Whitethorn Equine Health

02/08/2024

BURDOCK ! We were lucky to find this plant growing in our winter grazing. It's generally not found on our land, although quite prevalent in our neighbours farm. It's quite easy to recognise due to it's purple burr's and dock type leaves - hence the name Burr - dock.
In the self-selection/Applied Zoopharmacognosy approach, we offer it for infection as it is a well-known tissue cleanser. Offer along side other herbs which are known to support the immune system in expelling toxins.
Cert Organic Burdock is available along with many other herbs at
https://www.whitethornherbals.com/store/p20/burdock.html

26/07/2024

WELCOME AIMEE TO THE WHITETHORN TEAM 😍
We are very lucky to have Aimee join us as a valued member of the Whitethorn Team 😎

All the animals love her and she is a real whizz in the shop 😀 She ihas proven herself truly multi skilled and is as much at home in the shop as she is poo picking, fencing or carrying out physio exercises with the horses 🐴

06/07/2024

Whilst rambling in the Welsh Hills one morning, a group of native ponies 🐴 in the distance started to come closer
and closer
and closer.
Wow! 😮
What an absolutely gorgeous thrilling experience! I felt so blessed and privileged 💜💚 A once in a life time occurrence for sure!

26/06/2024

Dung? Horses equivalent of a notice board!

Horse dung (c) Avrezn Dreamtime.com Horses sniff dung for several reasons - for communication, social behaviour, and environmental awarenes...

25/06/2024

NEW PRODUCT! RASPBERRY LEAF - Cert Organic ☀️
Offer to mare's post-partum as a uterine tonic

17/05/2024

This looks really interesting!

Understand Horses presents a webinar with equine ethology and behaviour experts Lucy Rees and Samantha Couper discussing and analysing wild and feral horse behaviour.

30/03/2024

ACUPUNCTURE for this lady and her sore back! 🐴
Delivered by the calm and expertise of Evi our lovely local vet! 🧐
During the session Cora did the down doggie yoga pose which was wonderful to witness!
Thank you AnimalAcupuncture Vet !

28/03/2024

I performed an 'unscheduled dismount' on a 16HH TB yesterday whilst in the top left hand corner of the arena. It was very windy and he's not a fan of wind. I havent hit the deck for a long time and it was an uncomplicated fall so no real harm done - to me, that is 🙃

However, after putting the horse back in the stable and untacking him, I could see an uncertainty and anxiety in his face. He is such a sensitive soul and when riding him, I am acutely aware of his sentitivity - using light aids etc ☺️

I happened to have Ylang ylang Essential Oil (Cert Organic from WhitethornHerbals.com) with me and offered it to him
His face was transformed! After much licking and chewing, a new light shone through his eyes. He looked SO happy as his eyes smiled back at me! I was delighted to be able to relieve the uncertainty and anxiety that I saw in such a simple yet profound way ❤

I often feel we underestimate the effect on our horses of an 'unscheduled dismount' has on our horses and certainly my work over the years has revealed quite a few cases where animals have 'had their confidence dented' due to a fall - of either their rider or themselves.
I was really really pleased to have this oil on me to help him redress the shock and possible anxiety around losing his pilot. After all I guess we could all do with a little courage at some time or other!

No pic of the horse I am afraid, (and definitely not making public any purple skin!) so putting in a beautiful pic of Ylang ylang instead. What a beautiful plant that we are so lucky to have access to!
Available at
https://www.whitethornherbals.com/store/p101/ylangylangessentialoil.html

26/03/2024

The Stallion Parade 🐴🐎 in Cavan last Friday showed a great selection of Irish Sport Horses available in this country for breeding the next generation of Sport Horses 🇮🇪
It was great to see a nice mix of Warmbloods and Irish Draughts being so beautifully turned out by true professionals.
Added bonus: Best damn Curry chips in the restaurant on the planet! 🌍

24/03/2024

WHITETHORN HERBALS - your dedicated one-stop self-selection shop!

What we Do! 😎
Whitethorn Herbals is the online shop of Whitethorn Equine Health supplying herbal supplies for companion animals. Through our online and onsite herbal courses, we teach dog and horse owners how they can use herbs, essential oils and other plant extracts to help their animals restore and maintain health. We are based in Sligo which is in the North West of Ireland.

