Tag Archives: Gabrielle Sutton

Updates on Dixie & Grace – How horses traveled back then?… Nutrition Webinar






OUR GRACE

I saw this photo of Grace the other day and I couldn’t believe my eyes!

Look at Amazing Grace now!!

Let me help you with this refresher…   Grace was our Bucket Fund babe for the month of September.  Our Group raised the most ever for this poor, starved mare.  Giving to her was so wonderful because we could watch her fill out daily.  It was as if we were putting coins in a real horsey piggy bank that was actually getting fatter as the funds grew!  And, since so many starvation cases don’t have a happy ending, this one was especially dear to my heart because she fought against all odds.  This horse should not have made it…

Grace before, the skinniest horse still alive.

OMG!  Did Darla (Strawberry Mountain Mustangs) and Ms. Grace (she had a will to live…) do a great job or what?!

From this...

If you don’t know Grace’s story, you can read it here.  Basically, the poor mare was left with a few other horses who wouldn’t let her eat.  Her owners did nothing so Grace gave up.  When she was seized by Animal Control, no one thought Grace would live.  She was the skinniest horse still alive; a .5 on the Henneke Scale.  That’s bad.  Real bad.

To this!... in just a few months.

But lookey at her now!!  Wohoo! Give her some groceries and she’s a whole new mare!

If you click here, you can watch a news video about Grace.  And, if you listen really closely, you can hear Darla’s teeth chattering!…  It gets cold up there in Orygun (I lived there so I can say that…)!

DIXIE

Well, not so good news for one of our Stocking Stuffer horses, Dixie.  I just wrote about her on Sunday.  Her story is linked here.

Dixie, waiting to be rescued, calling after Theresa who visited for the first time.

Anyway, she was rescued because she was all alone in a field, very skinny with no shelter and she was coughing.  Her owners had her for 18 years but didn’t want to mess with her anymore.  So, this very sweet mare was brought to BHFER to be nourished and loved.  In the few days so far, she has blossomed, gained some weight, stolen hearts and found her true love in a gelding named Prince.

Dixie's cough is worse... they are giving her every medication known to help this condition.

All was looking good… except her cough is becoming worse.  The Doctor was out today and here is what Theresa said:

“Dr. Ryan came out to examine Dixie today – she started coughing over the weekend.  Her temperature was ok but her HR and RR were elevated.  A CBC was done.  We will be starting her on an AeroHippus aerosol inhaler system as soon as it arrives – it should be here tomorrow.  She has also been started on antibiotics.  She also gets Dex and Ventipulmin.  Dr. Das is coming to work on her on Wednesday.  Dixie could use prayers.”

So, if you were thinking of donating to Dixie (and receiving a certificate to give as a gift…), please click here.  With all the medical expenses, Dixie could use a helping hand or a sponsor.

Dixie and her new love... Prince.

HOW DID HORSES STOW ON BOATS LONG AGO?…

Originally, today’s post was going to be about how horses traveled on boats long ago.

You see, I was reading the book, THE SOUL OF A HORSE which was just given to me.  One of the chapters describes horses on a Spanish ship which ran aground and the horses fell off of the boat and swam to shore.

That was interesting to me… and the way the author described the stowage totally peaked my curiosity.  He used the term, “sway”.  It felt as if he was suggesting that the horses were in harnesses in their stalls or whatever containment areas they had back then.  Hmmmmm.  So, I went a huntin’ – Google huntin’.

But, I found nothing.

I swear.  I tried every which way to come up with the correct search keywords and NOTHING.  Goose eggs.  I even asked Hubby how to search for what I wanted.  He suggested I key in “early vessel livestock transportation”.  Sounded good.  Nothing.

The horse looks to be in a hammock type sling...

I still have no idea how they transported horses back then.  But, I do know that the death rate was 50%.  And, the other 50% generally got eaten after they survived the trip…  Hard times.  It wasn’t until way later that the seamen figured out how to live off the land and not the horses.  Anyway, the success of the horse in sea travel was tied to man’s ability to survive and create better methods, obviously.  And, things got much better for the horse just about the same time that sea travel became more luxurious for the human as well..

I have no idea why I couldn’t find much information.  Maybe all the voyagers were just so dang tired that they didn’t want to remember any of it — ever.  I have no clue why there was no documentation.  Of, if there is, Mr. Google was keeping it to himself.  All I got was this one measly photo… which really isn’t that measly – I quite liked it.  You can see that the horse is in a hammock-like swing contraption.  I’m sure his feet touched the ground but I’m guessing this swing made it easier for him to maintain his balance without slamming into the walls of his stall.

