Lysine: the Missing Link

Your horse's body has an abundance of protein requirements needed to build and maintain healthy hooves, hair, muscles, ligaments, skin, organs, hormones, immune system and enzyme processes. Proteins are formed by linking together amino acids, like the links of a chain, if one is broken the chain is weak or cannot be assembled properly.

There are essential and non essential amino acids.  The essential ones are those that your horse's body cannot manufacture and must be present in the diet in the right amounts in order to complete the chain.  The non essential amino acids are manufactured as needed.

Lysine is an essential amino acid that must be present in sufficient quantities in your horse's diet.  Recent research has shown that Lysine may be deficient in adult horses on a grass alone diet and cereal grains.

This essential amino acid is critical to a young horse as a building block for proper growth and development.  Lysine assists with calcium absorption and plays an important role in the formation of collagen, which is important for the bones and connective tissues including skin tendons, ligaments and cartilage.

In the adult horse deficiencies can be seen by a weak topline, weak hind end, poor muscling, poor hoof quality, poor skin and coat quality, and frequent infections.   Despite proper exercise a horse with a lysine deficiency never seems to build muscle especially in the topline.

Your horse is an athlete, like a body builder, therefore his requirements for lysine is even more important in order to perform at its best.  If you suspect that your horse has a lysine deficiency and is in regular work, try supplementing with about 10 grams twice a day for horses over 16H, once a day for those under 16H.  For better performance try supplementing with 10 grams once a day.

Lysine is inexpensive to supplement.  VitaFlex sells it under the name of Pure Lysine and can be purchased through amazon and many other sites.

Uckele has it at this link:  http://equine.uckele.com/muscle/lysine.html 

Lysine has a strong taste and not all horses like it.

If you think your horse may refuse it, you can try:

Depaolo Equine http://www.depaoloequineconcepts.com/collections/immune-health/products/lysine which is in a base of brewers yeast, rice concentrate and fenugreek to mask the taste.

The hoof is the mirror to the health of your horse

An  upset in the horse's metabolic system eventually shows itself in the hoof wall texture and horizontal rings.  The hoof becomes a mirror of the internal imbalances.

MMP enzyme, (matrix metalloproteinase) controls the growth and direction of the laminae in the hooves.  This enzyme is well regulated in a healthy system providing flexibility in the connective tissues of the hoof wall.  

The cecum, in the hind gut is part of the digestive process.  It is a fermentation sac containing microbials that assist in breaking down the forage.When the diet is high in grains and sugars this causes the bacterial population of the hind gut to rapidly increase damaging the lining of the colon and releasing toxins into the bloodstream.

Eventually the toxins reach the hoof causing MMP's to be released.  In efforts to process the excess toxins MMP which is normally well regulated is released in abundance. The result is a separation of laminae.  This is a painful and serious condition.  The results are seen as horizontal warped rings on the hoof wall.  See photo below.

                                 
                                         
The next photo is of a healthy hoof.  You will notice no rings, a smooth surface with the coronary band even and smooth.  There is about a half inch of new growth below the coronary band.  This too is healthy and smooth.

There can be other causes for horizontal hoof rings; improper trimming, shoeing, concussion, abscesses, circulation issues and other metabolic syndromes.  

A diet high in sugars, grains, and starches is one of the main contributing factor to hoof growth deformities and other health issues in the horse.  The horse needs a diet high in fiber.  They are grass eaters, not grain eaters.

How to Choose Quality Supplements for your Horse

When looking to supplement your horses diet, whether it be a basic vitamin, mineral supplement, or something more specific such a joint or hoof supplement there are few things to consider before deciding which one is best for your horse.

One of the most important things is to learn to read the labels.  Don't just read the guaranteed analysis.  Read the actual ingredients list.  What you don't want to see is the addition of too many fillers, artificial flavors, sweeteners and other chemical names that you can't even pronounce!

Here is a list of things that you do not want to see in the supplement or feed:

Mineral Oil (this is a petroleum by product)
Sugar, includes molasses, cane, liquid
Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, saccharin, sorbitol, aspartame, acesulfame K, dextrose
Artificial flavors
Artificial Color
Wheat
Wheat Middlings
Artificial Preservatives
BHT
BHA
Grain by products
Synthetic Vitamin E: dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate
                                   (natural Vitamin e will not have the l after the d)

These things are cheap ingredients for the manufacturer and are often used as fillers to make the product more appealing.  None of these ingredients are desirable in your horses diet.   Better quality supplements will not have any of these ingredients, therefore producing better results without side effects from unwanted chemicals.  

Equine joint supplements

There are hundreds of different joint products advertised to keep our horse's joints healthy and sound.  Trying to sift through them and figure out which one would be the best for your horse can be a daunting and expensive task.

