Pablo goes home after his winter break

Pablo 

This is Pablo – a 22yr old Cob gelding from a treking centre. He came to us in September of last year because the owner of the treking centre said he had had a hard year and infact he did look pretty tired and shut down when he arrived. He wouldn't interact with any of the other horses and just ate and stood away from the others. He also had a history of Urinary problems. His presenting symptom’s included pain over the kidney area and wouldn't tolerate any pressure (noted when grooming) and very thick yellow custardy-type urine. Sometimes he would strain to pee and always made an awkward skewered type of stance to facilitate stalling. And with the winter that we had there was significant rain scald to tackle thrown in for good   measure -again particularly over the kidney area.

The Zoopharmacognosists Kit

'Opening Up' with Angelica, Rose & Yarrow

As with most horses Pablo was offered oils initially to help him relax into the session and open up – these included Angelica Root and Cornflower Floral water. No interest in Cornflower but a small but significant interest in Angelica. I then offered Rose Otto essential oil (also good at the beginning of a session to get the horse in the ‘zone’) he stilled, his eyes softened and he chewed and licked – a clear indication that he wanted to work with this oil. After a while, with his urinary symptoms in mind I offered oils such as Sandalwood, Juniper, Tea tree and Lemon. Not impressed with any until I produced the Yarrow (an anti-inflammatory) which is also offered for Kidney and Bladder issues (as well as a myriad of other conditions) – he was very keen to inhale switching from nostril to nostril. So I continued to offer Rose and Yarrow together until his interest declined – a good few minutes later.

Anti-bacterial oils selected for Rain Scald

I continued to offer oils for infection and among a selection he decided upon Garlic, Pine needle and a small interest in Lime. With infection in mind I also offered herbs to support the Kidneys – the only one he selected and ingested was a small amount of nettle powder (diuretic & rich in minerals).

Pablo processing !

During my early morning walks around the fields I took the oils and offered them to Pablo. Within days he stopped showing interest in the anti-bacterial oils and his Kidneys were no longer tender and his urine clear. Interestingly enough, his field companion, whom also had a touch of rain scald didn’t select the Garlic but preferred Thyme.

Yarrow & Rose go deep !

When next stabled in the yard Pablo showed significant interest for Rose & Yarrow – lowering his head, closing his eyes, going into a deep processing. 

Whilst in the field I noticed that Pablo was itching himself more than normal (particularly around his head & poll) and made a mental note to check that out in the next session.

Next time when he was in the yard I offered the Rose and Yarrow again – this time he was keen to ingest the Yarrow let down with Sunflower oil. This is quite a common phenomenon in this work, in that the horses (or dogs) will often inhale an oil for a number of days before they come to the point that they are ready to ingest it. Particularly Yarrow, which has emotional release qualities of anger and resentment – almost as if they are working up to what they are trying to tackle (emotionally). He went into a deep deep process and looked so so miserable.....

Mimosa for grieving

I picked up the 2 main grieving oils – Neroli and Mimosa and he lowered his head over the Mimosa so that the bottle nearly disappeared up his nostril! I held tight to the bottle and he deeply inhaled with his left nostril. He went into deep process. After at least 5 mins, he started to come back to this world and I continued to offer oils for skin irritation. Thinking of the metaphysical causes behind skin irritation (anger, irritability) I offered Vanilla. He inhaled and nudged the bottle indicating he wanted to ingest. He then licked a drop off my hand. All good.......

To cut a long story short, slowly but surely he came back to life and started interacting with the herd and was often seen nuzzling with the mares and keeping them all in order.

Devils Claw, Wintergreen & Yarrow selected for Back Problems 

However later in the spring he required more work as he developed a back problem where putting on a saddle resulting in copious amounts of kicking and swishing of tail.  Ingesting plenty of Devils Claw Root and inhaling Wintergreen and more Yarrow was the order of the day.  His coat started to gleam and he put on condition and whilst his itchiness never really fully went there was a significant improvement..To date, his urinary infection has gone and he pee's normally without a skewered stance. He has returned to his home now and is out working again.  A grand old gentleman giving years of service as a riding treking centre cob – he certainly made the most of his break here ! 

Pablo refreshed after his break!

June 2015

Case study –Topper, his itchy legs and the 'onion layer' factor !

We were happy to have Topper, a 26yr old gelded cob from Island View riding stables to stay over winter. Topper spent his working life giving Tourists rides on the beach in Blackpool promenade and is now in retirement.  His passion for Barley Grass was only equalled by his passion for banging his legs on

A Barley Grass smile!

the ground to relieve his itchy legs. I suspected that his extensive feathers hid a colony of mites as is often the case for horses that are kept in the vicinity of chickens.  With this in mind, as part of an initial session I offered him Neem oil  – the reaction was instant and extreme. He repetitively banged his feet in turn onto the matted stable floor in such a manner that can only be described as similar to a pneumatic drill on turbo setting. It was so fast and hard as he worked round on each leg that I was feared that he would dislodge his shoes or worse still cause internal damage. It was however, over within a minute.  After that episode, he stopped itching for a couple of weeks and then restarted again. Thinking that remaining eggs may have hatched,  I offered the Neem again and whilst he took a few inhalations here was no hint of the extreme pounding that he’d exhibited earlier. The itching subsided for a while but then in the night as I lay in bed I could hear the hoof-pounding again. The following morning I offered the Neem again – no interest whatsoever. So back to the drawing board and out comes the kit again....

