Equestrian Bowen, Fordingbridge (2024)

04/01/2024

Happy New Year to all of my friends and clients. Best wishes for 2024

03/01/2024

I personally think insurance can drive owners to make the wrong decision about what’s best for the horse.

*** DOES HORSE/PET INSURANCE MAKE US BETTER VETS? ***

For those of you who don’t want to read this post, in my opinion, the answer is a big, fat, NO.

I’ve been saying this (mainly to myself, as not many people want to hear my ramblings 😂), but I truly believe we have to be “better” vets when an animal isn’t insured. By “better”, I mean that we don’t have the luxury of running every test under the sun, or of immediately scanning and xraying a swollen leg, so we have to really think about the most important test we can run, or if we can wait a week to take that X-ray; a lot of the time, we end up not having to run any tests, or X-ray at all.

Now that’s definitely not to say that our clients aren’t sometimes “to blame”, in running 30 tests and xraying every joint in the body, as soon as their horse/animal is slightly off colour, or not trotting around like Glamourdale. Many “horse people” want a medical/orthopaedic reason as to why the horse they bought to show jump, doesn’t canter down to a 1.40m oxer and pop it like Explosion W when it gets there. Vets are often under huge pressure from their clients to diagnose and “fix” whatever the problem is, in 24 hours. I’ve written a whole post on it before, but quite often, all the horse needs, is TIME.

Other than the horses I’m currently treating in my practice for ongoing conditions, I have absolutely no idea who is insured, and who isn’t. As vets, it would be completely fraudulent to start xraying/treating a horse that we don’t think we need to, just because we know he/she is insured. Likewise, clients need to be careful pushing for medication/surgery etc just because “he’s insured, so we may as well”.

Personally, I would prefer a world with no horse insurance. Other than refer the odd case to hospital that I may have tried a bit harder to treat at home, I can honestly say that I’ve never treated an insured horse any differently to an uninsured horse. I like to give horses a bit of time before jumping in with thousands of pounds worth of diagnostics (you can see why I’m not, and never will be, a millionaire!), and more often that not, the issue resolves. As long as the issue resolves, there isn’t any need to know exactly what was causing said issue, as long as it doesn’t reoccur. You may not agree with that approach, and may want your vet to scope and sample a horse the same day it gets a cough, but I’ve always believed in firstly allowing them a bit of time.

Horses can “tweak” tendons and ligaments in the field and he absolutely fine a few days later. I would never start nerve blocking a horse a day or two after he’s gone lame; I’d give them a week of rest and anti inflammatories, at least. Many, many horses come right. Clearly this wouldn’t apply to a competition horse, mid-season, but only due to owner demand. So we are back to the pressure from owners to know exactly why their horse is lame, and to fix it, today. I’m 100% the same with my own horses, so this isn’t a dig!

Do I jump into “medicating” joints? Absolutely not. Steroids aren’t good for joints, so unless the joint issue (normally OA) is causing chronic lameness, then those X-ray changes may not be currently causing any issues at all. In a horse with OA changes in a joint, but no chronic lameness, I’d be medicating with Arthramid now, regardless of whether or not the horse was insured.

I’ve previously done an entire post on kissing spines, and the fact that my 4* horse Evented very happily at 4* level with significant kissing spines. Would I send a horse to surgery for KS? Very, very rarely! In fact, in 15 years as a vet, I’m yet to do so. They need to be correctly worked, alongside a knowledgeable physio, and quite often, the back X-rays will look better after 6 months of correct work. On the continent, it’s virtually unheard of to send horses with KS to surgery. So, what if the client’s horse was insured, and we didn’t “have time” to try and rehab the horse correctly over 6 months? No change. Sorry. I wouldn’t send a horse in for surgery just because the insurance was about to run out, unless I had absolutely exhausted rehab using correct ground work.

I believe that horse insurance actually puts an incorrect pressure on both vets and owners to claim for a condition that often really doesn’t need any treatment, due to the fact that the client can never claim for that condition again as soon as the vet has noted it. Insurance also rarely covers the full amount for any serious condition, so I think it’s extremely important that owners are aware of this. Colic surgery is often around £10000 including all of the aftercare etc. Most insurance companies only pay £5000 per condition.