Our Vision 🤓
Our vision is to create an awareness, understanding and practical experience of how animals, when given the opportunity, can self-medicate and self-dose according to the unresolved health issues they may be suffering from. This includes physical and emotional issues which are unfortunately all too often ignored.
Using the Zoopharmacognosy approach we can empower animals in our care to self-heal and also empower animal owners to support their animals in this journey. This approach also has a wonderful bonus of giving animals a voice and opening up doors of communication between animal and carer that hitherto would have been closed. Again this is hugely empowering for both animal and human.

Committed Intention can be a powerful force and we are only here on this planet for a very short time ❤️
​We have the opportunity to either have a negative influence or a positive one - we choose to do the latter!





Join us!

22/03/2024

RESEARCH PROJECT - PROOF OF CONCEPT Last weekend we completed the first stage in our Research Project with Team Member Dr Silke Kleefeld . Pictured you can see Maisie with the Shimmer GSR 3 attached which detects changes in electrodermal activity in response to stress.. As part of the protocol we led her mother away from the stable yard thus eliciting a stress response 😅

On the first run (Control) we didnt offer an essential oil but on the 2nd run I offered Valerian EO which Maisie inhaled twice. On the 3rd run I offered Lavender EO - again that was inhaled. Both Valerian and Lavender EO have been proven to have calming effects on animals. The Shimmer then (via Bluetooth) sends the stress/calm response with the data being collected by software on Silke's laptop. On the final run I walked by with an Umbrella - as you can see the horses werent stressed by this! 😁

We then transferred the Shimmer to Cora and did the same protocol to record her response. Using the Shimmer means that we dont need ethical approval (loads of paper work and hoops to jump through) and it's more accurate than an ECG ❤️

We are the second in the world to use this technology to detect stress levels in horses - the first being Conneticut University. This initial test was to deliver proof of concept and the measurements were encouraging. This is the beginning of a Journey whereupon we aim to prove to the Scientific community that the domesticated horse can and does self-medicate in order to maintain balance.
Massive shout out to Silke Kleefeld for giving up her weekend in order to help us make the world a better place for horses!

20/03/2024

COMFREY! 🌿🌿
Your Go-to for tissue repair, whether it's ligaments, tendons, fractures or collagen damage. Comfrey (also called Knitbone) may be selected for the following:

👉 Bruising and strains
👉 Fractures
👉 Ulcers (also consider Slippery Elm and Marshmallow root powder)
👉 Inflammatory conditions such as Arthritis, Laminitis
👉 Soft swellings
👉 Tendon, soft tissue and ligament damage
👉 Wounds

Comfrey is an effective anti-inflammatory as well as having excellent cellular regeneration properties due to its allantoin content. This plant (also known as Knitbone) is often selected for tendon, cartilage and ligament damage and as the common name suggests excels in the repair of fractures.
​Comfrey also aids in improving blood circulation to damaged areas thus aiding in toxin removal.​

18/03/2024

EMPOWER YOURSELF - EMPOWER YOUR HORSE!
HERBAL WORKSHOP, WATERFORD 20TH & 21ST APRIL ❤

At this workshop you will learn to work with your horse's ability to self-select herbal extracts in order to restore and maintain health

This workshop is a blend of theory inside the classroom and practical learning outside on the yard 🐴
During this workshop participants will have the opportunity to:

👉 Watch and interact with Live demonstrations
👉 Learn the theoretical and practical application of how horses self-select plant extracts
👉 Become familiar with the process and techniques of offering
👉 Identifying behavioural responses
👉 Become aware of why and how horses differentiate between the various ways of self-administering herbal extracts
👉 Discover sequential selection and simultaneous offering for effective results
👉 Understand the different approaches when working with physical issues and emotional issues
👉 Discover the Zoopharmacognosist kit
​
In addition to the above attendees will receive:

👉 Learing pack including notes and herbal samples (valued at €60)
👉 Access to Membership Only section for Extracts for Conditions on Whitethorn Herbal's website
👉 Eligibility to attend Equine Level 2 Masterclass and Equine CPD's
👉 Certificate of Completion for your CV

https://www.whitethornherbals.com/store/p269/equineworkshops.html

17/03/2024

HAPPY ST PAT'S DAY! 🍀🍀🍀
St Pat, by his own accounts (memoir) was a bit of a rough character that was not quite the Saint that we celebrate today!
Never mind, any excuse for a Pint and a bit of a dance! 😄