To cut a long story short, during the following session the most popular oil selected by Topper  was Rose Otto  and Neroli. Rose is often selected by horses that are holding anger and emotional wounds. Neroli is often selected by horses that are holding grief and loss. Topper inhaled both readily and then indicated by means of his body language that he wanted the Neroli applied between his back legs – which I did. As I applied the oil he went very still, his head lowered, his eyes became still and soft and processed. After that session he stopped banging his legs and upon returning home to Island View riding stables the proprietor remarked the same. 

This case reminded me of the ‘onion concept’ in helping animals (and people!) restore health. It is often my experience that there are layers to work through before true healing occurs. In Toppers case the mites were really a secondary symptom to what was an energy drain in the area resulting in a reduced immunity thus enabling the mites to thrive. No-one other than Topper can say what was going on in his head - what he’s been through that would result in an energy drain in his legs. We can only make a tentative guess of the journey he has been on, but we can be honoured to have been part of it for a very short while.

We are delighted to be invited by Sue Rich, the Chairwoman of the British Horse Society (UK Avon Region) to present a demonstration on Applied Equine Zoopharmacognosy. The event will be held at Oakleaze Stud in Bristol - home of the magnificent Arabian Endurance Stallions Czaro and Czarus. The day will commence with introductions followed by a short presentation and then practical demonstrations with two horses presenting varying symptoms. Dates are as yet to be confirmed but likely to be a Sat or/and Sun late Feb/early March. Will keep you posted!
What a fantastic year it has been for crops as we come to the end of the harvest.

Can't remember a year it was so easy to bring in the hay!

Ali selects Arnica Maserate for a shoulder injury.

Ali selects for a shoulder problem:
'Ali, my German Shepherd, had a bad limp on her right front shoulder. Recommended by a friend, I asked Carly to come and work with her. Within 3 days after the session her limp had gone. During & after the session with Carly, Ali selected various oils - Arnica in particular. She is now back to her old self. Thank you Carly! ' Miriam Cunningham.

TESTIMONIAL : Monica and Lux Easy jumping high again!

The approach of Carly Hillier and Whitethorn Equine Health really help my 7 year old jumping mare. "Lux Easy" injured her suspensory ligament on her left front leg about 12 months ago. After a resting period of 9 month I took her back into work. Even though the ligament was fully healed, the two front fetlock joints started to swell up all the time but mostly after hard training or a jumping show. I brought her to different Vets and got her joints injected. Despite all efforts the swelling never went down fully. As a last resort I called Carly and her legs improved nearly instantly. Now about 8 weeks later Luxy and I are back jumping 1.20m classes:-) So thank you very much Carly!!!

Using oils for a spooking horse!

Had an interesting result with essential oils this morning. 

But the story starts three days ago when I long-reined a feisty mare along the lanes that was spooked by a scattering flock of sheep. To cut a long story short this culminated in an unplanned pirouette that Camilla Speirs would be proud of, followed by me waterskiing along behind for 10m's, an equine equilavent of a hand-break turn, and then a U turn to finally examine the 'woolly monsters' that were disappearing over the hill at a break-neck speed. We recovered well and returned home.

Today, whilst tacking up I could see the anxiety levels rising, so I offered Frankincence (for fear), Jasmine (for comfort), Valerian (for calming) and Violet leaf (for anticipated fear). After inhaling and injesting in varying combinations, she plodded out onto the lanes like an old granny, not once suspecting the sheep of ambushing us - she was an absolute paragon of virtue and a delight to work with!

Note: Always ensure an animal can remove itself from the oils ie dont place oils on headcollars etc 

Warning to competitors: Valerian is on the anti-doping list for performance horses and is considered a controlled substance

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Equine Zoopharmacognosy Demonstration Venues?

As we head into the tail end of 2012 it is time to plan for next year including more demonstrations, workshops and happier healthier horses.
If you know of an establishment that would be interested in hosting a demo please let me know. The requirements are a room which has access to power and is suitable for holding a short Power point presentation (no death-by-PowerPoint instigated).
Also of course a couple of horses in a stable yard are required. They may have either behavioural or physical issues so that we can offer oils, herbs and minerals for their selection. Please get in touch if you would like one in your area.
As yet a date for the Spring Workshop is undecided although late April/Early May is the likely time frame. We learnt alot from the first one and will be implementing changes to make next year’s even more fruitful for four and two legged participants. In the meantime happy hacking!