Natural Remedies
i've been reading A Healthy Horse... by Catherine Bird and am very interested in some of the things it has to say.
i think there are some good strategies to try here, both for beej and his *!@#$! all around anxious/craziness and blitz with his arthritis and retirement. I think i'm going to hunt around and find a place for blitz that's a bit closer to home - i LOVE where he is in serpentine, and Sherree is absolutely brilliant. being in a big paddock has been great for him, but i don't like that i'm only seeing him every other month. i know i could be more consistent with visiting him, but it's a whole day trip down there and on weekends i just don't really have the time. plus, he's had this ongoing cold and half of me wonders if this is a physical manifestation of depression from suddenly being delegated to the back paddock??? idk. he has human interaction 2x a day, and socialises with lots of horses... but still, if he's carefully managed i reckon he's got at least another 10 years of good life in him and i really don't want him to spend it on someone's property away from me. he's my best mate, i think i should be doing better.
i'd bring him to paul's except that a) it is fucking expensive to keep 2 horses there and b) the paddocks etc are way too small - he's much better off in a permanent paddock situation (his is currently 6 acres, which is like 60% of paul's whole property!)
anyway.
so i'm getting the bowen lady out tomorrow to see beej. she's also bringing her back flower essences (and others). reading up about it in this book, i'm thinking that beejay is:
an Aspen Horse
The aspent horse is nervous and anxious. He may shy at invisible objects in a familiar arena. He is often afraid of predators that are not there and may suddenly bolt for no known reason. Aspen should be used thruout this horse's training to constantly reassure him. When you are riding this horse you will often sense that he has an air of anticipation or dread of what may happen.
a Cherry Plum Horse
The Cherry Plum horse is full of fear. THis horse may lose control and explode, then be fearful of his own reaction. He may self-mutilate or behave aggressively to hide his fear. WHen this horse panics, he is difficult to calm down and can often injure himself in his frenzy to get away from whatever frightened him.
a Rock Rose Horse
The rock rose horse is frozen to the spot by panic or terror. When riding, you may feel the pounding of his heart rise between your legs, or observe fear-induced shivers when this horse is panicked. THis horse will make desperate efforts to get away from the source of his fear, often rushing over anyone in his way.
and possibly also:
White Chestnut
- internal worrier. appears agitated, but more often is distracted by his own thoughts. asking for attention may provoke his annoyance. has difficulty concentrating on what you ask of him as he is stuck in his own internal world.
as well as:
Mimulus
-displays fear or anxiety in certain situations where he must confront a known and familiar fear (eg bicycles, dogs, particular person). May be shy and timid with poor social skills. If this horse is aggressive, it will be a fear-based aggression in an attempt to keep the cause of the fright at a distance. Eg this horse may jump at unexpected noise or each time he passes the speakers in a dressage test. You may notice this horse pull his ears back to warn off strangers or if his groom/handler approach too quickly. (this is relevant for me too, after having that hard fall off him in february).
anyway, that's what *i* think he is. it'll be interesting to see what the bowen lady says. he also has dominance issues, but i can't locate the flowers for the type of dominance he has.
today, i'm going to take out my small collection of essential oils. i haven't got a good carrier oil for it, but i think i'll just use water.
blend: 1 drop of oil to ever milliletre of carrier oil (vegie oil is good). also: Aloe vera gel or mineral clay. with wtaer, add detergent/alcohol to help disperse the essential oil (good for spray mister or making a compress). 3-10 drops to a bowl of warm water, then use gauze to lift off and apply to the area.
today, i'll just take mine & let beej have a sniff of them and see if he gives a response.
Grapefruit
... clears negativity and lifts resentment. good to use when you feel things are not going your way. a useful way to begin apologising to your horse if you have taken frustration out on him. hurtful words and abuse lodge in both human and horse energy fields. a few drops of grapefruit on the hands and brushed thru your energy fields will clear the way for fresh communication without the hurt. it is euphoric in it's action and can leave both you and your horse quite intoxicated after it's use. don't expose horse to strong sunlight for 4hrs as it's photosensitive and may cause skin irritation.
Geranium
helps balance hormones & emotions. regular inhalations of geranium will help address errative mood swings. wear as a perfume if you are competing a mare in season. also good when you are training your horse to do something that requires negotiation. scent of geranium always creates harmony.
then, there are the Herbs...
chamomile (already used, but needs to be rotated with time off)
garlic (already use, 3 weeks on 1 week off)
ginger (for blitzy)
devil's claw (fucking expensive, for blitzy... need to find the powder, my stockfeeders have the actual root bit? can i use that?)
Echinacea (blitzy)
Rosehip (for blitzy)
Passion Flower (beej, and me! i love this stuff!)
