Meet the Herd!
Sandelee
Sandelee is now 36 ½ years old and came to us at 29 years old. She is an amazingly healthy old lady with most of her issues being about her teeth. This is very normal for seniors and especially normal for mini horses as they have far too much “tooth” for the size of their heads! I am very grateful to have an amazing equine dentist to help take care of her! Sandelle has had several “choke” issues (hay being stuck in her throat), two of which required a visit from a veterinarian to clear but it would seem she has finally learned she can’t eat hay that is just laying around. She has been fed only wet down “bucket” feed for the last five years and does very well as long as she sticks to her bucket. She has also grown a lot pickier about what goes in her feet bucket and will throw it all over the floor if I don’t put her “chosen” herbs in it…with a bit of Coolstance to sweeten the deal. I’ll post her herbs that she chose from the Herbal Sampling Kit down below, plus her current diet.
At 36, Sandelee has the standard “old lady” maladies. She has a bit of arthritis in the joints, and she moves pretty slow these days but can trot about a bit if baby Kaia is pestering her. And even though she grows a good winter coat, I noticed she was still cold and very miserable looking in this very chilly and wet weather we’ve been having, so I added a nice thick blanket and for once she is not fighting me about it about it like she normally does (and did the first time I put it on). She’s still not “thrilled” about it, as she gets itchy with that hair underneath, but she’s also not cold feeling so I guess she’ll tolerate it…for now.
One thing I’ve noticed lately is she is spending a lot of time with her nose in the corner of her stall, napping. This is not a normal habit for her as she usually parks at her stall gate (which she can see through). I feel like she has kind of “checked out” recently but I can’t attribute it to anything other than the change to cold weather. I know I feel more miserable in the cold but even though she feels more comfortable with the addition of a blanket (she’s less stiff and her energy levels improved) she is still spendy far more time than normal with her head in the corner. Its could be winter “thing” or could be she is just nearing the end of life. I consider every day she is with us since her last big choke session a blessing and everyday she is with us, I am thankful for. She has been a very wonderful addition to our family!
Sandelee’s current diet, which is fed morning and evening with short grass grazing during the day (she cannot graze on grass over 3 inches long without issues but seems to handle that alright)
Teff pellets-AM 2 cups dry measure, PM 4 cups dry measure. Teff is the lowest sugar and calorie level of the grass pellets available so works really well for minis and other chubby bunnies with sugar issues.
Rice Bran Pellets-1/4 cup. Sandelee is not fond of Rice Bran Pellets but they also having a “filling” effect on the belly plus some good health benefits. But too much and she’ll try to toss them out of her bucket!
Coolstance: Sandelee is not fond of our Iron Horse mixes (she doesn’t like camelina) and she also doesn’t need the calories but she does need goodies to prompt her to eat and I found Coolstance is the “thing” that gets her eating decently. She gets about ¼ cup per meal and that seems to be her happy spot.
Sandelee’s Herb via Herbal Sampling Kit:
Beet Root-to help feed her tendons and ligaments
Blesses Thistle-for hormonal support, also boosts digestion (though not a traditional digestive herb) and helps promote liver function.
Calendula-anti microbial (helps fight fungus and infections), promotes healing, antioxidant (helps fight free radicals), promotes liver function, and stimulates the lymphatic system, which benefits the immune system.
Dandelion Leaf and Root-Though from the same plant, they have a bit of different functions. The Leaf will provide more vitamins, while the root provides more minerals. Both are good for detoxing as they are natural diuretics and flush toxins from the liver and kidneys.
- Highly nutritious, loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Helps regulate blood sugar.
- Helps reduce inflammation.
- Supports gut health and aids in healthy digestion.
- Contains antioxidants which potentially fights cancer
Dog Grass-Dog Grass is perhaps one of the most underated herbs that we carry. It is ALWAYS chosen by horses with urinary issues (liver, kidneys, urinary tract etc) and is usually paired with dandelion and cleavers, depending on how severe the issue is. Sometimes you will also see it chosen with hyssop and chaparral (usually with UTI’s) As a very senior horse, its not uncommon to experience urinary issues of some type, even on the best of diets. Its just part of the body aging so when offered a choice, the horse will choose herbs that support their aging bodies.
Eleuthero-often paired with elecampane, Eleuthero is great for the older body, and after workouts due to increasing energy and reducing fatigue plus the positive effects on cognitive function. This is a very common herb for the seniors to choose.
- Increasing energy and reducing fatigue
- Improving cognitive function and memory
- Improves low blood pressure, which is a common problem with seniors
- Reduces bone loss
- Supports menopause issues
- Boosts immune system function
- Strengthens the heart
- Helps regulate blood sugar levels
Lemon Balm-Lemon Balm is one of my favorite calming plants. Not only does it calm the mind, but it helps relax muscles, reduce stress and feed the nerves. Lemon Balm also helps improve sleep and digestive function, specifically reducing gas, bloating and indigestion. Since digestion is reduced as the body grows older, having digestive improving herbs in the diet is very important! This is proven out by Sandelee not wanting to eat properly when her chosen herbs are not in her diet! (as I found out when I ran out of her herbal mix for a couple days)
Nettle leaf- Like Dandelion, Nettle leaf and nettle root work slightly differently. I tend to use more leaf than root (due to availability) but I also find the deep greens of leaf to be more preferred by the horses than the root.
- Great for reducing inflammation in the joints
- Boosts digestion
- Great for detoxing!
- Improves respiratory health
- Reduces histamine levels to help with allergies
- Very nutrient dense!
Rose Hips-Rose hips are a fantastic source of vitamin C but should not be given in very large doses because of its possible upset of the digestive tract. Rose hips are great for boosting the immune system Rose Hips are a natural way of promoting collagen production.
Turmeric-Turmeric benefits are very similar to Rose Hips with less irritation to the digestive tract plus anti inflammatory benefits. This is one of Sandelee’s favorite herbs!
Wormwood-When most people think about wormwood, they mainly think about an anti parasitic but wormwood has a host of other benefits. However, due to high levels of Thujone, its has to be used cautiously so best if kept to smaller doses for shorter periods of time (give it a break! Be careful about using with laminitic horses)
- Digestive aid, especially the urinary tract
- Promotes digestion
- Immune boosting
- Offers some pain relief, mostly by flushing toxins out of the liver and kidneys
- Helps fight bacteria and fungus, also mainly in the urinary tract: helps fight UTIs
When looked as a whole, Sandelee is picking herbs to boost digestion, take care of “old lady” issues, and keep her urinary tract healthy with a bit for joint support. The herbs for digestive support aren’t so much for healing the digestive tract but to support digestive function due in part to her age but also because she is limited to eating soaked pellets and not eating the hay and grasses that a horse would normally eat that help promote digestion through fiber.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting Sandelee in a more indepth manner. We don’t know how much longer she is going to be with us, but until that day, she will have the best of care we can give her!