Flying with Horses Spiritual & Intuitive Horsemanship
Hilton Herbs Rosehips (Vitamin C, biotin)
Hoxey Horse Health Formula (anti-cancer formula but lists health-supporting herbs)
Global Herbs, herbal immune & detoxification products for horses:
Vitamin C (natural, powerful, long-lasting vitamin C, immune support, detoxing, alkalising)
ImmunePlus (supports the immune system, ideal when your horse shows any signs of immune weakness, can be used regularly & long term, I recommend 1-2 x 1kg tubs every 12 weeks)
BadWeather (boosts the immune system especially during times of cold, rain & wind)
Electrolytes (replaces alkalising ionic salts)
DeTox Gold (Liquid is more powerful, available as 1L or 5L, also available as dried herbal formula)
Equimmune Gold (Liquid is more potent, available as 1L, 5L, or dried herbal formula)
Rosehips (natural sourse of Vitamin C, high in vitamins & minerals, including biotin)
If you wish to share any personal experience in relation to equine grass sickness, please email Leanna direct at: leanna@flyingwithhorses.com
Monday 20th January 2014, 22.44pm
Wednesday 20th December, 16.33
Need To Know
Tues 10th December 2013, 13.57pm
Welcome to our blog, where you can find
informative articles written by Leanna Milward
about:
We hope you enjoy our articles, happy reading!
The field which has been the herd's home for 11 years is now going through the process of being sold to developers, and we are in desperate need of a new home as soon as possible. We lost our fields for rotational grazing 2 years ago, and our last remaining field is right next to a large-scale building site which has greatly reduced our capacity to run our courses and workshops.
As there is no available local grazing to accommodate our special herd, we are hoping to find somewhere farther afield, hopefully in the south or west (Devon / Wales). We would be happy to join an existing care farm, or rent a field (7+ acres minimum) where we can continue our valuable work.
Alongside offering Horse Whispering and Equine Assisted Therapy, I am also a head youth worker, trained in safeguarding and Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Please share this with your friends and hopefully together we can relocate Flying with Horses to pastures new!
Thank you all, Leanna & the Horses x
Sun 24th February, 20
Wednesday 20th December 2017, 16.33pm
Welcome Seymor~Arran
.
A very warm welcome to our newest arrival, Seymor-Arran, a magnificently beautiful 15hh tobiano gelding who came to us in September in need of a loving home.
After a traumatic journey from Wales, he arrived shaken & bruised
with some sores on his head, which healed up quickly with some green-clay powder, which also protected the sores from flies. He was given some
barley-grass powder & rosehips to self select, to support his immune system, some warm water with electrolytes to replenish those lost through sweat, & plenty of apples to help hydrate him.
After an hour of enjoying his own space in the paddock to settle, having enjoyed some Reiki & quiet time, he strode along the fence-line, finally showing an interest in the eagerly awaiting herd. I took this as a good sign that dear Seymor was ready to explore his new home & greet his new family.
As soon as I opened his access to the main field, the once shakey, bruised Seymor eagerly strode out into the main field, confidently taking in his new
surroundings. The horses sensed that he had been through an ordeal, &
gave him space while he explored the field, without the usual excited greetings that we normally have when a new rescue arrives. I was thankful of the respectful attidue of the horses, that the balanced herd prioritised Seymor's need of a gentle introduction.
Seymor-Arran settled in very quickly & gently, and within 2 weeks he had become the leader of the herd. Shanook, our already resident cob gelding
who had been the dominant male prior to his arrival, did not engage in
fighting Seymor & once he had acclimatized to the new herd hierarchy, openned to the new friendship & found some relief in letting go of the responsability of being alpha.
Seymor-Arran is a brave, gentle soul who has already enganged freely with several of our visitors, helping them to build confidence in horsemanship & connect deeply with his expansive, open heart.
Monday 1st December 2014, 22.47pm
Best Supplements & Signs Your Horse Needs Them
Horses need support in their nutritional uptake, & the best supplements are natural, whole foods which contain a broad spectrum of all essential vitamins, minerals whilst offering many other nutritional benefits as opposed to the standard supplements on the horse market, which are often potentially dangerous isolated forms of specific vitamins & minerals.
