The Herbal Horse

14/01/2025

This is my thinking on Mare mix:

Us girls are not illogical or moody or insane. We just have hormones that are difficult to deal with at times. In addition to the hormonal issues, we also deal with pain and depression AT THE SAME TIME.

Mares are the same.

So, in formulating Mare mix, I’ve tried to take three things into consideration:
1. Pain
2. Mood
3. Hormones

Pain:
A recent study in humans found a strong link between inflammation (measured using the serum inflammation marker CRP) and pms symptoms. Horses also have CRP and it is very likely to be the same in their bodies. They are not naughty, they are sore.

This is the reason we have put the very effective, yet FEI legal, herbal anti-inflammatory Boswellia into mare mix. Many of the mare-ish symptoms are relieved simply by fixing the inflammation and pain.

Although bloating isn’t usually described as pain, it is a common female symptom. Dandelion is a gentle herbal diuretic and can help to alleviate this.

Mood:
Tryptophan is an ingredient I’ve written about previously. Sometimes controversial, it has been called ineffective as a calmer after a shockingly badly designed study on horses was published. My opinion is that it is very effective in most horses (not all), especially when combined with Vitamin D3 and B6 (as in mare mix), which increase the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin (the calm, happy neurotransmitter).

In addition, we add Magnesium. Now this is a mineral where I believe the horse RDA (recommended daily allowance) to be far too low. The number of horses I have seen that become dramatically calmer after magnesium supplementation is huge. This, plus its enzyme, muscle and nervous system effects are why we added it to mare mix.

Hormones:
Agnus castus (chasteberry) is the go-to herb for moody mares. It works by affecting the Oestrogen receptors.
Omega 3 fatty acids have also been shown to decrease the severity of symptoms.

Ginkgo biloba:
I’m putting this herb as its own heading, because when I first started researching Mare mix, I couldn’t believe the complete lack of supplements using this herb for PMS. There are multiple strong papers showing it is effective in all of the above symptoms – psychological, physical and hormonal. To date, I think Mare mix is the only mare supplement which contains this herb.

More information here: https://www.horseandpethealth.com/product/mare-mix/.:

14/01/2025

How our Calm mix works.

13/01/2025

A marker in biochemistry is a molecule that indicates the presence of disease. In this example, Creatine Kinase (CK) is a serum marker that indicates muscle damage and inflammation. it can also indicate Rhabdomyolosis (Monday Morning Disease). So, obviously, a lower level of CK activity shows that the horse is able to exercise without lameness and time off work.

Japanese scientists took 63 healthy racehorses and assigned them to two groups. Both groups received exactly the same diet and exercise, but only one group was given a supplement. Blood samples were collected after high-intensity exercise
training at 5 weeks before supplementation, 3 days and 8 weeks after the start of the supplementation. CK activity of the blood samples was measured.

The CK activity of the supplemented horses was very significantly lower than those who were unsupplemented. Also, the amunt of muscle pain and lameness was much less.

This led the resaearchers to conclude that the supplement decreased the incidence of pain, muscle damage, lameness and Monday morning disease.

This is why we use L-Carnitine in our Stamina mix. If you want your horse to last the season, try Stamina mix daily.
https://bit.ly/3OER1n8

12/01/2025

We strive to continually improve our products as new research comes out.

This year will be no exception! With our new doggie dental treats fresh off the press (and something exciting in the equine line also on its way).

We would also like to hear from you: what is it that you and your fur babies need?

08/01/2025

I've been asked previously what group of molecules is MOST important in animal health. And, as with most things health related, that's kind of a dangerous question. Nutrition is broad and relies on variety and freshness and good combinations.

But if I HAD to choose. If it was a question on "Do you want to be a Millionaire", I'd probably answer Omega 3 oils.

These are so often deficient in animal diets, or overpowered by the more obiquitious Omega 6 and 9. And supplementing Omega 3 has such well documented health benefits, too many to list here.

So this is the reason you will see Omega 3 as an ingredient in our Allergy Formula, Allergy Care chews, Itch mix, Omega 3 Formula, Joint Care chews AND Joint Formula. You can tell I love it, right?

06/01/2025

05/01/2025

We've had a number of customers who have successfully used Calm mix for horses on box rest. Relax, it is possible!

Read more about Calm mix here: https://www.horseandpethealth.com/product/calm-mix-uk/.

02/01/2025

A horse can be allergic to absolutely anything. An allergy is his immune system mistaking something harmless for something dangerous and trying to fight it off.

So, for example, say your horse is allergic to Culicoides (midge) bites (like in Sweet Itch). When he gets bitten, his immune system recognises it as a threat and the immune cells (the main ones are called mast cells) release histamine and cytokines.

The histamine and cytokines cause the allergic symptoms. Firstly blood vessels widen, causing more blood to flow to the affected area. The blood vessels also become more permeable, allowing immune cells to leak out. Fluid also leaks out, which causes inflammation (swelling, redness, heat).