Over the years I tried many of the well known or best advertised products and none of them offered any miraculous "cure" as claimed.   Granted, there were some results but nothing significant or long lasting.  After running through the majority of them I have found one product that works very fast and with great results.  That product is called Rapid Response.  It works so well that the over all well being of my horse improved along with his attitude.    

Within one week of starting him on RR, he was moving so beautifully that the vet happened to be at the barn and noticed him.  He commented, "What did you do? He looks great!"   It brought tears to my eyes to see my horse be able to move so fluidly again.  He had been lame for about 2 years with no explanation.

I had never seen a product work so well and so fast.  I have tested it on over a dozen other horses with different problems and all benefited greatly.  It has been used to speed recovery of injured race horses with great success. If your horse has any joint problems, stiff going, sore back, unexplained lameness, bone and soft tissue injuries, slow healing injuries or sour attitude, Rapid Response can help.

To learn more about Rapid Response: http://www.wingedwolf.citymax.com/rapidresponse.html
Reviewed by Horsejournal.com:  http://www.rapidresponseamerdon.com/rapidresponseequine.html

If you have had any success with other joint products let me know!!  The other two that I found helpful were Grand Synergy and Cetyl M.

Girth Pain Syndrome

Girth Pain Syndrome; you might be asking what is that?  Many horses react when they are being girthed or cinched up.  Some of the reactions can be mild and some can be quite severe ranging from reaching back to bite the handler, moving away, grinding of teeth, flinching, closing eyes, shaking, swishing tail and grunting.   For some horses, the pain may be mild and they learn to live with it and for others it can be quite severe, causing trembling and even collapsing of the hind end when saddled.

Most of the time these behaviors are considered 'bad behavior' or 'he always does that' without a second thought that the horse may be trying to tell you something.  It is so common that horse is labeled 'girthy'.  

The origin of this syndrome is unknown but there are several different things that can contribute to this.  A poorly fitted saddle, ulcers, injuries, back weakness, rib cage misalignment, improper riding, imbalanced hooves or nerve pain.  It is known that it involves the shoulder girth and rib cage under the girth and the spinal nerves T2, T3, T4.

A horse that is bothered by this can exhibit undesirable behaviors while being ridden.  These can include grunting, short stepping, refusing to go forward freely, swishing the tail, laying back the ears, humping or bucking at the start of a ride and then settles down as if nothing happened, violent bucking in extreme cases,  unhappy and rushing, resisting leg aids, and difficulty bending.

Other signs of girth pain can be seen by uneven shoulder development causing the saddle to slip to the lower side, tightness or sensitivity in the muscles above the shoulder blade and girth area and jumpy or sensitive reaction when lightly caressing the area under the girth.  The hoof of the painful side can sometimes be seen as growing more upright and smaller as a result of the horse favoring it.

Some treatment options are chiropractic adjustments.  You will need to find one that understands this syndrome and can adjust the vertebrae of the neck, shoulders and rib cage that are involved.  The proper adjustment can sometimes show immediate improvement.  This approach is treating the cause instead of the symptom.

Acupuncture can help to settle the nerves and release the pain cycle giving the muscles and nerves time to heal.  Massage therapy in this area is helpful if the horse can tolerate it but is usually only temporary.

Saddle fit examination by a professional saddle fitter can also prove to be an effective way to bring relief.  Rider posture in the saddle should be examined as well.  A rider that sits weighted to one side or the other unintentionally can put excess strain on the muscles and cause nerve pain and damage to the tissue.

Saddle placement is equally important.  Too often the saddle is placed on top of the shoulder blade restricting freedom of movement and causing pain or the saddle slides forward onto the shoulder after a few minutes of riding.

Saddles that sit too low over the wither can then flatten out with the weight of the rider on them.  As the horse moves the wither is constantly being banged.  The nerves in this area are extra sensitive.  Sometimes the horse will develop white hairs in round patches either on top of the wither or right behind the wither or on either sides of the wither above the shoulder.  This is an indication of nerve damage and an improperly fitted saddle.

Lunging a horse with girth pain before riding can make a big difference in relaxing the muscles of the shoulder, wither, girth and back, helping to minimize the discomfort.  For some horses, 20 minutes of lunging before mounting can make all the difference in their attitude and willingness to move forward.

Another suggestion is to not tighten the girth fully until the horse has had a chance to move around on a lunge line.  Then gradually increase the tension on the girth.  In most cases, by doing this the horse will show less signs of discomfort.

