Riva's Remedies

08/15/2024

It always amazes me how horses can eat the flower tops of the Canada Thistles without pricking their mouth. Their lips are so nimble and sensitive, they can even pick out small little tiny weeds and plants in the grass that they want to eat.

Canada Thistles are considered a tonic and a diuretic and many horses just love to eat the flower tops despite all the prickles.

08/11/2024

Welcome to another Coop store carrying our products.

The Four Rivers Coop in Quesnel who are now carrying a selection of Riva's Remedies.

Stop in at the Quesnel Hixon Road location and say hello and pick up your natural horse health products!

08/07/2024

Horses that are deficient in Vitamin C often have hooves with soft soles, chronic bruising, cracking, or an inflamed lamina. However, if you look at the rest of your horse’s health profile, you may notice that they are showing other signs of deficiency, as well.

More general signs of a Vitamin C deficiency can include fatigue, weakness, adrenal burnout, poor wound healing, chronic infections, poor immunity, or swollen and tender joints.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble compound that horses manufacture themselves. For this reason, it is commonly thought that it is impossible for horses to be deficient, much less benefit from it.

Factors that increase demand include stress, toxicity, inflammation, illness, and poor nutrient absorption. Thus, if the demands are high and the body can’t synthesize enough Vitamin C, the tissues, organs, and body systems become depleted and don’t function the way they should.

Vitamin C supplementation is best given short-term, as long-term supplementation can interfere with the absorption of other minerals such as selenium and copper. Four weeks of supplementation is enough time to correct a pre-existing deficiency, strengthen hooves, and demonstrate other therapeutic benefits.

A suitable dosage for a horse is 5,000 mg daily. Our Vitamin C is in the ascorbic acid form and 1 tsp is the equivalent of 5,000 mg.

08/06/2024

Hope everyone is enjoying the last bit of the long weekend!! ☀️

07/31/2024

With the Summer heat mixed with the (wonderful) bouts of rain, pastures are still looking quite lush (here in the West, anyway). Horses that are turned out for the Summer are starting to put on extra weight putting them at risk for obesity, muscle stiffness, joint soreness, Insulin Resistance, equine polysaccharide storage, laminitis, and Cushing's (PPID).

What can you do?

🌿 Limit grass grazing time.

🌿 Give them more hay to increase fibre and slow down sugar absorption.

🌿 Encourage regular exercise - 2-3 times per week.
Walking around in the field doesn't cut it.

🌿 Feed quality supplements that will balance insulin production, reduce excess appetite, and help promote weight loss.

07/27/2024

I often see the horses snatching plantain leaves when they are out grazing on the lawn. Maybe that's why their skin looks so great in the summer. The Broadleaf Plantain - or Plantago Major - is an excellent plant for healthy skin. This plant has a long history as a traditional skin healer for wounds, rashes, dermatitis, insect bites, hives, and inflammation.

And because it is soothing to mucous membranes, it has also been beneficial for respiratory problems, gastrointestinal irritation and ulcers, and urinary tract infections.

Plantain is one of our key ingredients in the Equi-Derm, which is an amazing herbal blend for almost all skin problems including growths and sarcoids. It is a liver detoxifier, blood purifier, and skin healer.

"It has cleared up my horses sarcoids now, after a few seasons, it stopped the itching enough to give him relief giving it time to heal. This summer the sarcoid didn't even show up but I gave it to him all summer anyway. Love it!"

07/11/2024

Have you got hay out for your pasture grazing horses?

Why is this important? Because grass has very little fibre, but a whole lot of sugar! And hay has a lot of fibre and way less sugar.

Fibre is required to slow down the absorption of all that sugar. This helps to reduce, prevent, or improve weight gain and Insulin Resistance. Extra fibre also stops them from eating wood, branches, or other inedibles, or stripping the bark off your trees.

Fibre also gives them energy, maintains a healthy digestive tract, helps detoxify the hindgut, improves liver function. and reduces the risk of certain types of cancer.

Give your horses fibre! You'll be surprised at how much hay they will eat even when they are out on grass. You can feed the hay in slow feeders or just let them free feed off the ground.

07/11/2024

1. THEY PROVIDE THE FOOD VARIETY THAT DOMESTICATION HAS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM.
In their natural environment, horses live on plants and forage; they are more connected to the outdoor environment than any other domestic animal. For the domesticated horse, nutrient deficiencies are one of the leading causes of equine health conditions today. And despite the best efforts put forth by equine nutritionists, practitioners, and feed manufacturers to ensure they are getting a balanced diet; synthetic vitamin and mineral mixes and commercial feeds don’t come close to delivering the building blocks of life the way mother nature can and does.