I’m definitely not advising anyone against insurance, but I personally believe we have to think more, as vets, if a case isn’t insured. Time, after all, is the greatest healer for a lot of conditions.

Photo of Mabel at one week old, to brighten up a rather dull post!

No need to message me to ask to directly share the post….

EDITED to add two further points:

1. I 100% do agree with hospitals taking a £1000 payment before admitting your horse. Just like ambulatory vets, the big hospitals are not charities, and just imagine if one or two referrals a week then admitted that they couldn’t pay their £10000 colic surgery bills; that’s almost a nurse’s annual wages lost in one week. We wouldn’t have hospitals.

2. I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever with insurance companies. Quite the opposite. I can’t see how they even break even, with so many horse owners making one or two claims a year, and maxing out their limits. That’s £10000 a year! My point is that I think we have to think outside the box/only do what is absolutely necessary, when our patients aren’t insured.

02/12/2023

Here are some comments about Dolly aka Silver Dollar from her owner. Dolly has been on OceanFeed Equine since April.

Dolly came to us in April 2023 she is a 14 year old 13.2hh Newforest pony cross Tb. She was a very successful racing pony and came to us the day after her last race. She was very lean and fit, tight and uncomfortable and found working in the school very difficult. She still struggles to shorten but tries really hard and with Bowen treatments lots of hacking, pole work, ground work and lessons she has had a very successful season.

Highlights include
Winning at Tetrathlon and being selected to represent Southern England at the Pony Club Championships
Qualifying for Pony Club Regional Championships in dressage and show jumping
Wining Eventing Championship Pc 70

02/12/2023

I prefer my horses to be done without sedation (all chemicals have side effects) but I have a couple who are much easier to do when they are sedated

01/12/2023

SPECIAL OFFER

£10 off all 10kg pots purchased in December
(while stocks last).

This is the best horse gut supplement (prebiotic) I have ever used as it hugely adds to the stability of the gut Microbiome by feeding the good bacteria and improving the ratio of good:bad bacteria.

My horses have been on this supplement for four years and have done really well on it. It is used extensively by my clients and has produced some impressive improvements over the year. If you haven’t tried it yet, here is a great opportunity.

Discount code is DECEMBER23

https://www.healthyguthealthyhorse.co.uk/shop/p/ocean-feed-equine-10kg

02/11/2023

If you want your horse to be comfortable in his work then it’s important to have your saddle checked regularly

**THURSDAY RESEARCH MEME**

Todays meme relates to the changes in back shape and saddle fit.

The horses back shape (posture) can alter with exercise (if ridden in a correctly fitted saddle), training, seasons etc. Important that the fit of the saddle is checked regularly to reduce the risk of back related dysfunction.

As an example - a saddle that is fitted on day 1, after 90 days of correct training and management (resulting in an improved top line) , will the saddle still be in balance and a optimal fit??

Or a saddle which was “made to measure” for a young horse, will it still fit the same as when the horse has matured??

The horses back is a dynamic platform where it’s movement and shape is influenced by multiple factors. The fit of the saddle must be checked regularly throughout the horses ridden career regardless of what it’s purpose is - hacking or sporting.

🤓

www.centaurbiomechanics.co.uk/blog/

03/10/2023

Chemical free (organic foods), maximising vegetable diversity, raw as well as cooked and reducing meat intake will help us all to be healthier

It’s an inconvenient truth, but it has to be said. We’re seeing an increase in chronic diseases ranging from Alzheimer's and dementia to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Here’s the great news: The right foods and a lifestyle that is in alignment with what your body needs can help protect you and your loved ones from the world’s most heartbreaking illnesses.

Today is the perfect day to start taking back control of your health.

