker and Sarah Braithwaite are even known of in Hawaii!

www.olomanagardens.com/barefoot-horses/

This blog is interesting because the owner of these horses has clearly spent a great deal of time and effort researching into why her horses were having problems. She details all the sources of information she gleaned on barefoot management and trimming but there is also interesting information on diet. Some of it is, of course, very well known but one of the things I had not known before (and another reason to be suspicious of GM foods) is (according to the information she has obtained) that one of the side-effects of developing crops which are not affected by herbicide sprays is that those crops have a much lower take-up of essential minerals from the soil.

Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

This link was posted by Nic Barker on the Rockley Farm Facebook page and makes for very interesting reading indeed.  Perennial rye grass has long been recognised as a problem for horses but this article highlights the fact that the modern strain - developed for the highest productivity levels in dairy cows - is even more of a laminitis risk than the older variety:-

www.farmersguardian.com/ho...r-a-horse-to-graze?%2F63000.article

Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

Unfortunately, the link to the Farmers Guardian article no longer seems to work without registering.  However, it is well worth getting hold of the article because research done at Bangor University reveals that modern perennial rye grass has been developed to maintain consistently high levels of sugars regardless of time of year, weather conditions, time of day, etc.  This is to ensure high productivity amongst dairy cattle.  However, this means that there is never a "safe" time for horses to be turned out on modern perennial grass.  Their research shows that the modern strain differs even from the rye grass of 25 years ago.

Because of the detail contained in the article, I don't want to repeat it from memory,which is almost certainly fallible!  However, for anyone with horses who are prone to laminitis, it is well worth reading.

Dawn Perkins

[Dawn Perkins]

It seems that horses may suffer dietary-induced laminitis for multiple reasons associated with grazing.  High fructose levels, high fructan levels and a lack of plant anti-oxidants in their grazing means horses who are predisposed to laminitis are attacked on three levels.  I remember Avril saying that her horses seem to graze on gorse(?) at certain times of year.  This company mentions that extracts from gorse, silver birch and holly seem to act as natural anti-oxidants.  They are based in North Wales and specialise in research into plant-based remedies for laminitis and metabolic disorders:-

www.freestepsuperfix.co.uk/index.php

Dawn Perkins