WELLINGTON EQUESTRIAN // FEBRUARY-MARCH HEIDI Need a Dressage partner? Internationally recognized, USDF Bronze, Silver & Gold Medalist 38 WWW.HEIDIDRESSAGE.COM
WELLINGTON EQUESTRIAN // FEBRUARY - MARCH 2017 Dr. Dan Moore Pastures give access to much needed nutrients Grass muzzles are a hot item these days. I see them at almost every equine event I attend. Truthfully, I almost laughed the first time I saw one. Then I thought to myself “that is a great idea”, many horse owners today really need them. But why? For thousands of years wild horses have lived on grass alone and typically they ate all they wanted. There was no one to stop them, turn them out for only a few hours at a time or worse yet MUZZLE them. Today, colic, allergies, metabolic issues, laminitis, hoof and other health issues are often associated with eating too much grass. What is different about today’s grass or perhaps what is different about the horse? Obviously a lot has changed! If we truly look at the way it was and, “mimic” what’s natural, perh a p s w e c a n h ave h e a l t h i e r h o r s e s a n d avo i d a l ot of p ro b l e m s . Today’s species of grasses are totally different from the past. Most horses today on pasture only have one or two varieties of grass – usually timothy, orchard grass with some degree of clover and fescue. In the wild, they had access to vast areas of grass and abundant species. Equally important was access to other plants and herbs. Today they eat what they have access to in the spaces we confine them to. Most species of grass (and even grain) today are genetically modified – a controversy and discussion all in itself. By being able to “pick and choose” what they needed, horses received a balance of nutrients. For instance, as I am sure you know, most horses will chew on tree bark. Of course it is bad for the trees – totally inconsequential in the wilderness, but in the back yard pasture, chewed dead trees look awful! Simple sugars called polysaccharides and amino acids like methionine and perhaps tannins are probably what they a re after by eating the trees. Regardless, if methionine is supplemented most horses have better hooves. Supplementing simple polysaccharide sugars (not refined complex table sugar or syrup) will often help the gut (sometimes stop cribbing and help ulcers, too) – the gut being the source of almost all p ro b l e m s i n a h o rs e . One such simple sugar in particular is Arabinogalactan, obtained from the Western Larch tree. Another is Mannose – from the Aloe plant. The Native American Indians and “grandmas” everywhere have used these substances for centuries. In other parts of the world they may have used Noni fruit or Pomegranate or whatever was native to the area – and if the horses that were there had access to them, be assured they ate the bark, fruit (or whatever) too! This is one of the reasons supplements are so important today- horses just can’t get all they need from the typical diets wegive them, and the one or two species of grass they graze just doesn’t provide all they may need. There are most likely many ingredients or micronutrients that we have not yet dis<strong>cover</strong>ed. I believe we will someday classify polysaccharides as “ESSENTIAL” polysaccharides, just like there are essential amino acids, and essential fatty acids now. NOTE: The Natural Horse Vet was the first to introduce Grape Seed to the horse supplement industry. The year was 1999! What would now be considered many years ago, an article in USA Today described a revolution in the pharmaceutical industry. 39