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E-Quine E-Tips Free educational newsletter for horse enthusiasts! http://Equinetips.HaveYourOwnHorseShow.com August 15,2004 You are receiving this because you subscribed. If you have changed your mind, and would rather not receive it, there are instructions for discontinuing at the end of the newsletter. Questions or comments? Send them to dusty@duo-county.com Contents 1. Welcome 2. Article 3. Resources 4. Fun 5. Privacy Policy 6. Subscribe and unsubscribe 7. Disclaimer 1. Welcome back to Equine E-tips. Hope you are all enjoying the unseasonally cool weather. I know the horses love it! We are preparing for our out of town trip back to our former home to participate in the county fair. There aren't enough hours in the day, so it seems. But we are excited, and I may come home with more news for you! If you would like to contribute an article, resource, or anything we would be happy to consider your submissions. Send them to dusty@duo-county.com Do you show your horse? We have a certified judge ready for any questions you might have. Send questions to dusty@duo-county.com with judge in the subject line by the 10th of the month to be published in the next available space. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this issue. I'm sure you will find something you were looking for! 2. Guest Article The Equine Cushings Cure by: Nina Arbella Equine Cushings disease is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland, which is responsible for the production and regulation of hormones. Symptoms include a long, shaggy coat that does not shed, excessive drinking and urination, laminitis, a tendency for recurring infections in the hoof (foot abscesses), and a loss of muscle mass, especially along the topline and rump. At Eye of the Storm Equine Rescue, we've discovered what appears to be a cure for Cushings disease in horses. We're not licensed nor are we doctors, but we know what has worked for our horses and for lots of others, so we wanted to share our experiences in case it helps cure your own horse of equine Cushings disease. While looking through a nutritional healing book at Debra's Natural Gourmet in West Concord, Mass., I came across a sentence that said "Chasteberry feeds the pituitary gland." Chasteberry in recent times has been used mainly for "women's complaints." I know it works because it beats the crap out of PMS, you feel better in 20 minutes. "Hmm," I say, "I like chasteberry, let's see what it can do for our two Cushings horses." Bess, our 26 year old Shetland had obvious symptoms: long hair that didn't shed and she was a sway back. Not as bad as some, but still obvious. I couldn't wait for the vet to take some blood to find out her "numbers." The results were positive for Cushings. I put her on one teaspoon twice a day, three weeks on and one week off. Though she began to shed her coat of "buffalo" hair almost immediately, she never was a very slick pony. But I was determined to keep her on the chasteberry one year before testing her blood again. If I saw results then, I would tell the world. One year later, after Bess' test results came back, the vet said, "I don't know what you're doing, but keep on doing it." Bess' numbers were down 33 points! I don't know exactly what these numbers represent, but evidently this never happens in real life! After one year of feeding her pituitary gland, had I managed to reverse her Cushings disease? I was very excited as this ailment affects the lives of millions of old (and not so old) horses in so many negative ways. This disease is more common now than it has ever been in the past. No one really knows why, though I have my theories. That is another tale for another day. I was getting whole chasteberry in one pound bulk bags from Natural Gourmet and running it through a coffee grinder. The seeds are very hard and I figured it would come out the other end the same way they went in, unless we knocked the shells off them. You run the grinder until most of the pinging of hard berries can't be heard anymore. You cannot grind them up completely, but that's okay. Horses are made to digest roughage. They handle the chunks just fine. You should have a grinder for this purpose only, as your coffee might taste funny if you use the grinder for both. Right around the time I was ready to tell the world about this "cure," another product came on the market called Hormonize. It is a liquid and costs around $45 per liter and lasts two weeks for your average size horse. That's $90 per month to treat the horse. The developers of this product found it to be effective not only on mares in heat, but it also did some impressive things for Cushings horses, too. It is sold for this purpose as well. It is an all natural herbal remedy. A bit pricey, though. I checked out the ingredients. It is a tincture of chasteberry! I think they call it vitex or monks pepper on the back. I'm not