Histamine also causes smooth muscles to contract – this is what results in airways closing in respiratory allergies.

All of these things together cause the allergic response: itching, hives, nasal discharge, coughing, and respiratory distress.
If the horse is exposed again and again to the same allergen, this reaction gets faster and more intense due to the formation of memory cells. This is called Secondary Immune Response.

So, when I was designing Itch mix, it made sense to start at the very beginning of this whole reaction – the mast cells and histamine.

Bioflavonoids are molecules that are very abundant in plants. They are found in Rooibos for example. But we use bioflavonoids extracted from Citrus. These Citrus Bioflavonoids are mast cell stabilisers – they stop the mast cell’s walls from breaking open and releasing the histamine and cytokines. This stops the immune reaction before it even starts.

But, because we are The Herbal Horse, we like to address problems on multiple levels at once.

Vitamin C also acts as a mast cell stabilizer, but it also reduces inflammation and might even help to modulate the immune response by influencing white blood cells.

There is some pretty new research on spirulina, which shows that it reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines, which in turn reduces inflammation. It also contains some pretty potent anti-oxidants, which are never a bad thing. So we added spirulina too.

Echinacea modulates both inflammation (via cytokines) and immune response, making it another obvious addition to Itch mix.

This, ladies and gentleman, is how we formulated the mutilevel, completely natural but very effective Itch mix. You can read more about it here: https://www.horseandpethealth.com/product/itch-mix/.

01/01/2025

To all our awesome supporters, we thank you for making another year possible for us.

Wishing everyone a fabulous New Year, and we hope to see you soon!

30/12/2024

It is that time of year when the Culicoides midges appear. With them comes the dreaded AHS virus, among others, that all equine owners and enthusiasts have come to fear. There is currently no way of curing this virus, other than supporting and treating it symptomatically.

One of the ways you can support your horse is by using The Herbal Horse Immune Mix. A unique blend of Echinacea, Ginseng, Vitamin C and other herbs, vitamins and minerals to support the horse’s immune system.

25/12/2024

A Merry Christmas to all and a happy holiday from all of us at The Herbal Pet and Horse.

23/12/2024

Ever had any questions about our equine range?
Ever wondered about a product for your horse but weren’t exactly sure?

Just drop us a message. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have and give advice.

20/12/2024

With the upcoming New Year’s celebration on its way it time to start preparing our fur babies that get anxious or scared.

The Herbal Pet Calming Chews offer a natural way of getting on top of these anxieties. Just start treatment at least 4 days before the big day to ensure the best results.

Available at Absolute Pets, Midfeeds, Western Shoppe and more…

19/12/2024

Boost immunity in multiple different ways.
More info here: https://bit.ly/42t0OlN

18/12/2024

I was browsing through studies on various herbs one day and this one caught my eye: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study on the Effects of Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) on Startle Response in Healthy Subjects.

Startle response, guys!

What is the biggest source of anxiety in riders? Well, for me at least, it is the "Startle Response"of horses to absolutely nothing. Or plastic bags or bushes or birds.

So that, fellow riders, is the reason Gotu Kola in in Calm mix.

18/12/2024

Every mom's favourite horse supplement.
More info here: https://www.horseandpethealth.com/product/calm-mix-uk/.

17/12/2024

Every now and again we get asked some really interesting questions. Today was one of those days. Seems that there is an arthritic elephant in Zimbabwe that is going to be trying our Rejuven mix. The dose conversion is not as simple as multiplying the horse dose by how much bigger the elephant is. Surface area of the animals also plays a part. So the answer is that an elephant would need about five scoops of Rejuven mix per day. (Just in case you ever need this information...)
🐘🐘🐘

13/12/2024

Although far less research is done into natural products than is done into synthetic patentable medications, there is a lot of good work being done. Because I am a complete nerd and read scientific papers for fun, I keep up with the latest papers. And new things are being discovered all of the time.

What surprises me a lot is how few companies actually do this. Even in the field of human natural remedies, companies tend to stick to the latest fads – giving customers what they want to buy rather than questioning the latest fashion or Facebook phenomenon and producing cutting edge products.

Each of my products has been updated as I discover more information. I want them to get better and better. And some of the ingredients you find in the herbal horse products aren’t found in any others. Because I use science as my starting point.

Then there is the safety aspect. With a superficial googling of a particular herbal remedy, one could be assured that it is natural and ergo must be safe. Although in most cases, this is true, sometimes it isn’t. Or perhaps there is an interaction between your herbal remedy and another unrelated medication that you (or your horse) might be taking.

As a result I am a bit pedantic about listing any possible side effects or drug interactions on my packaging. It might put some people off, but at least you are aware of what you are buying.

So, if you are bothered by my use of certain ingredients and my rejection of others, speak to me. I’d love to have that discussion with you.