Once relief has been achieved, there may be some behavior modification needed to inform the horse that the pain no longer exists.  For many years the horse has learned to live with this and the behaviors associated with the pain become habitual.   It takes time for the horse to trust that the pain is gone and the behaviors no longer serve a purpose.

There has not been enough conclusive research done on girth pain and it's consequences on the horse.  Sadly there are very few horses that don't at sometime in their lives experience this syndrome.   As a responsible horse owner, being aware of this syndrome and it's possible causes can help to keep your horse happier and hopefully pain free.  Sometimes it only takes a small change in what or how things are done that can make a big difference for the horse.

Bitless Bridle

As with the tradition of horses needing steel shoes, comes metal bits inserted into the horse's mouth.  We all are guilty of this and the practice has not been questioned for hundreds of years until recently with the research of Dr. Cook.    Thanks to his work, more and more horse owners are recognizing that the old school of thought has been outdated and damaging.

When I first introduced Dr. Cook's bitless bridle to my horses, the look on their face was just amazing.  It was one of surprise and relief.  For many years, I struggled with trying different bits on my horse because he clearly showed anxiety when being bridled and became extremely nervous and agitated.  As time went on, this behavior got worse.  Eventually, he began exhibiting lameness only when bridled.   When lungeing with side reins he was a nervous wreck and the entire time of riding, even just standing on a loose rein he was fussing and clucking with the bit as if trying to spit it out.  

The first time bridling him with the bitless bridle, the conditioned behaviors started and as soon he realized there was no bit, he immediately stopped fussing and stood very quiet.  He even lowered his head into the bridle and was completely cooperative.  

From my experiences with Dr. Cook's bitless bridle, the horses respond to it positively.  It is as if they are stripped naked of all the evasions and now they can put their energy into working and traveling straight and correct with no pain.  It takes time to redo the negative behaviors that were created by the bit.  The horse becomes conditioned that the bit causes pain and is something to get away from, therefore the evasions are created out of self preservation.  They bulge their shoulders to either side, plow through your aids, track crooked, run, bolt, grab it and buck, pull the reins out the riders hands, bite down on the bit, curl behind it, break at the poll, cock their head, the list of evasions to the bit is endless.  

The retraining comes naturally as they begin to learn there is no reason to travel crooked, it is safe to move into the bridle and there is no pain.  For years we struggle with trying to teach the horse to get on our seat and leg aids and move forward into the 'bit'.   Steady hands are most important to not inflict pain and cause the horse to evade the contact.   Most of us are not olympic riders and although we do our best with quiet hands and seat, there are still times when we may pull or jerk on the reins, even a little bit, causes the horse to suck behind the aids, curl, tuck their nose, overbend etc.  

With the bitless bridle the horse is more than happy to move forward into the bridle and they will do so in a correct frame because they are allowed to do this without something inhibiting their natural movement.  I have found there is more control and more sensitivity with the bitless bridle.  The horse responds immediately and understands the request.  

A horse that overbends, which is often a difficult problem to correct because they are tucking behind the aids and tucking their nose behind the bit, will easily move up into the bitless bridle and stop overbending.  I have found you can collect, lengthen, leg yield, half pass, etc more correctly with the bitless bridle because it allows the horse the freedom to do so.   

The more I work with the bridle with different horses, the more impressed I am at how natural the response is from the horse and how quickly they catch on.  The aids for the rider remain the same, most importantly coming from the seat and legs and then into the bridle.  Halting is immediate. The signals with the reins are light yet the response is quick and precise.  It improves your communication with the horse.  

There are several companies making bitless bridles as they have become more and more popular.  I have not worked with other brands of  bitless bridles other than Dr. Cook's so I cannot attest to their effectiveness.  I am extremely impressed with Dr. Cook's bitless bridle.  

If you are still sitting on the fence about trying it, afraid you won't have control.   You have more control and  a happy horse.  Give it a try, your horse will love you for it.  

Why Barefoot?

What would happen if you walked around with your foot in a steel unforgiving shoe?  You might be laughing at the thought of how ridiculous this may sound and how obvious the discomfort would be.  Well, this is what horses are expected to do and the shoes never get to come off.   Yet it is an accepted school of thought that horses were meant to wear shoes and the thought of riding your horse barefoot is scorned by those who support steel shoes on their horses.  The extensive research of the natural barefoot hoof is unquestionable

The distorted pathologies of horses' hooves damaged by shoes is horrendous.  Despite the limitations placed on them, it is amazing that the horse still gives us his best efforts.   You're horse's hooves are one of the most critical parts to keeping them sound, happy, and pain free.  As the old saying goes: no hoof, no horse, not to be taken lightly.

For those of you still sitting on the fence about rehabilitating your horse's hooves and taking those steel shoes off, click to read this article.