The Rise in Equine Metabolic Concerns – What is Happening to Our Horses-
Here at Equine Essential Wellness, our focus is on health, not disease or illness. Although, when people reach out to us it is often in relation to health concerns their horse is experiencing. For a long time, the number one concern people emailed about was equine gastric ulcers, this is still a common concern… but there is one topic with various titles that have been quickly emerging as of recent – Equine Metabolic Concerns.
The topic of Equine Metabolic Concern could include horses who experience or have been diagnosed or labeled with PPID, IR, Cushing’s, Pre-Cushing’s, Laminitis, EMS, EMD, etc.
This post is not meant to educate you on the concerns themselves but if you are interested in learning more check out resources like ECIR Group or The Laminitis Site. After reading data on many sites and sources they seem to point to diet, exercise, and genetics as the contributing factors. Therefore, the solutions offered are through the management of the diet and increased exercise.
I agree wholeheartedly on the diet and exercise solutions, many of the things they suggested are things I already teach, outline, and consult clients regardless of metabolic concern. Simply because these simple changes improve the overall health of any horse.
Through all this research I was left with questions… questions of which the information had caused me to form and yet failed to answer.
The New Question-
After reading many sources on the various metabolic issues facing our horses today, many referenced the thyroid and linked it to these conditions. Once I had studied all of the material I wanted to review, one question remained that none of them addressed – Why is the thyroid imbalanced and what can we do to support it?
Being someone who has struggled with my own thyroid imbalance this question had more awareness to me than it might to others. I have done a lot of research on endocrine disruptions and causes. That information led me to another question – Are there other factors to consider besides diet, exercise, and genetics?
My personal conclusion, the answer is yes. I think the same endocrine-disrupting toxins that affect us are negatively affecting the horses. If you read articles like The Dirty Dozen or 11 Everyday Toxins That Are Harming Your Thyroid. From there you can google search topics like “Perchlorates in horses” or “PCBs in horses” and you might start to form questions of your own.
Your horse’s metabolic concerns extend deeper than the mainstream health care industry wishes to reveal. It encompasses the hormone and endocrine system! Glands like the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pineal, and even the lymphatic system are ALL involved.
You may find that concerning or even overwhelming wondering where to begin to support the functions of all of these areas on your horse. But it sheds light on another hidden gem you’ve likely never explored up to this point. In fact, it’s likely you’ve never heard of it before…
Your horse’s Triple Heater. The Triple Heater is an energetic organ and meridian system of your horse’s body that is crucial to the balance of the hormonal, endocrine, and metabolic systems. Focusing on the flow and harmony of your horse’s Triple Heater can make a massive impact and allow for shifts and progress you’ve longed for and desired to see in your horse.
Inside our Horse Health Hub Community, we dive deep into how to improve the balance of your horse’s Triple Heater from nutrition, essential oils, acupressure, flower essences, and beyond! Click here to learn more.
The quality of your horse’s health often comes down to the quality of questions you ask around it. Most of us have been conditioned to ask “what’s wrong” or “how can I treat or stop xyz”…
These are limiting questions and will leave you in a frustrating cycle of short term results, kinda like a dog chasing its tail.
Start exploring questions like “what is my horse’s body trying to communicate to me”, “what new possibilities can I discover to support my horse’s health”, “how can I reveal the cause of what my horse is experiencing”… If you’re willing to asking those types of questions and open to the solutions that present themselves, you’re bound to unlock a whole new level of vitality for your horse!
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Life is better when you’re horsin’ around!