The second photo doesn’t help much since it is from 1940 and fairly recent.  But, I thought it was cool so I put it in anyway…

GABRIELLE SUTTON, equine nutritionist

When Norma started suffering laminitis yesterday, I immediately thought of Gabrielle.  So, I contacted her and we chatted.  I was reminded how much I respected her wealth of knowledge and plethora of detail in the food/chemical/mineral arenas.  You can read my previous post about her here.

She came to my ranch last year to help with Aladdin.  I followed her around like a puppy with a notepad.  She could look at a horse and tell me what I needed to start feeding and what I needed to stop feeding.  At the end of the visit, she had all 14 of my horses on their precise and particular diets.  It was manageable and easy to understand — because it all made so much sense.

I still have her hand written instructions laminated on the barn refrigerator.  I swear.  I also follow her worming schedule (way less invasive) but that is for another day…

Click here to go to her site

Previously, Gabrielle was a human nutritionist.  She has since moved to equines and now has a large team of Researchers, Naturopath, Nutritionist, Veterinarians, Agriculturist and Consultants who are available 24/7.  Love that.

Anyway, while we were chatting, she told me about her FREE (Yay!) webinar.

Now, I’m not a big webinar person because I don’t like giving out my email address to people who are selling things…  However, I signed up for hers immediately.  It is on Dec 6th, 7pm Central Time.  Here is the link to register and the info.  If you are at all interested in equine nutrition and equine food/health relationships, you should sign on to be a part of this.  They are taking potential topics from all that join so this is possibly your chance to get that nagging question answered!

Here is the info:

Webinar

Tell us what you want to know and become a Member of the KAM Equine Learning Circle

Join us for a Webinar on December 6

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/671602770

Would you like to learn more about what can be done to help your horse with ulcers, EMS/IR, lameness, hives, colic, allergies, back pain, hoof problems, arthritis and so on? Do you struggle to determine the best nutrition for your horses and become completely overwhelmed by the vast array of feeds and supplements available? What about issues like conditioning, saddle fitting, shoeing, dehydration, long travel, legal use of supplements, teeth floating and the many other questions you need answered?

Join the first FREE webinar on December 6th at 7pm CST and participate in an “all around” Equine Wellness session that allows you to submit your questions and top picks of topics to be covered in the upcoming webinar series starting in early 2011.

Starting January 10th, every other Monday night at 7pm CST, KAM Animal Services along with staff Veterinarian Dr. John Hanover and guest “experts” will hold an educational webinar on various equine health topics that are important to anyone owning and caring for horses. These will be MUST KNOW webinars!

Each webinar will get into detail with topics that will help you help your horse. By you becoming an “Equine Learning Circle” member, you will become more knowledgeable and will be armed with the information you need to keep your horses healthy and happy.

The “Equine Learning Circle” topics will be expanded from KAM’s very popular “Tips of the Week,” which has been posted every Monday on www.dressagedaily.comwww.horsesdaily.com and www.horsesinthesouth.com.
Take a moment to visit KAM Animal Services website where all recent tips that have been published can be found.

Title: Tell us what you want to know and become a Member of the KAM Equine Learning Circle

Date: Monday, December 6, 2010

Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CST

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!  Thank you for reading and if I knew what I was going to write for tomorrow, I’d give you a snippet here.  But, right now, I have no idea.  Doh!

INSTANT KARMA DO-GOODING!

Instant Do-Gooding. Click here!

HELP WITH PAYBACK!!   Donation Gift Certificates are here!  Yup, if you donate to help Tullie (the burned horse), Gump (the ugly horse), Dixie (the starved and sick horse) or the Wild Mustangs/Burros (the gathered horses), you can now get  “A Donation has been made in Your Honor” certificates to give as gifts!  You can use them for coworkers, family, friends or in lost pet’s names…  Yay!  For Instant Karma, click here! Your donation will immediately turn into a certificate for you!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

November Bucket Fund - Help the Gathered Mustangs! Click here!




HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth... if you like this, please pass it around!



Equine Wizard Nutritionist, Gabrielle Sutton and… Mary Poppins had it Right! A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Wormer Go Down!






For those of you smart and lucky horse people who only have one horse, worming day is probably a very manageable day.  But, for us insane multiple horse owners, worming day leaves us shuttering like Lurch.  Thankfully, I’ve found a solution that really helps me, so I thought I’d pass it onward.

Gabrielle Sutton and KAM Animal Services

But first, thinking about worming made me think about Gabrielle Sutton.  This woman is a force in the Equine Nutrition world!  She received her initial education in Human Health as a nurse practitioner with advanced training in Naturopathic Medicine, Botanical Medicine, Nutrition as well as Homeopathy.  Then, people started asking her to help them with their horses.  Well, a new career opened up and she became just as proficient in Equine Nutrition, Equine Naturopathy and Homotoxocology.  She’s got chops.  Her business is called, KAM Animal Services.

