The environment that your horse lives in can tell you a lot about their health and what underlying problems may be present. More specifically, the weather or outside environment is a key factor that can clue you into problems that may be deep inside of your horse. Heat and humidity are two key environmental factors that play a major role in many health conditions during this time of the year in the horse. Ever wonder why?
When it comes to true alternative medicine, we are more concerned with patterns present within the horse than with the disease or condition. Thus, for many horse owners that I consult with, the diagnosis of ‘metabolic syndrome’ or ‘insulin resistance’ is made and laboratory numbers are exchanged. In truth, I really do not care about those numbers, as they are just numbers. More so, what I want to know is what pattern is present within your horse that is setting the stage for the creation of the disease? There is an imbalance present and it is our job to figure out what it is. The more we can fine tune our focus upon it, the greater our chances of success in managing your horse’s health or lameness condition.
There are many ‘root’ patterns which can be present in a horse and two important ones are the concept of internal heat and dampness. Dampness or Ama formation has been discussed in many articles but for more detailed information, check out this one.
To keep things simple, this internal heat is a sign of essentially what it states, there is an increased rise of internal body temperature to the horse. This does not necessarily mean they are running a fever, as with an infection, as that would be more labeled ‘toxic heat’. What it does mean is that they are like a woman going through menopause to a degree, exhibiting signs of heat, such as irritability, sweating, and even loose stools. This heat can come from a variety of sources, but can signal that inflammation is present. More times than not, the internal heat is associated in my experience with an improper diet, including grains, and high stress.
Dampness is moisture or toxin accumulation associated with poor digestion, which may be related to the diet, concurrent illness, stress, or lifestyle. Dampness is seen in the body weight of the horse, as in being overweight which is fat accumulation, but can also be seen in the moist cough, oozing skin discharges, increased penile sheath discharges, infections, white line disease, thrush, and loose stools or feces with mucous accumulation.
Heat & Humidity: How They Play into your Horse
Now, in most instances, you can see the root pattern present in a horse with some experience or with little prodding or help from the outside. I can see the problems or even ‘sense’ the issues in the horse, even through a photo, but conveying what I see to an owner and making them ‘see’ or believe it to be a problem is another story.
This is where the environment comes to our rescue!
It is extremely common around this time of the year to see the rise in cases of equine allergies, ulcers, laminitis, metabolic related problems, anhidrosis, foot ailments, and even recurrent uveitis, not to mention a host of other issues such as Lyme’s or Anaplasmosis. If you step back and look, you will notice that the highest rate of incidence of these conditions upon first diagnosis is around this time of the year, being spring and summer.
Why?
The rising heat of the spring and continuing heat of the summer add to the already present internal heat within the horse. The increasing levels of humidity as we move from spring into the dead of summer add to the already present internal dampness within the horse.
Essentially, it is like saying your inground pool is already above the normal level of water, but you didn’t notice it until you got that downpour of 2 inches of rain, which pushed it over the brim. This is the same concept. The environmental factors help us to see the problem, but in truth, the problem was present the whole time in your horse. During the ‘off seasons’, the internal heat or dampness may not be readily visible clinically, but they are still there. The horse with allergies during the spring or summer has the same immune related, gut-associated dysbiosis during the winter time, but the colder temps keep it at bay. The horse with summer-associated laminitis appears to be more controlled during the winter, but this is just because the colder temps are helping to quench the internal imbalance.
Interesting isn’t it? This factor is why many people choose to move to the southwest region of the United States to live out their retirement. The lower humidity helps to ‘control’ their health conditions. This is also why there are so many problems in horses that live in the southern tier of states from Georgia to Florida. The high humidity and heat bring out the internal problems.
Popular formulas to address dampness in the horse:
Popular formulas to address heat in the horse:
As a side note, this phenomenon exists in the opposite spectrum as well. Meaning that many horses have issues ranging from arthritis to laminitis during the colder seasons. Once again, this tells us there is an internal problem which is being exacerbated by the environment. Cold worsens internal cold sort of thing.
The next time your horse has problems, look to the environment and see what is going on there, even if it was just one night with a passing low front. It might give you a clue as to what is lying deep down within your horse.
Author: Tom Schell, D.V.M, CVCH, CHN
Great article Dr.Schell!
As an Ayurvedic Veterinary Practitioner I could not be more pleased to see you link the epigenetic factors to internal disease pathology. Understanding your dominant dosha or constitution gives you reference for the horses “normal” characteristics, which can be supported through appropriate nutrition choices and environmental changes. Like increases like , opposites balance!