2. THEY HELP THEM HEAL AND RECOVER FROM A WIDE RANGE OF HEALTH PROBLEMS.
In addition to natural nutrition, each herb contains a unique combination of compounds that contain specific medicinal properties. Compounds, such as flavonoids, tannins, and coumarins, for example, don't just MAINTAIN good health, they actually work together to RESTORE good health during times of imbalance or illness.

3. SIDE EFFECTS ARE RARE.
Herbs provide horses with all the building blocks of life including vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids while at the same time providing the perfect combination of the planet's most powerful naturally derived compounds to stimulate and encourage healing.

Unfortunately, the high demand for a quick fix to many of the symptoms we see in our horses has led to many of these medicinal plant constituents being isolated, synthesized, and manufactured as pharmaceutical drugs.
There are hundreds of compounds found in plants that promote the normal function of every organ and system in the body.

When we dose horses with one isolated plant compound in concentrated amounts as a pharmaceutical drug, it can drastically change its action in the body as well as its efficacy. This can result in unwanted side effects, toxicity and nutrient deficiencies.

In many cases, medicinal plants should be the first option to consider when approaching horse’s health problems, not the last.

After all, it was mother nature that gave us the tools to live, heal, and recover from disease - not the other way around.

07/07/2024

Are you seeing grass mumps? Grass mumps are swellings along the jaw under the ear where the throat latch would normally sit. Sometimes they are mistaken for thyroid problems but grass mumps are caused by congestion and swelling in the parotid glands.

While often thought that grass mumps are allergy reactions to certain pasture plants, it is more likely that it is a sugar reaction to the grass, rather than an immune problem. That's why they disappear as soon as you take them off grass.

Parotid glands produce most of the saliva. Saliva is the first step in carbohydrate digestion because it contains a small amount of alpha amylase. Saliva lubricates chewed feed and is also a natural buffer that protects the teeth from bacteria, and prevents the stomach from becoming too acidic which prevents ulcers. Sugar requires a lot of digestive enzyme activity and is also highly acidic. So the parotid glands get over-worked.

The mumps usually disappear by the next day and if they aren't gone by 3-4 days, then there is another underlying cause.

07/03/2024

07/02/2024

Grazing under an Alberta summer evening sky.

07/01/2024

Meet Canella. He is a 23 year old TB and feeling great! He is riding twice per week and playing games in the riding ring.
Canella is barefoot and wears boots for riding.

Karen has kept him healthy with a lifetime of good food, no annual treatments, and Riva's supplements including Bone-Up, Magnesium, Vitamin B12, and Happy Horse Senior.

And, of course, plenty of freedom, forage, and friendship. Those are the must-haves to keep all horses healthy.

Wishing you many more healthy years Canella!

06/30/2024

3 Benefits of Supplementing Horses with Magnesium:

Magnesium is a very well-known mineral and is used by millions of people for its health benefits. Magnesium is required for the normal function of every cell in the body and is necessary for muscle and joint health, metabolism, energy levels, and a healthy nervous system. It is therefore an extraordinary mineral for horses since our horses need a lot of support for both their muscle function and their stress levels.

1) Bone and muscle function
Sixty percent of tissue magnesium is located in the skeleton. It is essential for maintaining healthy bones by initiating the chemical pathway for calcium absorption. It helps to dissolve calcium in the blood for absorption into the tissues and bones. When magnesium levels are too low for a long time, it can lead to calcification of the bones and joints which can contribute to bone spurs, arthritis, and hoof pathologies.

2) Conditions of the nervous system
Magnesium supports the nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters and facilitating nerve transmission. It is also heavily involved in managing the stress response by supporting healthy production of cortisol from the adrenal glands. Horses that are deficient in magnesium will often exhibit nervous behavior, anxiety, and a low threshold for stressful events. As a result, magnesium is commonly used as a natural relaxant for high strung or anxious horses during times of physical and emotional stress. It can even be used as a remedy for neurological conditions.

3) Sugar metabolism and energy production
Magnesium is also very important for carbohydrate or sugar metabolism. This can be especially beneficial for horses that are easy keepers or horses that are Insulin Resistant or have Cushing’s Syndrome (PPID). Magnesium plays a key role in converting glucose from feed to energy. If magnesium levels are depleted, the cells will be more resistant to insulin which is the hormone responsible for transporting glucose into the cells for energy.

06/29/2024

What tack do you like to ride in?