Peppermint (both)
OR i could just go cheapy option & buy an all purpose mineral mix, haha. beej is on the Vitamin B one, should get blitz the regular one (equilibrium). i also saw Karma powder (b vitamins + magnesium) for calming, in my stockfeeders yesterday.
oh, ALSO - bought crushed lupins yesterday and quite a few of them were NOT crushed, just squashed flat. called my feedstore about it (to see if i needed to soak or anything) & he said as long as they were flat, they'd still been steamed & rolled, which changes their... er.. makeup. very small grains don't get crushed in the machine, apparently.
i think there are some good strategies to try here, both for beej and his *!@#$! all around anxious/craziness and blitz with his arthritis and retirement. I think i'm going to hunt around and find a place for blitz that's a bit closer to home - i LOVE where he is in serpentine, and Sherree is absolutely brilliant. being in a big paddock has been great for him, but i don't like that i'm only seeing him every other month. i know i could be more consistent with visiting him, but it's a whole day trip down there and on weekends i just don't really have the time. plus, he's had this ongoing cold and half of me wonders if this is a physical manifestation of depression from suddenly being delegated to the back paddock??? idk. he has human interaction 2x a day, and socialises with lots of horses... but still, if he's carefully managed i reckon he's got at least another 10 years of good life in him and i really don't want him to spend it on someone's property away from me. he's my best mate, i think i should be doing better.
i'd bring him to paul's except that a) it is fucking expensive to keep 2 horses there and b) the paddocks etc are way too small - he's much better off in a permanent paddock situation (his is currently 6 acres, which is like 60% of paul's whole property!)
anyway.
so i'm getting the bowen lady out tomorrow to see beej. she's also bringing her back flower essences (and others). reading up about it in this book, i'm thinking that beejay is:
an Aspen Horse
The aspent horse is nervous and anxious. He may shy at invisible objects in a familiar arena. He is often afraid of predators that are not there and may suddenly bolt for no known reason. Aspen should be used thruout this horse's training to constantly reassure him. When you are riding this horse you will often sense that he has an air of anticipation or dread of what may happen.
a Cherry Plum Horse
The Cherry Plum horse is full of fear. THis horse may lose control and explode, then be fearful of his own reaction. He may self-mutilate or behave aggressively to hide his fear. WHen this horse panics, he is difficult to calm down and can often injure himself in his frenzy to get away from whatever frightened him.
a Rock Rose Horse
The rock rose horse is frozen to the spot by panic or terror. When riding, you may feel the pounding of his heart rise between your legs, or observe fear-induced shivers when this horse is panicked. THis horse will make desperate efforts to get away from the source of his fear, often rushing over anyone in his way.
and possibly also:
White Chestnut
- internal worrier. appears agitated, but more often is distracted by his own thoughts. asking for attention may provoke his annoyance. has difficulty concentrating on what you ask of him as he is stuck in his own internal world.
as well as:
Mimulus
-displays fear or anxiety in certain situations where he must confront a known and familiar fear (eg bicycles, dogs, particular person). May be shy and timid with poor social skills. If this horse is aggressive, it will be a fear-based aggression in an attempt to keep the cause of the fright at a distance. Eg this horse may jump at unexpected noise or each time he passes the speakers in a dressage test. You may notice this horse pull his ears back to warn off strangers or if his groom/handler approach too quickly. (this is relevant for me too, after having that hard fall off him in february).
anyway, that's what *i* think he is. it'll be interesting to see what the bowen lady says. he also has dominance issues, but i can't locate the flowers for the type of dominance he has.
today, i'm going to take out my small collection of essential oils. i haven't got a good carrier oil for it, but i think i'll just use water.
blend: 1 drop of oil to ever milliletre of carrier oil (vegie oil is good). also: Aloe vera gel or mineral clay. with wtaer, add detergent/alcohol to help disperse the essential oil (good for spray mister or making a compress). 3-10 drops to a bowl of warm water, then use gauze to lift off and apply to the area.
today, i'll just take mine & let beej have a sniff of them and see if he gives a response.
Grapefruit
... clears negativity and lifts resentment. good to use when you feel things are not going your way. a useful way to begin apologising to your horse if you have taken frustration out on him. hurtful words and abuse lodge in both human and horse energy fields. a few drops of grapefruit on the hands and brushed thru your energy fields will clear the way for fresh communication without the hurt. it is euphoric in it's action and can leave both you and your horse quite intoxicated after it's use. don't expose horse to strong sunlight for 4hrs as it's photosensitive and may cause skin irritation.
Geranium
helps balance hormones & emotions. regular inhalations of geranium will help address errative mood swings. wear as a perfume if you are competing a mare in season. also good when you are training your horse to do something that requires negotiation. scent of geranium always creates harmony.
then, there are the Herbs...
chamomile (already used, but needs to be rotated with time off)
garlic (already use, 3 weeks on 1 week off)
ginger (for blitzy)
devil's claw (fucking expensive, for blitzy... need to find the powder, my stockfeeders have the actual root bit? can i use that?)
Echinacea (blitzy)
Rosehip (for blitzy)
Passion Flower (beej, and me! i love this stuff!)
Peppermint (both)
OR i could just go cheapy option & buy an all purpose mineral mix, haha. beej is on the Vitamin B one, should get blitz the regular one (equilibrium). i also saw Karma powder (b vitamins + magnesium) for calming, in my stockfeeders yesterday.
oh, ALSO - bought crushed lupins yesterday and quite a few of them were NOT crushed, just squashed flat. called my feedstore about it (to see if i needed to soak or anything) & he said as long as they were flat, they'd still been steamed & rolled, which changes their... er.. makeup. very small grains don't get crushed in the machine, apparently.