LazyJ_Arabians
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Jan 14, 2006, 8:12 AM
Post #2 of 4
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Re: [Jenifae] Holistic Horse Health
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After 47 years of unhealthy eating habits and being overweight my doctor tried to put me on blood pressure meds last May. I respectfully declined and promptly launched a personal nutrition crusade. Without even planning to become one I realized within 6 weeks of eating as healthy as possible that I had become vegetarian and couldn't fathom putting a piece of meat in mouth. I lost 80 lbs in 7 months and my blood pressure and cholesterol fell well below concern by eating fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, and being particularly careful that I kept up my protein with homegrown eggs, fish, beans, nuts, and skim milk. Substituting the coffee pot with a juice machine I have become nicknamed "Juice" at work. Never felt better in my life and nobody appreciates the weight loss more than my ponies when I hop on!
I have slipped over the holidays with my kids being home from school and by eating turkey and some lean pork, not enough to cause any weight gain thankfully but I have noticed my well-being has declined a little. So now that everbody is back in college I'm dropping the pork and fowl and phasing in organic as much as I can and kicking the aerobic excercise up several notches. I'm anxious to self-evaluate the results.
As far as holistic health plans for horses, I have an 30yo horse, a 15yo dog, and of course my 47yo aches and pains and we have all taken a big dose of glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM (I buy the cheaper "horse" version and we all use it) every morning for several years and I can speak for all of us.. that stuff works miracles. Having played tennis all my life, my joints were wearing out and I finally blew a knee and was facing having to go under the knife. Not being keen on that prospect I started this supplement and along with physical therapy I was back on the court in weeks and now with the weight loss I'll challenge any teenager to a foot race. MSM is fun to research, I could write a book about what I feel it has done for me in many respects. I crashed a horse into a tree on Thanksgiving and my doctor was astounded at how quickly my collarbone healed. A skin cancer was removed on the side of my nose requiring a cheek flap and 24 stitches, very little visible scar. If I sprain an ankle, it heals in days instead of weeks. Lactic acids used to make me lame after strenuous activity. Enough said?
Also, you hear people tell you to lime your pastures for the health of the grass. It's even more important for the health of your horses. Bones are made of calcium. One of the reasons race horses are raised in Kentucky is because of the high calcium in their soil. Hard to quantify, but I believe it.
Sun's up and I hear whinnies, hollering for their haydaddy..
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