| Spring has officially sprung, and that means two things | | | | respiratory support. This combination is also helpful |
| to horse show addicts: horse and travel. Unless you | | | | when shipping horses long distances, when treating |
| live at the center of a major show circuit, chances are | | | | skin fungus, or for upper respiratory conditions. |
| that if you want to compete with your horse this year, | | | | For horses who have more severe lung conditions, |
| you are going to have to travel. | | | | such as Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage |
| Depending on your equine friend, the combination of | | | | (EIPH), or bleeding in the lungs, Bleeder's Blend from |
| horse and travel is either a piece of cake or a | | | | Equilite is extremely supportive. This blend of tonifying |
| complete horror story. Luckily, there are some simple | | | | herbs helps provide healthy and strong lungs in high |
| steps you can take to get your horse ready for show | | | | performance equines. Use this formula to help protect |
| season and travel. In this newsletter, we cover | | | | lungs from stress or hemorrhaging so they may better |
| numerous products for the various situations you might | | | | endure the rigors of training. This formula also contains |
| encounter during the season. You probably won't need | | | | bioflavonoids and vitamin K. |
| all of these remedies and supplements, but this | | | | 5. Provide Digestive Support |
| newsletter might serve as a "just in case" reference | | | | Many horses stop eating when stressed, or eat but |
| guide to keep on hand as you go down the road! | | | | don't digest their food well. This poor digestion can lead |
| Prepare Your Horse and Travel Safely: Seven Tips | | | | to ulcers, colic, and other digestive discomforts that |
| Aside from the training aspects of getting your horse | | | | can interfere with performance. To support your |
| ready for the upcoming show season, there are many | | | | horse's digestion during travel or at shows, consider |
| horse health care aspects to consider before you and | | | | adding products that soothe and coat the stomach, |
| your horse hit the road. Here are seven horse health | | | | such as Stomach Soother, SUCCEED, or slippery elm |
| care tips to help you prepare your horse and travel | | | | plus aloe vera. |
| safely down the road. | | | | To replenish the beneficial gut bacteria, which can be |
| 1. Protect Your Horse's Immune System | | | | destroyed by stress or when your horse drinks |
| Immunity is always an issue when traveling to show | | | | chlorinated water, feed Simplexity Health's Acidophlius |
| grounds that have a constant stream of horses | | | | and Bifidus, or PreProbiotics from Equilite. As a side |
| traveling through. To protect your horse's immune | | | | benefit, these probiotics also produce vitamin B, which |
| system from respiratory tract infections, allergies, and | | | | can keep your horse calm and relaxed. |
| other possible irritants, consider adding Simplexity | | | | 6. Keep Older Show Horses Going |
| Health Essentials or Equilite's Equinacea to your horse's | | | | If you have a "school master" or older show horse |
| daily regimen. Both of these support your horse's | | | | who is perfectly capable of showing, but needs a little |
| immune system and lungs, both of which can be | | | | support for his joints, now is the time consider injecting |
| stressed while traveling. | | | | affected joints with Adequan or Legend. |
| 2. Keep Your Horse Calm | | | | Adequan is recommended for the intramuscular |
| Show nerves, a new environment, constant noise and | | | | treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or |
| lights, and travel can all make show horses flighty and | | | | traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of |
| nervous. Fire and Water horse personality types are | | | | the carpal and hock joints in horses. Legend is |
| especially prone to nerves, while Wood horses may | | | | indicated in the treatment of joint dysfunction of the |
| became bored and destructive when confined to a | | | | knee or fetlock in horses due to non-infectious arthritis. |
| small stall (learn more about horse personality types on | | | | Both will support older horses who are still competing |
| the Horse Harmony website). | | | | but need extra joint support. |
| To keep your horse calm at a show, consider feeding | | | | 7. Prepare Your First Aid Kit |
| Valerian Free Relax Blend. For horses who may tip | | | | You never know what might happen when you |
| into their "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system, | | | | combine horse and travel, and head into the |
| two to four capsules of the herbal supplement Eleviv | | | | competition season. For a horse show first aid kit, I like |
| can be useful to help them deal cope with stress, and | | | | to include at least the following: |
| stay in an open and willing frame of mind. | | | | Homeopathic Remedies |
| 3. Protect Against Wear and Tear | | | | - Nux Vomica and Chamomile (for digestive issues) |
| Competition and travel can both be hard on a horse's | | | | - Arnica, Rhus. Tox. and Hypericum (for overworked |
| bones, tendons, and ligaments. To protect against | | | | bodies and nerve issues) |
| wear and tear, consider adding antioxidants and natural | | | | - Apis and Pulsatilla (for allergies, insect bites, and |
| anti-inflammatory supplements to your horse's diet | | | | swelling) |
| during show season. Good antioxidants include | | | | Topical Salves and Ointments |
| Coenzyme Q10 from Comal or Simplexity Health, | | | | - Sore No More (for overworked muscles and joints) |
| concentrated wheat sprouts from Simplexity Health, | | | | - Draw Solution (for topical wounds or injuries, or |
| blue-green algae, and Citrus C/Q from Equilite. These | | | | wrapping joints) |
| antioxidant sources help protect against cellular | | | | - HyperCal (for topical wounds) |
| damage and work to enhance healing and connective | | | | Stress-Reducing Products |
| tissue construction. These supplements also provide | | | | - Eleviv (for coping healthily with stress) |
| horses with the nutrients they need to support their | | | | - Fastrack Paste (for digestive upsets and |
| respiratory system and immune system. | | | | nervousness) |
| 4. Support Lung Health | | | | - SUCCEED (for ulcer flare-ups) |
| Depending on your horse's career, it may be very | | | | Hopefully these tips help you prepare for show season |
| important to support your horse's lung health during | | | | so you and your horse are ready to hit the circuit and |
| show season. Some horse's have weak lungs, and | | | | compete well. Keeping your horse healthy is one of |
| may develop lung irritation, cough, allergies, or skin | | | | the primary ingredients for a successful show season, |
| conditions, all of which are related to the lungs, while | | | | and doing just a bit of preparation beforehand can |
| traveling. | | | | save you a lot of headaches down the road. |
| These horses can be well-supported with Garlic plus C | | | | We are proud to say that just about all of the |
| from Equilite. This combination contains garlic, vitamin C, | | | | products mentioned above are stocked in the Holistic |
| Astragalus, Schisandra, and Zinc. In combination, these | | | | Horsekeeping online store, so be sure to check it out |
| help keep insects away, and provide immune and | | | | as a source for one stop shopping. |