Cold and lameness

Lameness is normally seen as a “summer grass” phenomenon, but it is also a winter problem. Often it is due to management conditions that do not really suit the needs of the horse in question, insulin resistance and cold.

The growth and maintenance of all organs and tissues, for normal life functions, requires both constant breakdown and build-up under the influence of hormones and inflammation. Inflammation is an activity carried out by immune cells throughout the body, and is a result of the body trying to fight potential or real infections, trying to remove toxic molecules or recovering from physical or mental stress such as exercise, overload and injuries.

Inflammation is not the problem, the imbalance is

Inflammation is a positive and necessary process, although it always comes with disadvantages, such as heat, pain, redness, swelling and loss of function. Without inflammation, neither development nor healing can occur in the body. Problems only arise when the inflammation overshoots the target and the imbalance becomes too great, and when the five signs of inflammation become too strong. This is where an anti-inflammatory effort is required from the body. This anti-inflammatory effort is controlled by special oils that can be found naturally in the horse's feed.

Imbalance and severe inflammation are the cause of the pain, possibly heat and pulse, which are characteristic of horses suffering from laminitis.

In all horse management, consideration should be given to the factors that inhibit/attenuate and promote/increase inflammation, respectively. Inflammation can be almost invisible, with only discreet signs and without actual tissue damage, or it can break out visibly and be diagnosed. Inflammation causes symptoms such as stiffness, pain, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, joint and tendon damage, skin problems, allergies and much more, such as lameness. Extreme physical environments such as both cold and heat are also inflammation-provoking because they cause biological compensations in the body and thus in the horse's hormonal system.

Both too much and too little exercise are bad

Inflammation can occur from lack of exercise, but it can also occur from too much exercise in relation to the ability to recover. Herd, training and stable stress, foreign environments, transport, changed requirements, lack of sleep and unbalanced feeding can also cause inflammation. Any discomfort in the body, such as fat deposits or equipment that does not fit, imbalances, tensions and old injuries that ache, are also a triggering factor.

Is inflammation the root of all health problems?

A lot is known about inflammation, which is the root of almost all health problems in horses, and that it is the presence of special oils that control the anti-inflammatory and subsequent tissue healing effect.

Unfortunately, it is biologically clear that horses are inefficient/poor at forming the right anti-inflammation and tissue healing substances from their feed, grass, roughage, flax, chia and hemp seeds, and more.

Several studies have shown that the precursor oil (ALA) from grass, flax, chia, hemp seeds, etc., does NOT lead to the formation of anti-inflammatory substances in various peripheral tissues, such as joints, synovial fluid and respiratory tract. Omega 3 from marine sources is needed to effectively reduce inflammation through feeding.

RC O3 Algae oil, the best on the market, contains 58% of the concentrated marine oils EPA and DHA, which are directly tissue healing and inflammation regulating.

What can you do?

Vitamins and minerals are important

Give your horse a quality roughage that is limited in sugar and starch. In addition, especially provide the fat-soluble vitamins and combustion-relevant minerals such as iron, copper, manganese, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. RC's Every Day Happy meets this need and also contains superfoods with substances that protect the vulnerable lamellae against the effects of fluctuating/unstable blood supply.

To further stabilize the blood supply and maintain oxygen supply to the hooves, a fiber supplement, such as RC's +Fiber Mash, which contains protein sources, is important. It supplies, among other things, the amino acid arginine, which, through conversion to nitric oxide, keeps the blood vessels flexible.

A daily supplement of Omega 3 oil can make a difference in "sore hooves" because Omega 3:

• Increases insulin sensitivity, it is the reduced insulin sensitivity in the blood supply of the hooves that is responsible for the horse's inability to keep its hooves warm enough by increasing blood flow when it is cold
  
  
• Reduces inflammation and helps heal all injuries, although it can take months, up to six months.
  
  
• Helps with stress management broadly by providing building blocks for the nervous system's overall stress regulation (the endocannabinoid system)
  
  
• Increases the combustion of energy from the feed, provided that the horse's vitamin and mineral supply is biologically sufficient and that the intestinal flora is functioning properly.

Feeding plan consultation

If you have a lame horse and want to make sure you are doing everything you can to make it feel better, please contact us for a feeding plan consultation . Together we can uncover your horse's needs and what you can do through feeding.

If you have any questions about laziness and cold, you are very welcome to use the comments field below so that others can also benefit from the answer.