sure. It greatly saddens me that the treatment for such a devastating disease sells for so much. Horses don't need herbal tinctures. They can and do digest some pretty coarse stuff (have you ever tried to eat dry timothy hay?). They can not only digest the herb, but utilize it in that form beautifully. Bess, unfortunately, died at age 28 when she decided her mission was accomplished, so we never got a third blood test from her. We have two other Cushings horses, and all of our older mares are on chasteberry as well. Junebug, who is 8 years old, was tested last year and we'll test her again soon to see where her numbers are. Snowdrop was never tested, but all her symptoms have disappeared and she is doing well at 24 years old. If any of you out there would like to try chasteberry, here's what to do. Go to your local health food store and special order one pound bulk bag whole chastetree berry from the Frontier herb company (please mention Eye of the Storm Equine Rescue when you do). You might want to order more than one bag so that when you're down to one you can reorder. One bag will cost you less than $20 and will last a couple of months per horse. Run the berries through your coffee grinder and feed one teaspoon twice a day with feed. We give the same amount to horses and ponies. It works on both mares and geldings. Give it to them three weeks on and one week off all year round. It will even keep the mares from being quite so crabby in the spring. We also give them all vitamin E in the evening, vitamin C in the morning, and MSM. No sugars or carbohydrates (not even a carrot). There are feeds out there that are low in both, such as Blue Seal Racer and some of the senior feeds (do some research). All in all, chasteberry is the answer. Even our two 30-year old mares don't have Cushings, only Bess, Junebug, and Snowdrop, who came to us with the disease and it appears to be reversed. I never had horses of my own get Cushings. I have every horse in town that has Cushings on chasteberry and they're all doing great! This is a cheap, easy, healthy remedy for Cushings disease. About The Author Nina Arbella is founder and president of Eye of the Storm Equine Rescue of Stow, Massachuetts. Contact Nina and visit the rescue center's website at http://www.equine-rescue.com. storm@equine-rescue.com @~@~@~@~ Thought about having your own horse show? It's not as hard as you might think. Step by step guide to all you need to know and materials you need to have. Easy to use show forms included. Simple directions to get ready, get set, and GO! http://www.HaveYourOwnHorseShow.com @~@~@~ 3. Resources If you find yourself in need of getting into shape, there is a free download available of an interview Tom Venuto of Fitness Renaissance did with David Grisaffi of Flatten Your Abs. It discusses fitness and you will learn how much is involved, and what is important in acheiving fitness from someone who knows. Get it free at http://www.hothealthtips.com/page4.html Here is an excellent article on bandaging and wrapping your horse's legs. http://www.dclahdvm.com/articles/legbandage.htm Interesting article on New Jersey 4-H having Breyer Horse shows! http://www.nj4h.rutgers.edu/horses/modelhorseshow/default.asp Here is an article on equine dentistry with several photos. It explains the importance of regular dental care for horses, and what can happen if they don't get it. http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Articles/EqD/EquineDentistry.shtml We are now well into summer, but this article was worth passing on for late starters, or for future reference. It is on conditioning for long rides. http://www.equisearch.com/care/eq_consultants/eqfitness1838/ 4. FUN! The following link leads to a pdf of a horse show card game for ages 8 and up. http://www.gamewright.com/rules/horseshow.pdf Find more fun for kids here. http://horsefun.com/ Some tips on how to have fun at a horse show at this link. http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/5673/108978 Check out these educational games on CD Rom! http://members.aol.com/dsaur/page4.html Do you like what you got in this newsletter? If so, tell a friend! They might like it too! 5. This is a strictly optin list. We value your privacy. Your details will never be sold, traded or exposed in any way. 6. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to 85168-subscribe@zinester.com . To unsubscribe there are instructions below. 7. The contents of this newsletter are for the purpose of information and entertainment only. E-Quine E-Tips is not responsible for any results, good or otherwise, from the use of any information contained. Please use good judgment and practice safety precautions when you are exposed to potentially harmful situations. Employ the services of a qualified professional when the need is indicated. Terry and Mary Porter 855 Melson Ridge Road Jamestown, Ky. 42629 |
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