20/09/2023

This applies equally to horses ! The gut biome is fundamental to physical, physiological and mental health

A balanced gut microbiome contributes to overall brain health by:

1. Producing neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which play a vital role in mood regulation and cognitive function

2. Modulating the immune system, which impacts inflammation — a critical factor in various neurological conditions

3. Maintaining the integrity of the blood-brain barrier to protect the brain from harmful substances.

4. Metabolizing dietary components, such as fiber, into short-chain fatty acids, which have neuroprotective effects.

06/09/2023

Particularly topical at the moment. Due to the warm damp summer most wheat and soya crops will have been sprayed with glyphosate (roundup) prior to harvesting- its used as a desiccant to make harvesting easier and to reduce drying costs. So next time you or your horse eat soya or wheat, spare a thought for the gut bacteria you are killing

Question of the day: Wouldn’t it be easier to just label the rest of the stuff as “sprayed with poison”?

02/09/2023

Glyphosate is often used as a desiccant on wheat and soya crops just before they are harvested.
A new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives highlights the power of an organic diet. According to researchers, pregnant women following an all-organic diet had a 25–30% reduction in their urine of the w**d killer glyphosate — and this was after just one week! When non-compliant subjects (i.e., those who reported eating some non-organic foods) were excluded, the decline in glyphosate levels increased to 43%.
There is one caveat — these positive results were only associated with people not living near agricultural fields. So, for those residing near farms and other agricultural areas, protecting yourself against glyphosate is especially crucial.

“Results of three recent nervous system-related studies, according to a summary by Beyond Pesticides, show:
* Miniscule amounts of the w**d killer Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate can result in damage to the nervous system.
* Glyphosate can cross the blood-brain barrier, increasing the risk of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s.
* Glyphosate exposure is linked to the development of Parkinson’s disease. “

Of all the pesticides in our food supply today, the most concerning to you is likely glyphosate, the primary active ingredient in Bayer/Monsanto's widely used Roundup herbicide.

19/07/2023

Does your horses feed (or balancer) contain soya ? If so, you may be interested in the following information
“Soybean oil, the most widely consumed cooking oil in the United States, has been linked to neurological and metabolic alterations in mice.
A study published in the journal Endocrinology found that mice fed a diet high in soybean oil showed decreased levels of oxytocin, a hormone that plays a role in social bonding and reproduction.
The study also found that soybean oil affected about 100 other genes related to brain function and energy metabolism.
The researchers say that their findings suggest that soybean oil may contribute to the development of neurological conditions such as autism and Parkinson's disease.
As usual, science is about continuously painting more details into an ongoing image…so more research is needed to confirm these findings in humans.
More backstory:
Prior research carried out by the same team at UC Riverside (2015) also found that soybean oil consumption was linked to “obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver in mice."
Interestingly, soybean oil is a high source of unsaturated fats – which many have been taught to be the ‘healthier’ fat as compared to saturated fats.
This emerging research demonstrates again that when it comes to nutrition and public health science, things aren’t always quite so simple as what the ‘experts’ say.”

You find soybean oil in widespread use in many horse feeds and supplements. I personally haven’t fed anything with soya in it to myself or my horses for many years.
Agrobs Myoprotein flakes provide a great base feed and OceanFeed Equine provides a great balancer and Prebiotic.

04/07/2023

next month, it is expected that the World Health Organization (WHO) will label aspartame as a possible human carcinogen. Yes, this is the artificial sweetener found in so many popular products, from Diet Coke to many sugarless gums and various other low-calorie foods. https://www.drperlmutter.com/aspartame-real-concerns/?inf_contact_key=b3feeccda661c36df177637265b819cc1b0a3f0fd3ee5d9b43fb34c6613498d7

04/07/2023

09/06/2023

Different office for a few days!

25/05/2023

Sound engineering. Common sense really but mostly we carry on following tradition instead of using common sense or engineering principles

A picture is worth a thousand words. The frog seeks the ground on a wedged shoe (red arrows) and the heels are pushed proximally by GRF (green arrows), creating a shearing effect.