Signs Your Horse Needs Supplements
If your horse shows any signs of of following symptoms, they could be depleted in various minerals & vitamins which affect overall contidion, health, immunity & energy:
Nature's Best Whole-Food Supplements & Their Benefits
Providing the following can bring your horse an array of health benefits which offer a holistic approach to improving health, improved immunity & boosting the elimination organs of the body. These are best offered to your horse for self selection, so that they are able to choose what they need & the quantity required:
Whole Food vs Isolated Supplements
Most horse supplements are artificial, isolated sources of vitamins & minerals which are less bio-available to the horse's body, are not easily absorbed or utilised, & are harder for the body to eliminate which can lead to toxicity. Whole food supplements are far superior, offering a broader range of benefits that support holistic health & wellbeing, with their nutrients being easily bio-available for instant absorption & easy elimination of any compounds not needed.
Self selection enables the horse to self-medicate & provides essential nutrients the way nature intended.
Website for Nature's Whole Food Suplements
http://www.naturallyanimals.com/ Offering all of the above high-quality supplements at the most reasonable price. Also Neem Powder & Insect Repellants for naturally repelling mites, lice & fleaswhich are safe for all animals.
Friday 5th September 2014, 10.44am
Meet Orion! Our new rescue cob...
We are so pleased to welcome dear Orion into the herd!
Orion arrived on Saturday 16th August, thanks to Sam, an angel in Hertfordshire who rescued him from a dealers & gained his trust in humans again. Thanks to her wonderful care, Orion is already settling into the herd, having explored his new home with confidence & joy! He's a very trusting, affectionate young cob who has already enjoyed sharing some apples & carrots, & lots of affection & scratches!
Welcome home Orion, thank you for being all that you are, a very special soul who will grace every visitor with your exquisite beauty & charm!
Sat 16th August 2014, 22.40pm
5 Top Tips for a Healthy Horse
5 simple tips to help keep your special horse in optimum health all year round!
Natural Feed for Horses
Despite popular belief, horses are not designed to eat grains, which can lead to an over-acidic gut, sluggish digestion & systemic toxicity, a major cause in many health conditions. Sadly all of the most known brands
of feed are grain-based, also containing GM feeds such as corn & soya. Feeding Simple Systems alfalfa-based feeds & balancers are more natural, easily digestible & nutritious feed for horses & promotes long-term health for all horses in all disciplines.
Natural Supplements
Adding a range of whole-food supplements are much more beneficial than isolated mineral supplements which can be toxic to horses as the body struggles to eliminate the proceed minerals if they're not needed. Adding Seaweed, Rosehips & a Himalyan Salt Lick provide natural minerals in a balanced, non-toxic way. Global Herbs liquid supplement, GlobalVit, given 4 x a year at the change of the seasons, provides a broad spectrum of vitamins & minerals. Trinity Consultants also offer a natural supplement range for specific
health areas such as digestion, skin, immune support & hoof health. KM's Elite 'Ultimate Oil' can be a nourishing addition & contains high-grade coconut, sea buckthorn & flax-seed oils which provide a healthy range of omegas, anti-oxidants, vitamins & minerals.
Natural Worming
You can safely worm your horse while avoiding the harsh chemicals of the pharmaceutical worming pastes
& powders. Diatomite is a safe, non-toxic & natural wormer which addresses all intestinal parasites, & offers the additional benefit of absorbing the dead parasites into itself for safe elimination. Chemical wormers can lead to a toxic 'die off' condition, where the parasites still have to be elimiated slowly via the gut once they've been killed, which can be a strain on the horse's digstive & immune system. As well as being safer, Diatomite is also much cheaper, available via Diaguard on Amazon. Diatomite also cleans the entire GI tract, being a valuable cleanser & improving overall health, with improved coat condition, bright eyes & optimum nutrient absorption. Westgate Laboratories provides an easy & affordable postal worm-count service at just £9.50 per horse & is an ideal way to check that your horse is parasite free.
Immune Support
If your horse shows any signs of compromised health (lack-lustre coat, dull eyes, skin reactions such as
mud fever, & allergies or laminitis), they are showing signs of a struggling immune system. Combining immune support herbs alongside a natural diet & the the following detox support, we can bring our horse's immune system back to full health safely & naturally. Global Herbs offer a combined herbal powder called 'ImmunePlus' which when combined with Naff's Echinacea Liquid provides powerful & effective immune support. A natural vitamin C supplement, like Global Herb's VitC, is a valuable immune booster to help our horses during any times of stress or compromised health.
