Last month I took my 4 year
old mule, Jake, to a training clinic. When we joined the other 13 riders
in the ring the first morning, Jake was a bit overwhelmed. He was pretty
wound up with all the activity and just a step away from an out-of-mule-body
experience. It occurred to me that I had not given him any Rescue Remedy
or taken any myself. I usually give us both Rescue Remedy when we face
something new and challenging. I took Jake back to the trailer and we
both took a dose. The rest of the morning went much better.
It was a long day and the heat
index was well over one hundred. Jake gave his all and was a bit sore
and grouchy at the end of the day. I took a little extra time to do
a short Bowen session on him to help his muscles relax. In addition
to his extra probiotics and algae at dinner, I also gave him an extra
dose of noni juice to help with any inflammation from the extra work.
The next morning Jake was bright and ready to go. I did not need any
Rescue Remedy as he was very comfortable with his new surroundings.
I recently read an article
in Practical Horseman about medicating performance horses and was dismayed
to see that the supplements I used at the clinic would be considered
illegal. The article specifically said, “The United States Equestrian
Federation’s drugs and medication rules are clear: Anything that’s
given to a horse, in any way, with the intent to alter the horse’s
performance, be it through pain control or temperament adjustment, is
not permitted. That means anything you give your horse--homeopathic,
herbal, or otherwise--that’s meant to calm him or make him more
comfortable is illegal unless expressly permitted by the USEF.”
I feel we should draw a distinction
between substances that help restore a horse to its natural physical,
mental, and emotional state, and substances that actually increase a
horse’s performance beyond his normal abilities or mask pain.
Since this can be quite confusing, I’ll give a couple of examples.
Consider the difference between
valerian and chamomile. Both have calming effects. The difference is
that valerian can actual alter a horse’s state beyond what is
normal while chamomile could only restore a horse to its normal state
of calmness. Valerian can cause a horse that is normally not very calm
to become calm or even sedated. On the other hand, giving a chamomile
to a horse that is normally tense or high-strung would not have much
of a sedating effect. Chamomile is effective in restoring a normally
calm horse to its regular state under stressful conditions such as a
show.
Another example is the difference
between arnica and devil’s claw, both of which reduce symptoms
of soreness or pain. Arnica cannot mask pain, but will help a horse
recover from muscle soreness more quickly. It will not, however, allow
a horse to perform beyond its actual level of fitness. In contrast,
devil’s claw has some medicinal components that would act in the
body like a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. When regulations allow
for low levels of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as bute
or banamine, devil’s claw should be a perfectly acceptable substitute.
In these examples we are making
a distinction between nutritional supplements or homeopathic remedies
and herbal supplements. Some herbs, such as valerian, kava kava, and
devil’s claw are medicinal in action. Even though herbs are natural
substances, using them to alter performance may not be harmful to the
horse but it does violate the spirit of fair competition. On the other
hand, homeopathic remedies and nutritional products can not alter performance
but instead allow a horse to be his best. Homeopathic remedies work
on a vibrational plane and can’t mask pain or cause a horse to
act in a certain way. Homeopathic remedies will never show up in tests
because they are not physical substances. They also do not have side
effects or harm the horse in any way.
Nutritional support from natural
products such as probiotics, noni juice or aloe vera will not alter
a horse’s performance but they can help the horse recover more
quickly and be more comfortable. Stress from showing will often cause
the bacterial flora of the horse’s digestive tract to change and
this can cause discomfort and make a horse nervous. Probiotics are a
natural way to bring back the balance and help a horse feel better.
Noni and aloe are considered herbs but they act in a nutritional not
medicinal way by giving the horse extra enzymes and nutrients to recover
quickly from stress. Blue green algae is a concentrated nutrient which
supports overall health. Algae can give a horse extra energy and help
him focus better at home or on the road.
The best way to be successful
with your performance horse is to train him carefully, give him the
best nutrition, condition him to be able to withstand the rigors of
competition and support him with natural products which do not mask
pain or alter performance. I do not see how giving homeopathic remedies,
flower essences or nutritional products interfere with the spirit of
the medication rules.
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Article
used with permission. More information about Madelyn Ward, DVM, can
be found at her website, Holistic
Horsekeeping.