23/04/2023

Atypical myopathy (Sycamore Poisoning)

**Copied from Facebook**

I had a long chat today with vets and scientists regarding Atypical myopathy.
Along with many others we have a forest of sycamore saplings in our paddock. I wanted to know the best way forward.
Initially I was going to spray, but I was concerned about leaving a long term residue on the grass as well as wondering how long the seedlings needed to be left to be safe for grazing. It seems there is no safe time to graze. Dead seedlings are still toxic, if not more so as the toxin is now concentrated as the plant shrivels and dies.
Another option was to mow the field. Again this is inadvisable as stems left are toxic and as above, as they die the toxicity does not diminish.
Another option was to have a handful of seedings analysed - but it seems the toxicity can vary within seedlings from the same tree.
There is no other way than hand pull the seedlings and hopefully have the trees felled. Our culprit is actually in a neighbour's property, but they are aware of the situation and very helpful.
So my plan going forward is to enlist a few teenagers to help and pay them for their time and strip clear it. This will be no more expensive than spraying or employing someone to mow.

15/04/2023

Sharon May Davis very generously shared her knowledge and experience with the participants in this weeks equine standing dissection class. We can all benefit from broadening our knowledge and during one of our discussions about influence of gut on locomotion she revealed that most ridden horses she has dissected had inflammation at the apex of the caecum. As you know gut health is something I place high on my list of priorities for maintaining horses in a comfortable state throughout their working life. Sharon is the world leader in ECVM having published the initial research on this congenital malformation in 2014. We are lucky that she continues to travel from Australia to carry out these dissection classes in the UK. Sadly this dissection was a semi feral welsh pony who had probably never been ridden as she was tricky to handle. She had been running with a herd and probably bred some foals in her time. When we dissected her neck it was devastating to find bilateral ECVM issues. So if you think “native” breeds are immune to ECVM think again 😢

15/04/2023

More about sycamore

06/04/2023

Just in case you haven’t checked out your laminitis (inflammatory) risk app yet

05/04/2023

Thought this might be interesting. There is emerging research in importance of Vitamin K2-7 in humans and inadequacies of synthetic forms. Currently not much corresponding research for horses but this excerpt is interesting anyway.

“Vitamin K potentially supports equine bone health.”

Other benefits of vitamin K
In addition to its coagulation properties, vitamin K potentially supports equine bone health. Although no research has been conducted on the effect the nutrient has on bone strength in horses, studies in humans and rodents show vitamin K increases bone density and leads to fewer fractures. In fact, one study found women who receive at least 110 micrograms each day are less likely to break a hip than those who consume less.

Issues leading to vitamin K deficiency
There are several conditions that prevent horses from producing or absorbing the vitamin K they need. Anything that interferes with healthy bacteria in the gut – such as diarrhea, colic, gastric ulcers, antibiotics or surgery – can compromise vitamin K2 production. Sweet clover poisoning also causes vitamin K deficiency, interfering with the horse’s ability to utilize the nutrient’s blood-clotting capabilities. Moldy sweet clover produces a chemical called dicoumarol, which is similar to warfarin, an anticoagulant used in rodenticide. If consumed over a long period of time, the dicoumarol prevents the horse’s blood from clotting.

While horses generally get all the vitamin K they need from their diets, supplementing this nutrient promotes healthy blood and bones. Owners of performance horses might find these properties beneficial when it comes time to compete.

31/03/2023

At last it’s great to see some proper scientific evidence on the difference between shod and barefoot. It’s early days and much more research is required with more horses involved but this information is truly fascinating and reveals that the natural action of the hoof mechanism is more complex than even the seasoned hoof geeks had appreciated.

New Swedish research on the difference between shod horse hooves and barefoot hooves has finally concluded: Barefoot hooves can move 50% more than hooves that are shod with traditional horseshoes. That, and other findings from the study, helps to explain why horses can improve their performance by g...

29/03/2023

This is brand new so I haven’t had it done but it should be really useful having information on your soil health. I should think it will be a real eye opener for some of us !