Detoxification
Chemical wormer, vaccines, medication, grain-based feeds & pollutants such as road traffic exhaust fumes
& fertilisers all cause an overload of toxins in our horses. Thankfully there are now several ranges of supplemets we can give our horse to help them eliminate these pollutants from their bodies safely & improving their overall health & condition. Whenever giving your horse detox formulas, be sure to support their immune system by adding Global Herbs VitC which is nature's most powerful anti-oxidant.
Hilton Herbs 'DeTox Gold' provides a combination of the most recognised herbs to help with supporting our horse's natural elimination organs, such as the liver, kidneys & lymphatic system. Available as 1Lt or 5 Lt, this is something worth always having in your feed shed & giving to your horse regularly throughout the year to keep them in tip-top health & condition!
Enjoy these simply, natural health additions to your horse's diet & see the improved health & wellbeing of your treasured equine friend for many years to come!
Thursday 31st July 2014, 9.55am
For optimum horse health & vitality, we need to ensure that we feed our horses a diet as close to their natural lifetyle as possible. In the wild, horses forage on grasses, various plants & herbs, & fibrous roughage from stalks, trees & bushes. To maintain health, horses harness their instincts to self medicate, selecting specific herbs for cleansing the internal organs, clays to cleanse the gut, & natural anti-parasitics to eliminate worms.
For our horses to maintain optimal health all the year-round, we can easily replicate the horse's natural diet by eliminating all undigestable foods from their diet & incorporating natural supplements for worm-free, vibrant health!
Contrary to popular belief horses are not designed to eat any sort of grain, which is highly undigestable for them. This includes many ingredients found in all of the main trusted brands, and can lead to a variety of unhealthy conditions, so it's best to avoid all grains including oats, barley & wheat.
Because the adrenals are responsible for sugar metabolism when it comes to complex carbohydrates (starchy foods like grains), they can be overworked & over time this can lead to cushings disease. Also the undigested grains can ferment in the gut & lead to congestion & toxicity, potentially causing laminitis, colic & allergies, all of which are a common experience for many unfortunate horse owners, causing immense & unecessary stress for horses as well as stressful vet bills.
It also also worth avoiding all feeds which contain corn & soya, as these are both undigestale foods which are used as a cheap filler whilst offering no nutritional benefit to our horses. Corn & soya are often Genetically Modified (GM) which are potentially toxic & are laden with pollutants like chemical pesticides.
The healthiest horse feed currently on the market is Simple Systems, which is grain, GM & molasses free. They use pure, natural & raw ingredients: grass & alfalfa, which are both highly nutritious, easy to digest & form a natural, alkaline diet for our horses. They also offer natural hay or alfalfa chaff, grass pellets to suit varying levels of work, alfalfa pellets & natural feed balancers.
Horses may need additional fibre, especially in the colder winter months when ad-lib, high quality hay or haylage should be provided. Hay is at it's best when it's finer & greener, indicating it was cut when the grass was still full of nutrition. Haylage is partially-fermented grass, being richer & more nutritious than hay, so ideal if your horse needs extra support in keeping weight & condition. Haylage can be too acidic for some horses, causing acid build-up in the stomach, so it's best to mix with hay or supply hay on the side which will absorb & neutralise excess acids.
Because the bacteria which digest the long-stem fibre in the gut generate heat, hay & haylage act as a natural heat generator for horses & is essential for horses in the colder weather. Those wishing to transition their horses to living out without a rug will find that the horses easily maintain their weight when provided with ad-lib hay or haylage.
All animals will forage for specific herbs to self medicate. Often these herbs are natural detoxifiers & provide a broad range of health benefits as well as nutrients. We can forage for seasonal herbs to provide our horses with fresh additions to their grazing, such as Cleavers (an abundant summer plant which is easily identifiable as it's sticky & it's round seeds often stick to our clothing or our pets fur), Nettles (which horses love once they wilt after being cut, nettles are a natural diuretic so benefit the blood & kidneys, as well as offering an array of vitamins), Dandelion is the most nutritious green & is also a natural cleanser, Rosehips are incredibly nutritious & boost the immune system, Comfrey aids in wound healing.
