Country Time Acres Blog

When Cheyenne was diagnosed with Founder, I was offered an overload of information. Unfortunately, much of the information was based on hearsay and not facts. The problem with this condition is there really aren’t a lot of documented facts to help people. Because of this I went through 3 ferriers and 2 vets. I spent a lot of money looking for answers and each time was left more confused than the last time. I was told to take my horse off the grass,  no grain and keep her in a paddock. Then I was told she didn’t have Founder but, did need weight management. Then there is the issue of sugar in the grass, long grass, short grass, in the spring, in the fall, after a dew, during a drought, who really knows????  And worst of all was being told “Once they Founder they always have it.  How can that be?”  I’ would ask.

      Thank goodness I was able to find a book that seem to have the answers I was looking for!  Founder, Prevention & Cure the Natural Way by Jamie Jackson tells us about the horses natural diet,  living enviroment and how the hoof grows. After reading this book I no longer felt it was the end of the world for my beloved horse.  In the pages of this book I learned how nature takes care of the horse and I began to try to care for my horses in a more natural way. Every year I would seek the help of the professionals and seed, fertalize and pasture manage my 2 acre pasture. I always wondered why my horses were fat and my neighbors who did nothing to their pastures and fed mostly hay had healthy horses. I also vaccinated, wormed and spent hundreds of dollars in medical care. Recently I have asked to who benefited from this, my horses or the vets, the ferriers and the supply companies?  One of the most bold and powerful statements in this book says ” The natural healing ahead will depend on your preserverance and loyalty to the natural healing program and by not yeilding from ignorance or fear to the terrorism of bad science”. As one who has practiced alternative medicine and questioned medical science for years I have to agree with this statement. Every horse owner should have this book.  In conclusion I can say that Cheyenne is improving. We still struggle with her weight and diet. She  gets very  limited time in the grass and I have replaced grain with fresh fruits and vegatables every night. In fact, all of the horses get fresh fruit and veggies every night and love it. I have even noticed their manes are growing much longer than normal.  I was told Cheyenne would not be able to perform but, on October 16 she did the opening of my benefit show “Wild West Round-Up” and was amazing!  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!!!