If your horse is eating soil, make sure it's a healthy experience!
Quick update on the soil testing. The first trial run came back yesterday, as yet I haven't had the time to take a real good look as I'm writing up the canine vet reports.
I'm super impressed with the results from the sequencing, we are using a different stabilization and RNA fixation process to the EquiBiome test and the lab at IBERS did a brilliant job, thank you Matt Hegarty.
A brief look confirmed a high Rhizobiales content, range is 3-18%, my soil came in at 17.5%, nitrogen fixing bacteria with multiple health benefits for plants, the plants then pass on the benefits to the horse through the increased production of secondary metabolites.
Verrucomicrobia is at 5%, this is an interesting one as we have noticed that some horses with serious laminitis have high levels of this bacteria. In lesser amounts verrucomicrobia is linked to good metabolism.
Soil had 2,200 species, compared to horses 800-1100 and dogs 400-700.
The kits are now ready to be sent out, thank you to our 6 volunteers. The first analyses were so successful I've put it live in the Equibiome shop at an introductory price of £120.00. Great for livery yards? The report produced will have information on how to improve the soil and likely impacts on horse health.
Please note this is a full genomic sequencing of bacteria, highlighting the impact of environmental pollutants and agrichemicals on your soil in real time, not a test for pH or minerals. This is totally new, exciting and completely relevant to our time and our horses health!
https://www.equibiome.org/product-page/soil-genomic-sequencing-test

25/03/2023

I stumbled across this research by accident but seriously exciting scientific evidence of how you can promote wound healing in yourself or your horses using lavender oil!

Although previous studies have suggested that lavender oil promote wound healing, no study has examined the molecular mechanisms of its effect. In this study, we investigated the effect of lavender oil on various steps of wound healing and its molecular ...

23/03/2023

Mycotoxins produced by fungi contaminate a wide variety of feed ingredients and have costly negative consequences affecting the health (gut biome, metabolism), welfare and performance of our animals.
In the current climate of high prices and decreased availability of raw materials, feed producers may find themselves looking for lower cost ingredients which could increase the risk of mycotoxin contamination.
In January I participated in the DSM Nutrition World Mycotoxin Survey Webinar which looked at the survey results and future threats from increasing mycotoxin levels. I’ve included some of the charts which suggest that for Northern Europe about 40% of the animal feeds tested had above acceptable levels of mycotoxins.
This week I had a call from a feed supplier advising that one of their products was being withdrawn from use as they had detected high levels of mycotoxins. I’m pretty certain there is another popular UK feed supplier who has also had problems with their products but perhaps they have been less transparent in their response. The feed producers seem to believe it was “climatic conditions” in the 2022 growing season which caused the problem. The data suggests this is not the case and there is an increasing upward trend. Regenerative soil health experts have an interesting view on what is causing the escalation.
Anyway for those of us who like to keep our horses outdoors, mycotoxins are an ongoing threat.
All of my horses are on a product called Anpro which addresses mycotoxins and also addresses endotoxins (toxins produced from bad bacteria in the gut). Anpro is available from the Healthy Gut Healthy Horse website.

https://www.healthyguthealthyhorse.co.uk

23/03/2023

Applies to humans, applies to horses. My horses get their Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) from a product called Optomega Algae which you can buy off the Healthy Gut Healthy Horse website.

A resilient brain helps us make good choices under pressure, as well as fend off symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Our brains are mostly made of fats. Of these, omega-3 fatty acids are key, because they may help fight damaging oxidative stress. You can find omega-3 fatty acids in fish like mackerel, sardines, salmon, anchovies and herring, as well as in fish or algae-derived supplements.
We can also increase brain resilience using polyphenols — chemicals that are naturally made by plants. These molecules are thought to help protect our brain cells against toxins. Plant products with high levels of polyphenols include berries, grapes, green tea and dark chocolate.
Just as important, try to avoid ultra-processed food products (both plant and animal) and anything with added sugars or refined carbohydrates.

21/03/2023

This is a very interesting debate. Let’s hope it results in radical changes.

‎Show Mullins Farrier Podcast, Ep The Farriers Registration Council (FRC) - 13 Mar 2023

14/03/2023

Just in case you haven’t previously heard me mention how horrible soya oil is, here is more evidence that it’s not good for mice, horses or humans !
Top Oil Consumed in US Linked to Anxiety, Depression, Alzheimer's, More

Soybean oil is the top oil consumed in the United States.