Pictured here is Sapphire (Marijke's dun mare) in her rope hackamore, and Chexy (Kelly's sorrel mare) in her loping hackamore.

06/26/2024

Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) is also known as moon blindness because of the ocular image which appears. It is the leading cause of blindness in all horses, and affects a lot of Appaloosas.

But with a practical, holistic, and nutritional approach we have helped guide many of these horses to better health.

To learn more about the causes and natural health programs for this chronic eye condition make sure and take in this podcast episode with Elisha.

06/20/2024

Meet our team! L-R
Susan (accounts), Elisha (education), Marijke (CEO), Lexi (warehouse), Darla (manager), Sue (warehouse), Tammy (admin).
Missing: Kelly (social media)

06/19/2024

"Okay fine, you can come into my stall, but would you mind letting me out first."

06/18/2024

06/05/2024

Did you know that recurring skin conditions like scratches and rain rot can be caused by leaky gut? Leaky gut describes a condition where the hindgut membranes have been damaged by acids and toxins which cause excessive permeability.

This allows toxins, bacteria, fungus, and foreign substances of all kinds to leak into the general body affecting organs, tissues, the nervous system, immunity, hoof health, and the skin which is a major elimination organ.

Leaky gut is responsible for many different symptoms, but is not often recognized as the root cause. But many health conditions can be addressed with improved digestion and a hindgut cleanse.

Learn more....and help your horses get well.

06/04/2024

F***l Water Syndrome (FWS) is on the rise and even though horses everywhere are prone to many different digestive problems, FWS seems to be more common than it was some years ago.
Also known as Free F***l Liquid (FFL), FWS is associated with a domestic lifestyle – not unlike many other digestive problems.

For many horse folks, FWS can be an extremely frustrating and exhausting issue, and I know you’re thinking right now that you have tried EVERYTHING. But there are several reasons why horses may have an excess of f***l water and so the solution for each horse can be different from the next.

https://mailchi.mp/1341d727e41a/equinef***lwatersyndrome

05/31/2024

Here is Kelly's story on why she loves our Pro-Colon (pre and probiotics) for her horse (and dog) after trying out a different brand. 😆
Rivas's Pro-Colon: Pre and probiotics to support the microbiome. Maintains normal digestion, nutrient absorption, and the intestinal immune system. Riva’s Pro-Colon is free of fillers and stabilizers and is non-GMO. Refrigerate to ensure maximum potency. Has no strong smell and only 1/4 tsp (one gram) daily is needed for optimum digestion.

05/29/2024

We have a new business on board!

Welcome to Hoof N Woof Supply Store in Sherwood Park, Alberta. They provide feed and health products for all animals including horses, dogs, and cats.

The have a number of Riva's products in stock now including Herbal Blends, Homeopathic Remedies, and Pro-Colon probiotics.

You can find them at 51418 Range Road 22 or see their website: https://www.hoofnwoof.org/

05/29/2024

🥰🥰

05/27/2024

My horses love to eat big dandelion flowers to benefit from the good nutrition that dandelions offer. Aside from being a rich source of vitamins and minerals they also support liver and kidney health and reduce water retention. And the bright yellow flowers are a "feel good" colour for them.

Dandelion is a good tonic, is excellent for digestion and appetite, and detoxifies waste products, acids, and harmful chemicals.

One of our favourite herbal blends is the Equi-Cleanse which contains Dandelion Root combined with Milk Thistle seeds. It is an effective but gentle cleanser which detoxifies the liver, and supports the kidneys and overall digestion.

05/24/2024

We know that the more natural our horsekeeping practices are, the healthier are our horses. If the diet and environment suits the horse, rather than the human, many health conditions including hoof issues can be completely avoided. As can behavioural problems.

We call it the 3 F's and it is what every horse needs for an optimum lifestyle. Forage, Friendship, and Freedom are basic necessities for every horse, no matter where they live or what they do for you.

Join Elisha on her podcast to learn more about the importance of focusing on these core pillars of horse health to ensure that all of your horse's mental, physical, and emotional needs are met.

Quickly and easily listen to Healing Horses with Elisha for free!

05/23/2024

So many horses - particularly competition horses - are taking anti-ulcer stomach medications over long periods of time. The treatment does not, of course, address the root causes of ulcers or other digestive problems which are mostly caused by training stress, confinement, high sugar/protein feeds as well as infrequent feedings. These medications not only interfere with normal protein digestion, but they reduce stomach acid which impairs calcium absorption. Low levels of calcium can cause joint pain, arthritis, fractures, anxiety, irritability and poor fat metabolism.