August 2007
Suncare for you and your horse
 Do our horses feel sunburn the way we do and does it affect them the same way? Yes!
The skin is the largest organ we have. It helps regulate our body temperature, protects our organs from environmental damage and acts as our sensory information panel. The human epidermis contains 5 layers and each layer has a specific function. The equine epidermis has 5 to 7 layers of the same type. If you feel something on your skin then you know your horse does too!
Tips for you and your horse in the heat and sun:
- Rinse off with clean cool water! Your horse at least twice a week, preferably daily if you are at sea level in 80+ degrees. They, as we, need to keep body temperatures regulated so we do not over heat.
- Drink water. Take your weight, divide it in half. That is how many ounces your body needs to support health. Drink up! Our animals may need electrolytes in the summer in their water; ask your Vet first. Dehydration leaves us all weak, parched, and achy. Adding water is like adding oil to your car: everything inside and out just moves more smoothly!
- You wear a hat, your horse a matching fly mask!
- Let your horse have its tail and mane to swat flies. You of course will have a plastic fly swatter.
- Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going out in the sun and let it dry on your skin or your horse’s before going out.
- Reapply sun block after washing off or sweating off.
- Zinc block is the best for you and your horse. It comes in many forms and colors.
- Aloe mixed with lavender will help heal sunburn.
- Apple cider vinegar mixed with water acts as a toner to cut sweat and detour bugs. One part ACV to 8 parts water.
New products come out all the time, from prescription to pharmacy to over-the-counter. Read your labels and determine what is best for you.
More about skin care and skin cancer in the Fall issue of Holistic Horse. Subscribe today!
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Watch those flies die!
Fill a white bucket (large, small, whatever) with water and add a couple squirts of liquid soap (I like Dawn or Basic H). Place in the sun and sit back to watch the flies drown themselves. Great entertainment!
Sue at Basic H-S Acres, www.basichsacres.com
Bats
 The unfairly maligned bat plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature.
I often sit on our second story deck on summer evenings and watch the bats appearing out of our woods, their black forms silhouetted against the colors of the setting sun. These small and often misunderstood creatures are lovely to watch as they sweep back and forth but to understand their benefits to our environment is to see their real beauty.
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Hemlock Caution
Poison Hemlock looks like a very large carrot (up to 6-10' tall!) Check your turnout fields, and if you find one, remove it carefully, as it can be lethal for humans, as well. Pictures and helpful info at
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/conium.html
Stop the Itch
 You cannot bite the bugs back so you have to deal with the results of them biting you and your pets. Some simple handy plants/products help those welts that itch and burn:
1) Reach for some Plantain, which is typically taking over your fields or lawns. Take the leaves and macerate them (either chew them or mash them) to bring out the plant juices. You can apply the juice directly to the bite for rapid relief.
2) Wipe on a witch hazel based product like Sore No More liniment to relieve the itching and burning almost immediately. The witch hazel acts as an astringent, which is a substance that contracts the tissues, thereby reducing the discharge and inflammation.
3) Homeopathic Apis is made from the bee. Apis triggers the body to react to the bug bite and resolve it.
4) Aloe Vera juice can provide some relief topically. When we think of aloe, we think of a burn remedy. It has much more widespread usage and should be thought of to help take the sting out of bites.
 Agriculture Commissioner Alert
Press Release 07/02/200
Agriculture Commissioner Alerts Horse Owners to Possible Toxicity with some Alfalfa Hay
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin is alerting horse owners to a problem that has occurred with some alfalfa hay from Michigan and the upper Midwest. The hay may contain hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana), a weed that is toxic to horses.
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Do you know the difference between a sarcoid tumor, malignant melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma?
Horses do get skin tumors and they get a lot of them, according to John Robertson, VMD, PhD, Director of the Center for Comparative Oncology at the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
Read about skin tumors and other types of cancer in the Fall issue of Holistic Horse, set for September distribution.
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