Many horse owners seek help or assistance for their horses, regarding their health or soundness.\u00a0 This is to be expected and those that they seek advice from include their veterinarians, but also for many there are nutritionists, and even fewer they seek counsel from true herbalists.\u00a0 The ultimate goal is to find solutions to improving the horse’s health and wellbeing, which could include performance.\u00a0 Do each of these sources truly provide those answers that you are seeking?\u00a0 I think for many horse owners, there is a bit of confusion as to which is which.<\/p>\n
Veterinarians are those trained in the art of medicine and surgery, which includes pharmaceutical usage.\u00a0 They are trained in western medicine philosophies, which rely heavily upon medications to ail what is impacting the horse, our companion pet, or us.\u00a0 Most veterinarians are trained in the management of health problems involving many species of animals, while some then go further and specialize or focus upon one species or even more specifically, one aspect of that species such as orthopedics, internal medicine, or otherwise.\u00a0 This specialization does not change their approach, and most remain western minded throughout their career.\u00a0 Now, some do become specialized in other areas of health improvement, which may include alternative medicine, nutrition, and herbs.\u00a0 The benefit to this is that the individual is licensed as a veterinarian and is trained in the physiology of disease and injury.\u00a0 They have access to medications if needed or warranted, but also other approaches which can be incorporated to enhance improvements, which include alternative medicine, nutrition, and herbs.<\/p>\n
Now, with that being said, there are many equine nutritionists and even herbalists that are assisting horse owners, but they are not veterinarians.\u00a0 Does this make a difference?\u00a0 That is a good question and one that I cannot answer.\u00a0 I do believe that just like anything else, we have some good nutritionists, herbalists and veterinarians, while we also have some ‘bad’ ones.\u00a0 I don’t think there is ever truly something that is bad, implying intent to harm, but more so just misguidance and a lack of understanding. No one can know everything, that is for sure, but one pattern that I see that is prevalent today is a lack of common sense and individualized thinking on all levels.<\/p>\n
A person can be trained as a veterinarian, a nutritionist, or an herbalist, but most of those just incorporate what they have been taught by another and rarely take things further, thinking for themselves or truly understanding what they have been taught.\u00a0 I’ve encountered many veterinarians that approach a medical or surgical case just like they were taught in college, when that approach may or may not provide true results.\u00a0 They never think outside of the box or even consider something new.\u00a0 I’ve also seen many nutritionists and herbalists that simply regurgitate information that they were taught and when that approach does not work, they fail to analyze the situation and regroup with thought. As I’ve tried to tell our children, one of which is a resident physician and another that is a specialized farrier, don’t ever just take what a ‘teacher’ tells you as truth and follow it.\u00a0 Take time to digest what has been told to you and decide whether it works or it does not, then incorporate bits and pieces of that newly acquired information into your arsenal, forming a bigger picture.\u00a0 Forge your own path with your own understanding, don’t just accept what another tells you as truth because more times than not, it is nothing more than an opinion. Again, no one knows everything, but over time we can individually gain a greater understanding.<\/p>\n
An example to demonstrate this concept is a quick story.<\/p>\n
When I was in my 30’s, I was recovering from a cancer situation and had various health problems, including chronic back concerns.\u00a0 Now, this was during my early years of being introduced to alternative medicine.\u00a0 I encountered some chiropractors that offered acupuncture, but in truth when I inquired using my newly found knowledge, I found that most were western minded and just used some techniques they acquired from a medical conference.\u00a0 They had no idea truly what they were doing, or the philosophy behind it.\u00a0 It was a means to adding to their income and for some, it provided improvement.\u00a0 On the other hand, I had a client at the time who was certified in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which included acupuncture.\u00a0 She had a small clinic, which was really just one room and a table, where she would assess the patient and provide acupuncture for a short period, allowing the patient to rest and relax.\u00a0 She was simple, but understood, and she was the one that helped me recover and pushed me on the path forward in my own knowledge.\u00a0 There is a big difference, but not many horse owners truly understand unfortunately.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for most horse owners today, as compared to years past, is the heavy reliance upon equine nutritionists, some of which have college degrees, including PhD’s, while other have just completed an online course.\u00a0 Now, we have had nutritionists since my day of college, but those were veterinarians that had subspecialized in nutrition with a residency program.\u00a0 They were on staff at the university hospitals to guide us with acute nutritional therapy for patients in critical situations.\u00a0 Today, I’m sure those positions are still there, but more so what I see is a general subscribing to various equine nutritionists via social media platforms, much like farriers, by horse owners.\u00a0 This would be great if improvement was being noted across the board, but this is not the case.\u00a0 Instead of solving the problems, what I see is a laundry list of vitamin and mineral supplements being given or recommended, often conflicting with one another or doubling up on ingredients.\u00a0 The horse owners are pumping out a lot of money each month and more times than not, the horse is not improving or actually, getting worse.<\/p>\n
