Avoid Grain Allergies By Feeding Herbs To Horses

Just as we have overfed ourselves with high fructose corn syrups and other rich carbohydrates, it is becoming more and more evident that we are overfeeding our horses with grains. Both are causing a lot of unnecessary health concerns.

One major health concern is grain allergies. Too much of a good thing, or even a little of an inappropriate thing, can cause a sensitivity, or develop later into a different type of disorder. Some symptoms of grain allergies are sore feet, arthritis, breathing trouble, skin and immune system problems, and other toxic reactions.

What can we do about this? We can change the diet to help clean and flush out toxins and rebuild healthy cells. We can start by feeding our horses more herbs instead of the regular grains. Herbs provide nutritional value too!

Here is one blend that can be used as a grain replacement and as a base for other natural foods and herbs. The ingredients can be purchased at your local health food store, feed store, and at Fox Meadow Market:

[1]cup parsley
[1]cup sage
[1]cup rosemary
[1]cup thyme
1 - 2 lb. milk thistle seed
2 lb. ground flax meal
2 lb. beet pulp (some horses may be sensitive to beet pulp as well, so be mindful)

Directions – Feed ½ - 1 cup 2 times daily, with other herbs as necessary (as always, get guidance from your herbalist and/or holistic veterinarian when feeding herbs). Provide grass hay and grass only as much as possible, until your horse has improved.

Some horses may need more time to flush the toxins out of their system and to rebalance. To see if all of the toxins have been flushed, some of the other foods can be carefully and gradually added back into the horse’s diet. If there is an allergic reaction, stop the grains and this non-grain blend can be continued. Your holistic veterinarian may then suggest homeopathy, acupuncture/ pressure, or another alternative modality to help the horse regain balance and restore health.

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