Lady's Supplements

For most of the last three years I have purchased Lady's supplements either through SmartPak or through a tack/feed store locally. But since I am always trying to understand health better and always strive for the most natural option, I did more than a few days worth of research last summer and decided to switch to herbal supplements. I also decided to purchase herbs in bulk and do all that fun "measuring" stuff myself. It took me quite a while to choose which herbs I wanted to start off with, but I've been doing this for well over 8 months now and it seems to be working.

So here is a little overview of what I give Lady and The Pony in way of supplementing.

Little bowls in the front are Tempest's. Big ones in the back are Lady's.

Salt.  They both live outdoors 24/7 and I have never had luck with having a salt block or rock lasting very long. Therefore they get a dose of salt every day.

Flax Seed. I am out of this at the moment, but it is one of the things I always try to put in, for both of them. It has the correct balance of oils and omegas. They eat it whole.

Nettle Leaf.  Awesome for their coats, really brings out the dapples. Contains vitamin C, iron, and some other vitamins. Also helps to relieve arthritis pain, so Lady gets a maintenance dose of this and Tempest gets a smaller dose every few days.

Comfrey Leaf.  Some people feed the root, some feed the leaf. I have the leaf at the moment and it works well. It is historically called "bone-knit" and it is the best thing to take when healing a broken bone. Also good as a wash, or even to pack in wounds. Highly healing. Tempest only gets this every so often, but Lady gets a smallish dose of it almost every day. Not really meant for daily feeding though, but for injuries.

Nettle, Comfrey, and Salt

Kelp Powder.  Tempest gets this, Lady does not. It is just an overall health tonic with all the trace minerals you could ask for. I wish I could feed this free-choice to the girls, but it hasn't happened yet.

White Willow Bark.  I take this myself. Awesome pain reliever. Lady gets just enough of it to keep her from being too miserable. Better than any bute, in my opinion.

Mare Magic - or Red Raspberry.  Again, I take this myself, except that I have my own tea, not Mare Magic! Lady has issues with hormones at times and I just like having this balancer in her system.

Celery Seed.  This is one of the most important supplements I give Lady for her joints. It is super good at controlling inflammation. Enough said.  

All ready for the week! :-)

There are other herbs that I have used in the past but these are the ones that I have used the most and really stick to right now. The awesome thing about herbs is that its not going to overdose fast at all. It's a plant... its going to go through their digestive tract the same as grass does, without negative effects. They do have to be fed regularly to really see the benefits though. I think White Willow Bark is the only one that will work without being in one's system first.

Random fact - did I mention that we jumped the other week? Yep, Lady and I jumped!

WE JUMPED THIS THING!!!

It was only like 18 inches tall, maybe, but we jumped it.  It was awesome. :-)