Here - BALANCE Saddle Consultation

May 2015
Birgitta Bergsten
BALANCE Reg.
Saddle Consultant
Balance Saddle Consultations And Other News
Page 3
Radionics
Chrissie Mason is one of the pillars in my horses health care programme. Over the years, she has helped many of the
horses I have owned.
Several times now I have been doing un
announced trips - only because I have
had so many enquiries II could not fit in
any more bookings. That was the case
now in April/May in Switzerland. And
again, more people are waiting for me
to come back.
So, my nose will turn towards
Switzerland again, approximately 30th
of May to 6th June.
Then, if there is enough people, I will
visit Germany week 26 (22/28th of
June). The BeNeLux countries can be
included, of course.
My trips summer
2015
Finding good horse feed can be a
struggle, especially when you move
from one country to another. I tried
very hard to find feed more locally, but
in the end had to give in, and now
import from the UK. And I am not
going to change as the horses are
looking GOOD
Page 6
Endzo, Boris &
North Light
The story continues, about
my horses and what we do.
Page 5
The BALANCE
Pad System
A basic introduction to the
pad system.
By Lesley Taylor
France: I am available on demand.
I am on holiday:
9-20th of May. I am not going to be
near internet during this time.
June-August. Not available for trips,
I feed my
horses
with……
Page 2
but I will be available for enquiries and
support per email. info&aquilabalance.eu
Page 4
Horse friendly
saddle=better
health
An inspiring story from
Mary in the States
September - open for trips again
New Mobile Phone Number
You can reach me on 0033 618 96 06 45
Endzo,Boris & North Light
I am working on getting a special FaceBook page and a You Tube channel set up, to present the work I do with my horses. Then, all of you that
have not been able to follow the progress of Boris and Endzo will be able to get the whole story. However, my time at home is limited, and the
time I have, is prioritised for the horses. Of Course!! I have plenty of video materials that needs editing………….in my spare time!
My Boys
Some of my videos I have taken to capture the work I do
with the horses, are, quite frankly, of very low quality.
Because I had to video record and lunge a horse at the
same time!! One hand lunging! But I could get some good
recording, which enabled me to share them with my
trainer, Carol Brett who is in the UK or travels around the
world.
Then, one of you told me about something called
Soloshot. So now I have a robotic camera man! I can truly
recommend this tool, and if you can, I would suggest you
go for the newest version, Soloshot2. It requires a newer
video camera than I have, but it will take care of the
focusing. Mine does not, I have to set it up manually, but
still it is a great tool. It is very useful to record what you
do, either riding; lunging or walking in hand. There are
things you just don’t see when you are busy working, but
you can see on the video.
Boris
After a winter break I could pick up the work
with Boris again, basically where we left it in
the autumn. Excitingly enough, I have been
able to take off the body wrap and do the
lunging with just the Eeezy Reins. He has
discovered how to pick up his hind legs much
quicker and closer to his body, so the body
wrap has done its job. It may be that we need
to go back to it as a reminder in the future.
He is doing lovely work on the lunge, nice
collected trot, and are softer in his middle so
he can bend and shift his ribs to the outside
of the circle. We are coming very close to him
being able to carry a rider in a efficient way.
Hurrah!
Endzo
A month or so ago he suffered a hoof abscess.
Something we do hear about from time to
time when horses start remedial work. We
also had a very dry spell here when the
ground got very hard, and his hooves are not
of the best quality yet, so he got very sore.
It is only this last week that I could do
something with him, not only due to the
weather conditions and the ground being
better, but also due to me being at home.
I have done lots of walking in hand with him
over the winter, and only now started to do
lunging with him. I am using the Eeezy Reins
so he can learn to work into the contact and
also to offer him a frame so he is not falling
on his forehand. In walk it is not a big
problem for him, but trot is not easy. On
circle to the right he is totally unbalanced and
needs to learn how to keep his ribs more to
the left in order to bend along the track he is
travelling on. To help him with this, I work in
WALK, and remind him not to push his ribs
to the right with my hand. See Remedial
Program ; www.BALANCEinternational.com
North Light
The Senior in my herd. I have not talked
much about him in my Newsletters, because
it has felt he and I have gone through a very
personal and emotional time, only to be
shared with a selected few. He has been the
youngest horse in his herd for 20 years, then
he lost both his mates within a year.
Personally I think he was looking for a way
out, but then Boris came a long and North
Light change his mind. But the stress during
the few weeks he was without friends was
enough to cause bodily problems. These
problems are over now, and since Endzo
came, he is back to his normal forever young
self. He and I now have a project with the
remedial work, and I hope I will be able to
ride him again later in the summer.
Don’t ask what the horse can do for you.
Ask what can you do for the horse!
