Back Into The Future - Natural Horse Care

By: © Victoria Ferguson

Photo by Dr Maike Dorn showing previously feral Arabian stallion inhaling essential oils

Angela Sander’s Standardbred Gelding,  Apache,photo taken on 18 September 2013

Apache - photo taken on 27 November after 6 weeks on his VF Natural Diet – what a massive difference!

Photo using high magnification taken by Lisa Hailes ND showing markings in an equine iris

Equine health is going in the same direction as human health - products. Products in their thousands, for every imaginable purpose.  If you are confused or on information overload, no wonder.  Everyone is. 

It has become ridiculous.  It is also virtually impossible to make comparisons as labelling laws are woefully inadequate.

When my clients ask my opinion about such and such a health product,  mostly my answer is I don’t have one is because I don’t use commercial products. 

Even more importantly I simply do not need different products for hooves, manes, tails, coat, nerves, joints, ulcers and so the list goes on.

The beauty of using herbs for horse health is that every herb has multiple uses! Just one example is the popular herb Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) which by virtue of this plant’s myriad constituents both prevents and treats conditions such as osteo- arthritis, allergies, digestive upsets and certain nervous behaviours.

Horse carers who have made the change to natural  feeding and herbal remedies, are always telling me how much money they save and how healthy their horses are.   

The principles of classical herbal medicine which I follow, are to provide basic, preventive and therapeutic nutrition using natural raw feeds: and customised herbal remedies in various  forms to heal injuries and illnesses.  

 Basic nutrition should provide a balanced diet sufficient for maintenance,  growth and repair of the body.

Preventive nutrition provides first class basic nutrition plus additional nutrients designed to prevent illness and disease and maintain the immune system in top order. 

Therapeutic nutrition goes one step further, providing specific nutritional supplements to target particular health problems and disease conditions, on an individual basis.

A balanced diet provides essential nutrients in equilibrium for each particular horse.  Essential nutrients include water, roughage, an energy source, protein, essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Feeding is not just about calories! 

Customised herbal remedies are always holistic, so that each body system which is affected by injury, illness or debility, is treated to bring the whole body back into a state of homeostasis.

Feeding herbs to horses is now more popular & widespread than it was when I first started practising as an equine herbalist in 1997.  However the trend now is to add a herb here and there to the feed, often following fads, and in the case of products, many companies like to throw in a herb or two or a synthesised version of a single constituent of a herb.  Whilst this may work well some of the time it is a long way from the principles of classical herbal medicine. 

Herbs can benefit your horses, but you need some knowledge to use them safely and effectively. So it is important that horse owners take advice from properly qualified professionals and not just from companies selling herbs or products with herbs in them.

The current fad is to feed Turneric to horses, for no other reason than it is the “flavour of the month”.   For complex reasons it can be harmful as it is a pain inhibitor, and is therefore not suitable for use as part of basic nutrition.

I studied human herbal medicine for 4 years obtaining my Diploma of Herbal Medicine, with the famous Australian herbalist, author, and founder of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society, the late Dorothy Hall.  I then combined that education with my extensive experience as a competitor and coach.   After several years applying what I had learnt to my own and friends’ horses I established my equine herbalist business in 1997.  I authored two books The Practical Horse Herbal published in 2000 and The Complete Horse Herbal published in 2010, and have regularly contributed articles on herbal medicine for horses to the equestrian media.  My School of Equine Herbal Medicine provides education to horse owners and managers through an on line certificate course and Herbs for Horses Workshops around Australia.

In the last few years I have been researching herbal parasite control in equines and studying associated therapies in the never ending quest to improve my services to horse owners and managers. 

I now offer a full range of natural therapies:

• VF Natural Diet (incl herbal anti-parasite programs)
• Equine Herbal Medicine
• Animal Aromatics
• Flower Essences
• Equine Irridology
• Equine Homeopathics

I studied human iridology but I am now using equine iridology and homeopathy in association with my colleague, Lisa Hailes, who has a Diploma of Naturopathy. Lisa has made a lengthy and comprehensive study of these modalities as they relate to horses, and has also completed my Certificate of Equine Herbal Medicine.  

Animal Aromatics involves offering single essential and infused oils for horses to choose what they need according to their own instincts. The aromatic molecules are inhaled or imbibed and can travel throughout the body in seconds. 

Homeopathy is an energetic medicine, using the principle of like cures like, and is a useful adjunct to herbal medicine.

Iridology is a valuable evaluation tool as the iris registers illness patterns often before any symptoms show up, and it also shows the constitution of the horse and where its strengths or weaknesses are.

My natural health programs are used and endorsed by many successful studs and competitors encompassing all breeds and sports.   

By: © Victoria Ferguson Dip.Herb.Med.

     EA Level 2 Dressage Coach

     Member Holistic Animal Therapy Organisation

     Member Australian Traditional Medicine Society

The team at Horsezone is excited to bring you informative articles from Victoria Ferguson Dip.Herb.Med., herbalist, horsewoman and author of The Complete Horse Herbal  www.thecountryherbalist.com.au