When a horse has a mineral imbalance
it is critical to determine whether that
imbalance is due to environmental,
dietary or biological interactions.
Many pre packed feeds, pellets and
cubes contain a variety of minerals
and vitamins that may not be suitable
for your horse. Adding a multi mineral
supplement often results in an excess
of minerals. Mineral content of water
and soil must also be taken into
consideration when evaluating a horse's
nutritional status.
SUMMARY: Skurfer's hair tissue
profile shows a critically severe
imbalance of essential minerals
required in the horse for good health,
longevity and performance. I believe
that the bore water is responsible as
the composition of minerals changes
regularly in bore water and therefore
it is not suitable for horses or humans.
As a result of mineral toxicity, horses
often develop allergies and once the
minerals are more balanced, symptoms
of allergies cease. The good news is
that there are no heavy metals present
on the profile. Skurfer will need to
stay on the recommended diet and
supplements for at least two years. Due
to the severe health condition of your
horse, I strongly recommend a re-test
in 5 -6 months to completely address
the mineral toxicity as the bore water is
providing excesses so that it is difficult
to determine what minerals he actually
requires
Expect to see significant improvement
in Skurfer within 4 -6 weeks with full
balancing taking approx 5 months.
You will need to follow this program
exactly and remove the bore water and
all the ulcer treatments and the BUTE,
pentosan and the rest for this to be
effective.
I advise you to get a faecal egg count
before deciding to use a proprietory
wormer. You can order egg counts kits
online from
HAIR MINERAL TISSUE ANALYSIS
Kerry Marsh (B.Ed.B.Ag.Sc.)
NOTES:
For the purposes of this analysis comments have only been
made to address excesses and deficiencies of minerals.
The significant ratio graph is an indicator of nutrient
levels in the horse's diet. It also needs to be mentioned
that poor soil and poor water quality will affect the horse'
s
minerals levels. For example bore water, spring water
and spring fed dams, river and creek water and irrigated
water can affect the horse as they often carry heavy metals
and too much sodium. Paddocks that have been sprayed
with chemicals/high analysis fertilisers can also have a
detrimental affect on the horse's health. Overgrazed and
sandy paddocks all contribute to mineral imbalances in
the horse.
It needs to be mentioned that worm pastes used every
6 8 weeks are toxic to horses in as much as they contain
heavy metals. After worming with a proprietory wormer
,
many horses become `flat' and lack stamina, suffer colic
and or other gastro intestinal disturbances. This is due to
the high levels of aluminium, titanium and barium in the
wormer and the effect of "die off" from the worms. If the
correct levels of copper are being administered, rotational
grazing in place, worming usually becomes unnecessary
. I
Disclaimer: I cannot guarantee the success of this
program unless all feeds and supplements that the horse
currently receives are stopped and that this regime is
followed for the specified period of time only.
Failure to do so may be detrimental to the horse's health.
Photo by
Anita Norris
CASE PRESENTED: SKURFER (SMITH) 28/6/12
A continuation of the Hair Analysis artic
le, which appears in the Dec Jan 12/13 print
ed Hoofbeats.
HAIR MINERAL TISSUE ANALYSIS