Now, I know we all hear about herbs and herbal remedies.  I actually really believe that you are what you eat… same with equines.  And, we all know that most of our horses are living artificially on what we provide for them to eat,  not necessarily what they are craving or what they intrinsically need. We try our best to figure out what they could use nutritionally… “Hmmm, her coat looks dull” or “Gee, his feet seem to be chipping more this year” and “He has no energy “… and we purchase a nice supplement.

Obviously,  we are all kinda shooting from the hip, if you know what I mean.  For me, I just surmise what they probably need and go from there.  And, that has been mostly just fine.  But, I’m here to tell you, when you need to bring in the big guns, Gabrielle is a wizard.  This brainiac is so helpful and so knowledgeable, you want her to live out back planting a garden, mixing potions and fixing all your equine buddies’ ailments.  I was in awe and gaga when we had our initial conversation.  Well, it wasn’t really a conversation… she spoke, I listened trying to keep up, but it all made sense and I was sold!

All of her supplements and feeds she created herself.  All the ingredients are listed and she can tell you exactly what each one does, how it supports another and why it is in there.  She will also cite clinical trials and tell you more about metabolic disorders than you ever wanted to know — but need to know.  Oh yes, and SHE answers the phone.  Or, if Gabrielle is out of town (which she is quite often as she visits farms and horses all the time), she will call back or have her assistant call.  Wonderful.

Personally, Gabrielle came to my farm and helped me tremendously with a Cushings horse (she recommended an entire feeding regimen and it worked) as well as a supplement program for all of my horses. Her wealth of knowledge just bends you over backwards.  So, when you need to call in the cavalry to help your horse, put this info in your back pocket.  She is a genius.  Go to the website and you’ll see what I mean.  These aren’t your ordinary herbal concoctions for horses.  This is extraordinary stuff.

Anyway, back to the reason I’m thinking of Gabrielle —  she re-educated me on my worming schedule.  Without getting political, I’d like to say that there is generally no reason to worm your healthy horses every day or even every 3 months.  However, this is not going to be a favorable piece of information for the companies that make wormer… Really, Gabrielle taught me that unless the horse is showing signs of worms (and you can always do a fecal test every three months if you’d like), it could be detrimental over time to worm a horse every day or every three months for its entire life.

GABRIELLE’S SUGGESTED WORMING SCHEDULE (this could upset Pfizer or maybe your vet…)

SPRING:  5 day Power Pack (test to make sure you need it)  SUMMER:  Strongid   FALL:  Ivermectin or Equimax if you are in an area populated with Equine Tape worms.   That’s it.  Simple.

**Exciting news!  Gabrielle emailed this morning and told me about her Free workshop in May!  I’ve attached the flyer above. Please take the opportunity if you are interested!  Click on the flyer image and it should get bigger.  If not, the number to call for information is 970-309-4223.

Onward…

MARY POPPINS HAD IT RIGHT!

So now that it is worming time, I wanted to share with you my worming experience.  I know you know it… the horse that raises his head just out of range of your wormer hand, the horse the puts its head up then down then up then down or the one that just won’t be caught on worming day.  Well, I have 10 of those.  Only two of my horses actually grin and bear it without letting me know how they feel about it.

MY REMEDY

I got sick of dealing with the Head Bobbing Olympics on worming day.  And, last year I rescued the wild mare who was NEVER going to take wormer.  I had to think of something that would steal less time and also administer to the wild one.  Grain.  I knew it had to do with grain.  So, the next time the vet was out, I asked if I could put paste in grain. Would that effect the wormer in any way?  Nope.  Hmmmmmmm. I put on my Mary Poppins hat and concocted a very easy recipe.  A spoonful of molasses with watered down grain and the paste all mixed together.  You really have to mix the paste — no big clumps or that gives it away. They can see a big clump a mile away.

As I tested my first batch, I knew I had to feed strategically because I didn’t want any one horse bullying the potion from another and then get too much wormer.  I very carefully fed everyone so no one thought anyone else had anything better.  For the lead horses, I put in more grain so they had more to do.  I put the babies in stalls and the rest were easy.  I gave them all their dishes and they ate their wormer just like they always ate their morning grain + supplements!  Yahoo!  And for the cook in the feed room, it took only a few more mins to add the water, paste and molasses, but they ate every bit!!  No more schmear on my coat and arms, no more schmear on their muzzles and no more waste on the ground as they spit out whatever they could maneuver.  Wahoo!  Worming Day made easy! (That’s my Gwen, slurping it up!)

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!




HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth... if you like this, please pass it around!