16/03/2024

DOUBLE TROUBLE - Late night session! 🌿🐴🌿

15/03/2024

Equine Herbal Workshop
Waterford 20th & 21st April
Learn a whole new bespoke approach to help your horse restore and maintain health!
https://www.whitethornherbals.com/store/p269/equineworkshops.html

17/02/2024

BARLEY GRASS 🌿🌿 your nutrient rich supplement! Barley Grass powder includes all the essential amino acids your horse 🐴 needs, which includes the limiting ones such as lysine and threonine that a horse is unable to produce within the gut itself 😀

Offer dry, dampened down or as a smoothie - let your horse decide their preference!
Let's listen to our horses more! 👂

14/02/2024

EMPOWER YOURSELF - EMPOWER YOUR HORSE!
HERBAL WORKSHOP, WATERFORD 20TH & 21ST APRIL ❤

At this workshop you will learn to work with your horse's ability to self-select herbal extracts in order to restore and maintain health

This workshop is a blend of theory inside the classroom and practical learning outside on the yard 🐴
During this workshop participants will have the opportunity to:

👉 Watch and interact with Live demonstrations
👉 Learn the theoretical and practical application of how horses self-select plant extracts
👉 Become familiar with the process and techniques of offering
👉 Identifying behavioural responses
👉 Become aware of why and how horses differentiate between the various ways of self-administering herbal extracts
👉 Discover sequential selection and simultaneous offering for effective results
👉 Understand the different approaches when working with physical issues and emotional issues
👉 Discover the Zoopharmacognosist kit
​
In addition to the above attendees will receive:

👉 Learing pack including notes and herbal samples (valued at €60)
👉 Access to Membership Only section for Extracts for Conditions on Whitethorn Herbal's website
👉 Eligibility to attend Equine Level 2 Masterclass and Equine CPD's
👉 Certificate of Completion for your CV

Early Bird tickets available up until the 1st of March!

https://www.whitethornherbals.com/store/p269/equineworkshops.html

28/01/2024

TONIGHT 7pm - INSTA LIVE HOSTED BY Bodyworx Sporthorse Performance

HORSES AND SELF-SELECTION!

Go to Bodyworx Sporthorse Performance to join us!

27/01/2024

Looking forward to having a chat on INSTA LIVE about horses and self-selection this Sunday evening at 7pm from our yard in Sligo!
This Insta Live will be hosted by Ailin Walsh of Bodyworx Sporthorse Performance from her Instagram page

We shall be covering a number of considerations when it comes to self-selection including Performance horses and FEI regulations. Join us!

20/01/2024

Looking forward to delivering this workshop in Scotland for our Celtic neighbours!

19/01/2024

The snow creates such beauty !

18/01/2024

Give your horse access to plenty of fibre in these cold days! ❄️

As many of you will know, fibre fuels the horse's central heating 🔥 system, so ensure your horses digestive system is kept busy!

14/01/2024

❓ Does your horse suffer from issues that conventional approaches are unable to resolve?
❓ Do you prefer a more natural yet effective healthcare approach?

📢 Come and discover a valuable lifelong skillset enabling you to restore and maintain your horse's health using essential oils, herbs and minerals!

🐴 At this weekend workshop in Co Waterford, you can discover a fascinating new approach that works with your horse’s natural ability to self-select herbal extracts in order to restore health

❤ Emotional and physical issues can be resolved using this unique method (Applied Zoopharmacognosy!) and can be applied at home to your own horses upon learning key principles and techniques at this workshop

Register your interest (free) or book your place at https://www.whitethornherbals.com/store/p269/equineworkshops.html

31/12/2023

📢 A big shout out to all of you and your animals that have been part of our journey in 2023.
What a phenomenal year for us - we have connected with so many wonderful animals and people this year, developed so many beautiful connections and been part of so many inspiring healings ❤
It truly is a Joy to be in such a positive network of people that have embraced a way of working with their animals as opposed to 'on' their animals.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙏

And for those of you beings that we have yet to meet - we look forward to doing just that in 2024! 🥳

🙏