The VERVAIN horse's anxiety is processed through the skin. He is very sensitive and twitchy on the skin and is generally very nervous and jumpy, without necessarily being afraid, upset or angry. This is the horse that is constantly agitated and highly reactive, always moving and fidgeting. Sometimes it seems it is almost impossible to make this horse stand still, and he is the equine equivalent of a person who constantly taps a foot or chews on their fingernails. Fennel seed: soothing to the GI tract, can reduce flatulence. Is known in Ayurvedic medicine for pacifying the three doshas; traditionally used for digestion and respiratory support. Dodson and Horrell Hedgerow Herbs is a tasty, nutritional blend of nettle, oregano, mint, thyme, rosehips, dandelion, and red clover. As pastures have changed over the years, the availability of many of these essential plants has disappeared — Dodson and Horrell Hedgerow Herbs is a dried blend which can be added to your horse’s feed to ensure they are receiving all of the goodness that nature intended. Sometimes, however, you will find a horse that needs to be given his particular herbs indefinitely, but this horse is the exception. These horses may have long, ingrained behavior patterns, a history of abuse, or other metabolic problems that continue to upset the balance of the nervous system. These are cases to be dealt with by professional herbalists.

The EquiNatural Mission To proactively help you support the healthy equilibrium, the functioning integrity, and the vitality - the 'vital force' - of your horse, With so many hedgerow items on offer and with none of them traditionally being used as part of the horse’s normal forage ration, we wanted to explore their nutritional value. Selecting just some of the items that our own horses find tasty we sent them for analysis. This had to be done using traditional wet chemistry techniques as equipment such as NIR, which relies on a bank of information from previous analyses, clearly wasn’t an option! It is important to highlight that these results are from just one sample of each plant and so should be considered indicative of what our horses were munching at that snapshot in time at the end of May. Much, much more analysis needs to be done to draw any firm conclusions about the nutritional value of these materials but it is really interesting to start exploring these materials. Nutrient*/Hedgerow Item Answer: Ryegrass (Lolium spp.) is a common pasture grass of good nutritional value. The problem common to ryegrass, wild grasses, wheat and barley is Ergot (Claviceps spp.). Ergot is a fungal biotoxin found growing on grain or grass seeds especially during the late summer/early autumn months. Ergot constricts the arterioles supplying the tissues with fresh blood (vaso-constrictive) resulting in lameness, gangrene, dead tissue, abortion etc. Secondly, ergot can ferment into lysergic acid (LSD) under ideal conditions, (the LSD of the sixties was a derivative of ergot man made) which will cause hyperexcitability, convulsions and inco-ordination. Severity of symptoms will depend on the amount of infected grass seed ingested. It is also said to be a good treatment for cramps, colic, bronchial spasm, flatulence, nervous exhaustion and cases of constipation. This eventually leads to chronic, systemic inflammation, which means the body's army of immune cells and its natural, and very sophisticated detox system - the liver/kidneys/lymph nodes - will struggle to do its job. And so begins dis-ease , meaning that the body is 'ill at ease', making getting better that much harder.HYPERICUM or St. Johns Wort is another Nervine, which has some application as a nervous system type but is best used in support of specific treatments, externally and in small and regulated doses internally. The actions of Hypericum are described more fully in the Materia Medica toward the end of the book.

Recently, there has been a suggestion that it can produce liver damage if large quantities are fed over long periods. Don’t assume that hedgerow items are low in sugar, they may not be. Use as a treat only or not at all if you are concerned about laminitis We beta-tested Hedgerow GI with ponies and horses of various breeds including Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Morgans, Friesans, Arabians, and Quarter Horses. Stressors on the GI tract can upset the orchestra’s ecosystem, resulting in imbalance and health issues: Marshmallow leaf: used in traditional Chinese medicine for soothing irritation in the mucous membranes of the GI tract, mouth, throat, and nose. Horses who can benefit from Hedgerow GIThe gut microbiota is a key player in the gut-brain axis. Stress can alter intestinal mucosa permeability as well as alter the microbiome community structure in the gut. This imbalance in the gut can affect neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Some studies indicate heightened anxiety and depression can result from changes in gut permeability and microbial composition. 8 Hedgerow GI One group of horses that we are always concerned about feeding extra treats to is those that are laminitis prone. It is very important not to assume that weeds or hedgerow items are any lower in sugar than grass or hay is. It is also important to appreciate that adding extra hedgerow items will provide more calories to the total diet too. Limiting these items to a treat only means that your horse doesn’t have to miss out completely. Valerian combines extremely well with other relaxing herbs, such as chamomile and hops, to make a general calming blend, and can be helpful in settling the digestive system. The only way to fix your horse is to help them return to their natural state. Feeding your horse in a manner that is contrary to their innate physiological needs is making their body scream for help."

These days, a large number of performance horses are highly strung to the point where it impedes their performance, and, in some cases, makes the animal dangerous. Many riders and trainers have resorted to the use of chemical sedatives and tranquilizers to calm their horses, but not only are these products often illegal to use in competitive situations, they can damage the horse's overall health and well-being...Giving him the herb Hops allows him to calm down mentally, and to become focused. In this balanced state, the Hops horse will be able to concentrate on the job at hand, and given the right direction he can shine in his chosen field. It can also increase the susceptibility of certain pathogens to penicillin, a helpful effect as antibiotic resistance by some bacteria strains is increasing. 11 Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms capable of colonization in the GI tract. Unfortunately, many beneficial probiotic strains such as the Lactobacillus and Bifidus commonly used in supplements cannot survive the acidity of the stomach without either an enteric coating or micro-encapsulation. Probiotics also need to be fed at a level that supports colonization. Based on research from the University of Toronto at Guelph, we know that 100 billion CFUs per serving is essential for stable colony formation.