I think that many would benefit from a true herbalist, regarding their horse’s health, but some horse owners believe that there is no difference and that the nutritionist would be providing this service.\u00a0 This is incorrect.<\/p>\n
I cannot vouch for every equine nutritionist or herbalist in the world today but can only attest to what I have encountered in my consultations with horse owners.\u00a0 I am one that falls into the class of being a veterinarian, subspecializing in equine internal medicine, but also specializing in herbal medicine, which includes both Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine.\u00a0 I would utilize pharmaceuticals and surgery when warranted for the equine patient but then incorporate herbs and true nutrition to aid their recovery and overall health.<\/p>\n
To me, I would simply say that I am an alternative medicine equine practitioner.\u00a0 The usage of herbs in my approaches incorporates nutrition, so in reality, they are one in the same, at least for myself.\u00a0 One goes with the other, however, this is not often true for others.\u00a0 I see many nutritionists that are trying to balance nutritional programs which could be based upon blood levels of certain nutrients, hair analysis, or simply by ‘feel’ after looking at the patient visually.\u00a0 I think this is okay, but to me, we are putting every horse into the same bucket, meaning that every horse seems to get the same approach or regimen.\u00a0 Every horse is given ‘X’ volume of these vitamins and minerals, no matter if they are young, mid-aged, or elderly or no matter whether if they are contending with performance issues or metabolic ailments.\u00a0 Every horse is treated the same with rarely any individualization based upon the patient.\u00a0 Then, when things don’t seem to work out for the horse, the practitioner then adds another product to the regimen, often on top of 5-10 other supplements.\u00a0 The horses are over supplemented and given synthetic based vitamin-mineral nutrients<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, which don’t always provide results, and many times create more harm for the horse.<\/p>\n This is not far from the well adopted approach to the equine metabolic patient, using dry lots<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, vitamin-mineral supplements, and reduced starch forages.\u00a0 The approach is given to almost every equine patient, but rarely provides results, yet we continue to do the same.<\/p>\n An herbalist, if truly trained in various philosophies, never treats one horse like another.\u00a0 Every horse is an individual.\u00a0 In Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine the overall philosophy or goal is to create balance within the patient, and when balance is restored, then health is restored or improved.\u00a0 There is a reason behind the imbalance in the horse, which is creating the health condition or concern for the horse owner. The goal is to see this root causation behind the imbalance and then attempt to restore balance.\u00a0 This could be by stopping something that is creating the imbalance, which may be a lifestyle, medication, or other supplements.\u00a0 This could also be accomplished by adding something to the regimen which may be missing, which could help not only to provide nutrition, but also impact cellular pathways in the body.\u00a0 Overall, the goal is to restore balance and vitality to the horse, which then improves their health.<\/p>\n When I use herbs, I have goals with each that are chosen.\u00a0 Some herbs drain the body of impurities and get blood moving, while other tonify or support rebuilding of the body.\u00a0 This tonifying aspect is where nutrition comes into play, but I do not rely upon individualized vitamins and minerals to accomplish this task of rebuilding.\u00a0 Instead, I rely upon whole foods, some of which are well known, such as alfalfa, while others not so much, such as Rehmannia glutinosa<\/em> or even black sesame seed.\u00a0 If there is a vitamin-mineral supplement being utilized by the horse owner, I try to get them to stop, which includes other supplements which are often synthetic based.\u00a0 The herbs I use to rebuild the horse are often pure whole foods, while others are concentrated forms of those whole foods.\u00a0 These types of herbs have been used for centuries to aid the body and enhance healing and health.\u00a0 This is not a trend or fad, but a true form of medicine that has predated our western philosophies and often outperforms them in truth.<\/p>\n Bottom line?<\/strong>\u00a0 A nutritionist in today’s equine world is often just trying to balance vitamins and minerals, often with synthetic based supplements, often loaded with sugars, flavors, and other additives.\u00a0 Some nutritionists focus on whole foods, steering clear of the synthetic stuff on the market, and those I tip my hat to their efforts.\u00a0 An herbalist seeks to find the root cause of the horse’s maladies, and through herbs and other lifestyle and diet recommendations, they attempt to restore that balance.\u00a0 Then, when balance is achieved and the horse is doing better clinically, they often use lifestyle, diet, and herbal usage to maintain that balance. A true herbalist, from my perspective, will incorporate nutrition into their approach, but it may not come in a plastic tub.\u00a0 The nutrition is through their recommendations in specific foods, forages, and herbs.\u00a0 In truth, this is where true nutrition is supposed to originate, right?<\/p>\n The right approach to nutrition and health helps the horse, while the wrong approach can create more harm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author:\u00a0 Tom Schell, D.V.M, CVCH, CHN<\/p>\n Further Reading:<\/p>\n Vitamin Supplements and Ration Balancers in the Horse – SecondVet<\/a><\/p>\n Whole Real Foods; Your Horse’s Health and Well Being – SecondVet<\/a><\/p>\n Solution to the Problem; Whole Foods vs Processed in the Horse<\/a><\/p>\n