I believe horses, well, really any animal, come into our care for a reason.
The reason could be to help us... to grow in some way, to change a behavior, to resolve hurt or trauma, to release feelings that are holding us back, to show us problems with our health or anything else that helps us to become better or whole again. When I began to realize the significance the animals had in my life...on my emotional growth, it opened me up to a greater awareness that increases with each day. And it encourages me to do a better job of being a better person for myself as well as for my animals.
One of my past experiences was with Dinah, a senior husky, who came into my life as a foster then I adopted her. She had been surrendered, overweight with difficulty walking as well as getting up and down. She was the redemption for the regret I carried of not knowing how to help our last senior dog, Bryndall. With all that I had learned using Young Living products, I was able to give this girl a couple more healthy, happy and vibrant years with our family. Our horse Frannie came to help me to release emotional baggage. He showed me that sometimes there is nothing we can do to save them. This is from hurt I carried for many years over the death of my father.
So something happened this morning that was really kind of a slap in the face to wake me up out of my funk lately! That I needed to do better and that my horse was showing me the error of my ways. I wanted to share it as I think we can all get caught up in our lives and need a reminder to be in the moment and pay attention to what our horses are telling us!
Here's what happened...
The horses had been out and about foraging. I had put a flake of hay in each of the stall areas for when they came back in. Each horse generally starts out having their breakfast in their chosen stall, then they move from stall to stall eating from the hay bags(in this hot/humid weather they have been choosing to stay in during the day). Saxon always eats in the middle stall as his large dish and place mat are set up for him. Calli happened to be in that stall when I headed down with the dishes of food. Saxon started to go in, saw Calli and whipped his head to the side catching me. It wasn't hard, but I did feel it and it brought up my anger. With that anger and my hands full of feed dishes I sent Calli out of the stall so I could get Saxon set up to eat. I then fed Maggie and Calli as both were then waiting in the other stalls.
I left the area to go make hay bags and on my way up to the barn, I heard a squeal and a bang on the wall. I looked back to see Maggie running out of the stall and a bit upset. Calli had finished her meal and had gone in to push Maggie out with the same kind of anger that I had just displayed to her. I apologized to Maggie, then Calli for the blame of this situation was not on them or even Saxon, it was on me.
My anger that came out is not something I am happy about, but I am glad that Calli showed me what I look like by doing the same thing to Maggie. It made me realize that I must manage my emotions better...regardless of the heat, the bugs and any other things in life that may be bothering me. Being in the moment with our horses is what they show us is important. It's when we are off in our heads that problems arise. So I have pulled out my Feelings Kit of oils to use to help myself feel more relaxed and balanced.
Kind of a coincidence (are there really coincidences?), just this morning I had a message from a friend asking for suggestions regarding a situation with one of her horses. The last thing that she said when we finished talking was that she is noticing the horse is showing the same physical issues that she has! That is the key, notice what our horses are telling us. Our horses are our mirrors and will show us what we need to pay attention to and change to make us better or whole again.
For more information on holistic horse care, be sure to join us over in our FB community The Hearts Of Horses; Empowering Through Holistic Care.
All the best,
Marta
Remembering Tex...
A few years ago when I started The Hearts of Horses, Empowering Through Holistic Care community, a new friend reached out looking for suggestions to help her horse. Tex was experiencing falling down, to the point that his legs were getting bloodied and bruised. The first thing I thought was that there was an issue with hoof angles and the stay apparatus. Horses have a stay apparatus which allows their legs to lock so that they can nap while standing. It's possible for hoof angles to be such that this apparatus does not work properly. As it turns out, this was NOT Tex's problem! He was actually SLEEP DEPRIVED from his inability to lay down comfortably! A major health concern for aging horses... sore joints.
Once we realized that Tex was sleep deprived, due to not being comfortable lowering himself to the ground, I suggested to his caregiver to try Sulfurzyme to support his joints. From my own personal experience, with animals and myself, I know how well it works and was sure it would help Tex. Happily, Tex felt improvement on 4 capsules of Sulfurzyme per day in the first few days of using it. I was so pleased to get this great news from his "Mom" and a photo of him laying down peacefully and napping.
Why Sulfur? What does it do for the body?
Sulfur plays an important role for a variety of functions in the body. Most noticeably, when sulfur levels are supplemented, you'll see an improvement in skin health, hair growth, hoof growth and comfort increases in tendons and ligaments. Sulfur helps to metabolize food and protects cells from damage that leads to disease (think cancer). From a hoof care provider perspective, sulfur contains 2 amino acids that are necessary for healthy hoof growth, methionine an cysteine.
How does Sulfur deficiency show up?
* arthritis
* brittle hair/ nails/ hooves
* depression
* skin problems
* gastrointestinal issues
* slow wound healing
* memory loss
* migraines/ headaches
* convulsions
Sulfur-rich foods...
* allium vegetables- garlic, onions, scallions
* cruciferous vegetables- broccoli, cabbage, arugula
* eggs
* legumes- chick peas, kidney beans, peas, lentils
While you many not want to feed your horse all of these foods, some are helpful. Garlic is beneficial for its sulfur content as well as the other health benefits it offers. Read more in this blog about the benefits of garlic. Incorporating these sulfur rich foods in our own diet helps to provide us with necessary amounts of sulfur.
For our horses, I have found it very easy to make positive changes in joint and overall health just by adding the Sulfurzyme capsules. The number of capsules will vary for each horse but I have found starting with 4 per day and adjusting from there is helpful. I have three horses on 2 capsules per day while my oldest gelding does better ( no cracking and popping of joints) on 10 -12 per day. There is also the Sulfurzyme powder, which contains a prebiotic, that may be even more beneficial in some cases.
If you're like me and have an aging herd (or you're aging yourself!) get some sulfur into them! You'll be amazed at the results.
If you'd like to read more stories/testimonials about the benefits of using Sulfurzyme, use the search bar in The Hearts of Horses, Empowering Through Holistic Care. Also, check out the Guides in this group for a variety of holistic care topics.
All the best,
Marta
