What do you use…Black and White Eventing prepares for the new Event Season with Equimins
Over the winter period I have been letting my horses have a slightly laid back time, making sure their health and wellbeing is all in check. I keep my horses at home on the family farm and as well as caring for my yearling and children’s four ponies I compete on Wanda, a 10 year old, 15.2hh, Cob x WB mare and Weenie, a 15.3hh, KWPN, 15 year old mare who is on loan to me. Both mares event and compete in BD competitions.
Winter has been a great time to take stock of our achievements and get things like my saddles checked, get the horse’s immunisations done, their teeth checked and also tend to their muscular and skeletal systems with my osteopath and sponsor Stephanie Pittam from The Animal Osteopath. Stephanie uses specialised techniques including joint mobilisation, massage, myofascial release, stretching and cranial osteopathy. These techniques help to regulate the nerve supply, circulation, and lymphatic drainage to regain and maintain health throughout the whole of a horse’s body. It is fascinating to watch Stephanie work and both mares love their treatments. I have noticed some really positive outcomes in their wellbeing and performance.
I have also started to supplement the mare’s diets with two Equimins Products. The first is Equimins Advance Concentrate Complete Powder. I decided to change from a pellet based balancer to a powder format as I wanted specific dosing and an easy to use product that also took up less space in the feed room. I was also very impressed at the wide selection of vitamins, minerals and trace elements packed into this product. My decision to begin using this product was based on the fact that both horses have a fairly high fibre diet. In the winter our grazing can become quite poor so I wanted to make sure the girls maintained condition during the winter months, not lose it.
My second addition to their diet was Equimins Flexijoint Cartilage Supplement. Following a visit by my Osteopath Stephanie I spent a lot of time researching joint supplements, most importantly for Wanda. During one of her visits Stephanie commented that Wanda’s front legs and knees were very ‘clicky’ when articulated. The scientific term for this is ‘crepitus’ which is the palpable and audible clicking between joints. Although very common, and not usually a cause for concern, it can be the start of joint wear and tear, with roughening of the joint surfaces so they no longer move smoothly. There are links with crepitus to the various biomechanical stresses placed on the body with eventing. Stephanie suggested that I considered feeding Wanda a joint supplement that could help to prevent further deterioration of her joints and keep her in prime condition. Wanda is a very precious horse to me, as are all of my horses, and I thought it was definitely worth investing in a Joint supplement and feeding it to her ahead of the new event season as a preventative measure. The Flexijoint cartilage supplement came in a handy sized tub and wasn’t massively expensive. It comes with a handy scoop so it is quick and easy to add to feeds. Both mares were happy having the supplements added to their feeds and as a trial I fed the minimum amount required for their size. Wanda and Weenie both have 1 scoop of each supplement per day (the recommended amount for the joint supplement for a horse Wanda’s size is 1.5 scoops). Wanda has 1 scoop per day.
She has now been on the supplement for just over three months. In a follow up visit Stephanie manipulated her front legs and was really impressed at the lack of ‘clicking’. “Wanda’s knees were of some concern to me, with a lot of noticeable popping and clicking in the joints. I was both surprised and delighted on my most recent visit to find the crepitus had all but gone, and the joints seemed to be moving much more smoothly.” Said Stephanie.
I was really thrilled with this outcome as Wanda has a busy fitness regime coming up as she will be competing at Novice level BE in 2015. As she isn’t a
‘blood’ horse she needs a lot of fittening and this means extra wear and tear on her legs. It is imperative to me that I do all I can to make sure she is well looked after. Riding wise she has never felt better and the same goes for Weenie. Both have much improved hoof condition, good digestive health and lovely shiny coats. At a time where horses can look a little lack lustre, mine look absolutely superb. I have been impressed by the Equimins products that I’ve chosen to use and can see that my money has been well invested. As a result of this I am now considering feeding my 2 year old an Equimins hoof supplement. Wilma is a TB x Cob X WB mare and unfortunately has poor hoof condition and has been suffering with abscesses. I would like to see if I can improve the quality of her feet via regular trimming and feeding a quality supplement. Wilma will also be shown at BEF Futurity in the summer so I need to ensure she is looking her best and is in excellent health and condition. Summer seems some time away but I do feel that adding Equimins products into my feeding regime will help to keep the team in top condition and hopefully give us a competitive edge.
Find out more about Stephanie’s Osteopathic services for Equines, Human and Canines at: www.theanimalosteopath.co.uk
Find out more about Nikki and Black and White Eventing at www.bandweventing.com