Horses, Naturally!
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*Please note: HORSES NATURALLY! is evolving. This site is being re-created and is under construction. However, the existing information remains valid. (Sheila, Sept.2005)
Horses, Naturally! - Introduction and Overview
What is "Horses, Naturally!" ?
Horses, Naturally! (founded in 2001) was a group, an entity, and now a website devoted to the horse’s optimal health, well-being and performance using natural methods and modalities.
Mission or Purpose of "Horses, Naturally!"
To reexamine every aspect of horse-keeping drawing guidelines from:
1. wild horse behavior
2. ancient horse-keeping ways (the "old")
3. innovative technology and research (the "new")
Some of our activities:
- host speakers and clinics
- meet monthly(except December) in Santa Fe, NM
- research
- offer support and resources
- maintain a website
- document case studies
The 3 grand defining properties of horses: Natural horsecare is guided by their three grand defining properties:
1. horses are designed for flight and movement
2. horses are grazers
3. horses are herd animals
Every question, every aspect, every decision about horsecare (training, feeding, conditioning, hoofcare - everything!) can be answered when we remind ourselves of the nature of the horse -- a creature of flight who grazes and is a member of a herd. When we radically modify their environment, restrict their movement, separate them from the herd and change their feeding patterns, horses show signs of stress, disease, unsoundness and depression. As stewards of the domestic horse, our job becomes one of replicating the natural environment as best we can in order to keep our domestic horses healthy, happy, sound and emotionally balanced (see Rethinking Horsecare).
What are some aspects and subjects we research and examine?
1. The impact of such factors as: chronic low basal temps, vaccinations, abnormal pH, nitrates in water, toxins in feed, nailed-on shoes, stabling, restriction of movement, lack of social interaction and many other factors we accept as normal and forget to question.
2. New feeding protocols for horses compromised with Cushings, founder, laminitis, COPD, EPM, thyroid abnormality and many other (now prevalent!) syndromes.
3. Humane training resources.
4. Protective high quality "boots"– sources and fitting.
5. Barefoot trim for high performance
6. Clinics in a variety of healing and treatment modalities and other areas of interest some of which are: equine massage, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, reconnective therapy, animal communication and others.
Tenets of "Horses, Naturally!"as a local Santa Fe group est. (2001):
Endorsements - We endorse absolutely no single product, practitioner, teacher or "expert". We do, however, share experiences of "what has worked" for us and our horses.
We respect and rely upon the skill of Western medical practitioners, i.e. veterinarians. Our focus, however, is on the exploration of complementary methods, modalities and protocols. And our belief is that the two can work productively together for the good of the horse.
We operate on a "cover cost" basis. No profit is realized. Time and research are voluntary. Duplicable resources are made available at cost. Freewill donations are encouraged to cover costs (promotional materials and printing costs).
The Barefoot Horse
Why is the shoeless horse such a pivotal issue in natural horsecare? We will go into this in detail in future articles, but briefly the hoof structure is designed to contract and release upon hitting the ground with each step. This mechanism is absolutely vital to and inseparable from the horse's whole health and well being.
Who attends our Santa Fe meetings?
Anyone . . .
- who wants optimal performance from their horse in any event
- who is willing to "question the norm"
- who has run into limitations in the "conventional wisdom" and is seeking further options.
- who is willing to take an honest look at their horse’s performance and care and implement
any necessary changes
- who delights in the interactions with horses
- And anyone who is "just curious" – that’s a good start!
When do we meet? We meet in Santa Fe, NM once a month except December.
Cost? Resources are available at cost. Freewill donations encouraged to cover printing and website costs.
Questions you (as a horse owner) may have asked yourself:
·Am I getting peak performance and a willing attitude from my horse a good part of the time?
·Why is my horse "off" several days a week?
·Is this the same horse I bought 3 or 4 years ago? Has something changed (for the worse)?
·Why do we nail rigid, iron shoes into dynamically active living tissue? What effect does it have? Are there other choices?
·Does my farrier know what a high performance barefoot trim is? and is s/he willing to maintain it on my horses on a timely basis?
·Why am I going from horse to horse, never finding the perfect sound horse?
·Where can I meet like-minded horse people and network about the choices I’m making in my horse care?
·Where can I find answers and comprehensive information on health and soundness questions about my horse?
We have answers! We have even more questions! "HORSES, NATURALLY !" is a dynamic "search engine" dedicated to optimal performance, care and training of horses.
More info? Sheila Nixon (505) 438 1875 or (505) 501 1586 cell email: Sheila@HorsesNaturally.com
Sponsored by Pizza Etc, Santa Fe NM GoTo SFH