By Dale Logan, Equine Nutritionist - dlequine.co.nz

As an equine nutritionist, I often state ‘feed your horse from the inside out’!

Never have I a met a horse who is more the embodiment of this statement than my client Katya Houghton’s horse (appropriately named) Money.

Katya first became a client in September 2021. In 2017 Katya and Money were living in Christchurch Port Hills, when devastating fires destroyed much of the area. Katya was forced to evacuate and relocate her horses. Such a simple statement for the MOST traumatic event in real life! The reality of the situation was that due to the fast and dangerous nature of the huge fires, Katya had to actually walk Money down the smoke-filled roads out of the fire zone.

In the week following this stressful event, while having to live away from her home, Money developed her first mud fever / photosensitive lesions. From this point on, the battle with mud fever, swelling, pain and photosensitivity became part of everyday life for Katya and Money.

At the point Katya contacted me for nutritional help, she had tried every medication the vet could offer, from injectables to allergy tablets to topical steroid and inflammation creams; as well as herbal treatments, and any new ointment that claimed it would help. Katya was giving Money pain relief and wrapping was necessary to help limit the horse’s discomfort.

At the worst stage over her five years of being affected, Money had multiple major lesions along the cannon bone, as well as all over her heels. They were very sensitive to sunlight, so if she got too much exposure to sun it would make things worse.

A blood test also revealed low selenium, a critical anti-oxidant for the body.

2021 Equine Nutrition Consultation

I developed a nutrition programme for Money at this point, balancing her requirements for energy, fibre and her minerals. There was some improvement at this stage. However relief was short-lived.

As appears to happen to the best owners who pour their love and energy into taking care of their horses, they are often hit with the worst luck; within the next year Money subsequently broke a major tooth, then was diagnosed with low grade Cushings (PPID) and put onto medication for that also.

2023 Equine Nutrition Consultation

In April 2023 Katya came back for a nutrition review - which is the absolute smartest action to take!

Why?

1. Horses needs and requirements change over time, season, month, and with health issues or exercise changes
2. Perhaps most importantly - the horse’s hindgut microbes control over 70% of the horses immune system!

As Money had shown on the outside, her immune system had been under immense pressure, which had all started with an extreme psychological stress event – escaping wildfires.

I created a multi-level plan of attack for Money that included a targeted hind gut health programme designed to aid her gut microbiome, to increase her overall immunity and health.

This included:

• an increase and rebalancing of essential minerals copper and zinc for skin and healing,
• fibre to fuel those tricky hind gut microbes
• and of course absolutely the best gut health supplement to create the ultimate environment so necessary in the gut. If you give the best horse feeds in the world it won’t make a difference if the hind gut is unhappy!

That’s where Poseidon's Digestive HP comes in first place. With up-to-date research and trials on this product and its ingredients, as an equine nutritionist I can ethically and confidently recommend this equine gut supplement to clients.

A company that will show every ingredient on their label is at times rare in the horse supplement world. Again, to a horse owner and equine nutritionist this proves to me that Poseidon Animal Health can back their product.

As Money had so many issues that I believe pointed to a lowered immune system under pressure, I chose Digestive HP with its increased support for the horse's gut health and essential digestive and immune functions, with extra postbiotics and enzymes to enhance digestion efficacy, and additional amino acids for additional muscle repair and gut support.

You are getting bang for your buck with this product, and I didn’t want Katya to waste any more actual money on products that wont work, or that contain half the ingredients at twice the price.

Fast forward to June 2023, two months later.

Katya sent me a video of "the new Money legs". I had happy tears that day!

In Katya’s words…

“Her legs are healing.. no new lesions have broken out on the healed patches and the hair is growing back - literally unheard of. Usually when she heals she breaks out in a lesion on the same spot days/weeks later and the skin remains really fragile.

But it’s actually looking healthy!! And she’s way way less sore too, which makes me so happy I could cry. It’s awful when she’s in pain - especially because I still have to treat it topically so I feel awful because she’s so so forgiving…

I was having to periodically dose with Metacam on her worse days and she was on willow bark daily too. Now she isn’t on any of that and still way more comfortable even than when she was on painkillers!’

The pictures speak for themselves. Long may improvement continue! 

Feed the horse from the inside out really works!