Hilton Herbs & Global Herbs both offer an array of herbal tinctures which provide the most potent benefits of herbs, including a general detox tincture as well as tinctures for specific health requirements. I feed my herd the Hilton Herbs Detox tincture 2-3 times each year (they do a 5 litre bottle which is very economic), alongside Global Herbs Restore tincture which provide a gentle detox & support for internal health.
Nature really does have all the answers in providing all that we need to maintain health, including an array of natural anti-parasitics which are free from the health risks of chemical wormers & are even more reliable as they do not lead to worm-resistance nor do they compromise our horse's health.
The best natural wormer is Diatomite (Diatomaceous Earth), a finely ground powder comprised of microscopic diatoms which can be safely ingested to safely kill all parasites or applied topically to eradicate mites & lice. Ingested, it not only kills all intestinal worms but due to it's absorbency it soaks up the dead parasites which would otherwise cause a toxic die-off in the gut. It's also a powerful detoxifier, absorbing other chemicals, heavy metals & toxins from the gut, providing a beneficial colon cleanse whilst not absorbing any nutrients as it only attracts positively charged toxic substances, leaving all beneficial bacteria intact.
'Diaguard' offer food-grade diatomite in 2kg, 5kg & 10kg tubs & it's a very affordable way of worming, much cheaper than chemical wormers (& available via Amazon). I feed approximately 1 cup 2xday for my cobs, & double this amount for the Shires, for 7 days ever 12 weeks. You'll see improvements in coat condition & overall health thanks to diatomite clay.
Natural wormers also include potentially toxic plants like ferns & wormwood, which horses will eat if they feel the need to de-worm themselves. Do not be alarmed if your horse wishes to eat ferns, they only eat the amount they need without risk of their health.
By incorporating a more natural health regime for your horses, you will enjoy learning more about the benefits of natural health vs chemical drugs, & see your horse blossom & improve in overall health & condition. Natural feed & herbs can go a long way in helping our horses overcome specific health issues & enjoy living a more balanced life. Always introduce new feeds gently & gradually, following product feeding guidelines, & contact manufacturers for further advice to ensure the best results.
Tues 10th December 2013, 13.57pm
For many, the ultimate horse-human relationship is one of mutual trust, respect, light communication & a deep bond. Many also envisage a magical element, with all the symbolic strength, majesty & power of the horse imbued with a special energy which we tantalising crave in our lives.
There is something very apparent when you compare a child interacting with a horse to an adult during a session. Generally, children eagerly approach the horse in their own unique way, singing, stroking, laughing, talking out loud, maybe skipping or running. Their energy is open & unbridled, not polluted with fears & embarrassment. Usually the horse freely responds with interest & curiosity, eager to engage with the child & follow their lead.
A drastic change compared to an adult interacting with a horse, where the interaction is usually polluted with a fear of the horse not wanting to engage, a fear of looking foolish or failing, of being rejected. The adult approaches gingerly, breath held, body tense.
What has changed from the child to the adult? And what does the horse have to say about this? Put simply, the child is authentic, open, fully in the present moment, not held back by insecurity or fear. And there is the ultimate characteristic which horses respond to - authenticity. When we are authentic, we are totally in the present moment, feeling whatever is arising within us (positive or negative), open & willing to fully experience this moment, reaching out to connect with the horse.
'Never work with children or animals'... why not? Because they are not conditioned, because they live freely in the present moment & honour their feelings & desires. Because they do what feels right to them moment by moment, unconstrained, free & expressive. Is this not the magic that we crave, the freeness to truly be ourselves, to dream of experiencing our ultimate selves, free from conditioned fear? Far removed from magic, it is our true nature. When we understand that, we can easily understand horses, for all that they do is call forth our true nature, unbridled!
So to truly connect with horses at a new level, let's put aside any ropes or halters, any treats & ideas about what needs doing. Let's simply learn to be, be with ourselves, be with our horses, in the moment & with all that it presents us, free from any judgement or resistance. Truly being, is truly connecting with horses, where we can find true understanding. From here, we can surrender to the horse, for each is unique & has their own way of showing us how to proceed in our journeying together towards understanding, friendhsip & trust.
Thurs 28th November 2013, 14.15pm
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