It is used extensively in premade and processed foods found in grocery stores and used by restaurants.

And it may cause significant negative genetic changes in the brain, affecting conditions like Alzheimer's, anxiety, depression, and autism.

This is according to a study out of the University of California, Riverside published in Endocrinology.

This is the same research team who in earlier research found that soybean oil may induce obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver.

In this study, the researchers looked at the brains of mice fed either regular soybean oil, genetically-modified low-linoleic acid soybean oil, or coconut oil.

The soybean oil, regardless of linoleic-acid levels, had a pronounced effect on the hypothalamus, which strongly suggests a similar negative effect in humans.

Your hypothalamus is key to your nervous system and hormones, regulating emotions and your response to stress, regulating body weight, maintaining temperature, and more.

Hypothalamus issues are linked to Alzheimer's and other brain disorders.

Furthermore, the researchers discovered the soybean oil affected over 100 genes.

This includes the gene responsible for creating oxytocin, the hormone responsible for feelings of empathy, for keeping anxiety and depression at bay, and more.

The researchers note that these findings only apply to soybean oil -- not to other soybean products.

"If there's one message I want people to take away," said Poonamjot Deol, lead author of the study, "it's this: reduce consumption of soybean oil."

13/02/2023

This phytonutrient based product is far more effective at dealing with laminitis than Bute or any similar product a vet may offer you.
I would also suggest using a product called Anpro which is great at mopping up endotoxins produced in the gut.

Giving bute/danilon to horses with laminitis is the quickest way to ease the pain but unfortunately, this popular and commonly used drug has no effect on the high levels of circulating inflammatory chemicals. The inflammatory chemicals are responsible for damage done to the sensitive laminae, which peak at 20-48hrs after the onset of lameness. Whilst bute makes the horse and owner feel better, there is sadly no resolution to the damage continuing unabated in feet.
The horse still needs extra doses of antioxidants to minimise and mop up the effects of the circulating inflammatory chemicals that bute is unable to change or effect, the symptoms of which are Obel grade 1 laminitis (paddling or lifting one foot then the other, short stilted gait in trot).
Horses with the carb overload type of laminitis will have raised levels of IL-1 IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12p35, COX-2, E-selectin and ICAM-1 and whilst the bute will mask the pain it does not alter the cocktail of deadly chemicals the laminitis episode has released, these chemicals rapidly causing devastating levels of breakdown.
A mix of 5 of the strongest plant anti-inflammatories are required to dampen down, buffer and reduce the effects of all the chemicals released, usually found in the bark or more woody part of the plant/shrub/ and the best to use include curcumin, uncario tomentosa, smilex and maytenus.
Apart from curcumin, plants containing high enough levels of these chemicals are not the easiest thing to source especially as for speed they should be ground finely and mixed with 20 mls of omega 3 oil and syringed in three times per day. Freely foraging horses will find enough in wild barberry, blueberry and white willow.
We do put this cocktail in an inexpensive product called Rescue Remedy www.phytorigins.com

09/02/2023

“There is evidence that the Microbiome affects is on such a fundamental level that it can even regulate the expression of our DNA”
(Applies to our horses too)

The growing body of science has helped inform an even more exciting scientific prospect: the idea that intentionally altering an individual’s microbiome could have significant impacts on overall health, resistance to disease, and longevity.

It is increasingly evident that our lifestyle choices—what we eat, how much and how well we sleep, and the amount of exercise we get—can change the composition of our microbiome and impact the state of our health.

It’s a beautiful, commensal relationship: our lifestyle choices affect the health and resilience of our resident bacteria and those bacteria, in turn, affect our own health and resilience.

09/02/2023

Very important information

08/02/2023

EPA and DHA are the key anti inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. I feed my horses algae meal in preference to fish oil as it reduces the risk of heavy metal contamination. The algae meal is sold on the healthyguthealthyhorse.co.uk website