2
Chrissie Mason
Horse & Dog health
www.horsehealthmatters.co.uk
Chrissie is a member of The British
Register of Complementary
Practitioners specialising in energy
medicine as well as being the author of
a successful article holding pride of
place on many animal World Wide Web
sites. ' They Shoot Horses but
Vaccinate Dogs ' is recognised as a
major contribution to the vaccine
debate.
With over twenty-five years experience
in Alternative and Complementary
Medicine, Chrissie's work is recognised
both internationally and in the United
Kingdom
Her work has been acknowledged by
many journalists and has appeared in
both national and international
periodicals including the national press;
Sunday Times
Magazine Mail on Sunday
Dogs Today and Pet Dogs Magazines
Positive Health and Caduceus
Vitamins, minerals and amino acids
Vitamins and minerals when administered in appropriate
proportions can effectively restore the animal to good health.
The body becomes out of balance when physical or
behavioural symptoms are apparent and it is a vital first step
to restore the equilibrium to the body. The biochemistry is
vital to health and well being, vitamins, minerals and amino
acids are all part of the body's biochemic chains.
Often for a short period of time one must increase the intake
of these essential nutrients to a level beyond the
recommended daily allowance. The structure of the animal
form is exactly the same as for us, the human form, insofar
as they have a cell structure identical to our own. For
example, a liver cell is a liver cell irrespective of whether it is
inside the human form or the form of an animal.
Some of the methods of digestion differ to that of our own,
but physiologically there is very little difference between us.
All nourishment ingested as food is broken down by the
digestive apparatus into material which can be absorbed into
the intestines. Optimum nutrition is vital for the animal's
health and well being; optimum nutrition is achieved by
feeding good quality real food which enables optimum
assimilation and absorption from the diet.
The use of the information should always be discussed with your
vet prior to embarking on a programme.
About Horse Health
Matters
I regularly interact with other
healthcare professionals,
including Veterinary
Surgeons, in UK and
overseas, animal
behaviourists as well as
some highly regarded saddle
and riding consultants in UK
and Europe..
Often the road back to
improved health and well
being is a long one for our
animals just as it can be for
us humans. It may
incorporate addressing
emotional or behavioural
patterns as well as unwanted
physical symptoms. I have
treated equine sarcoids quite
successfully in conjunction
with the owner (see sarcoids
case study).
I try to have a full and open
relationship with my clients
with a clear working format.
Blind faith is not sufficient. I
want to feel my clients are
fully engaged with what we
are all trying to achieve.
If I suggest a supplement or
remedy I wish the client to be
aware of why I have selected
that particular item and what
result I am hoping to achieve
by using it in the animal’s
health care regime.
If you are unsure as to
whether or not I can offer a
service to you please feel free
to email your questions and
concerns and I will do my best
to answer them for you
Real Food
Nowadays many dog diets are grossly deficient of active
nutrients, when I am preparing my dog's meals which
comprise of good quality meat, vegetables, fish and biscuit
meal, along with a number of other canine delectable treats,
their digestive juices react to the aromas when the food is
being prepared and become active before the food is placed
down.
The resultant effect means that the digestive process which
helps to secrete the digestive enzymes will actively absorb
and convert the food in the appropriate manner. Dried food
seldom promotes this reaction.
Feeding the same food seven days a week, 365 days a year
would certainly send me crazy. I cannot imagine being served
one inert bowl of cereal with no changes, every day of my
life. It should also be frowned upon as shoddy husbandry to
keep dog or cat food accessible 24/7. Constantly picking at
nibbles of food will not gain the same nutritious result as will
feeding twice daily, three times if the animal has specific
needs.
Teeth play an important role. The animals' teeth must be
sound for them to masticate their food effectively; symptoms
of colic in horses can sometimes be traced back to damaged
teeth or root problems which prevent the ingested food being
broken down properly. Alternatively stomach disorders in
dogs can have a similar origin.
3
Acavallo Non
Slip Gel pad
Traveling can be a
challenge
Sometimes travelling around means that you have to have an extensive wardrobe
with you.
You can literally go from bikini weather to full blown winter attire within a week!
When I left home to go to Switzerland a few weeks ago, I left summer behind.
During the week it was not bad, quite normal spring weather. Then half way up to
St Moritz, when I woke up in the morning and looked out from my bedroom
window I saw snow. Lots of snow!
Sometimes there will be an issue
with the saddle and pads slipping. It is
not normally an issue, but if there is,
then the light weight thinnest
Acavallo Anti Slip pad can make the
difference. It goes directly onto the
horse, then the normal pads and the
saddle.
Several people have used it under
their BALANCE saddle and pads,
with good results. You can find it in
most countries in Europe, and is not
expensive. Can be cut to size.
My Favourite from the
BALANCE WEB
SHOP
The old is often the best. The
Cavason and the lunge rein has made
a huge difference in my training with
my horses. Clear, small signals are
heard, of both parties!
Birgitta away on
holiday
10-20th of May. Away with NO
internet connection.
July - August. At home, will respond
to emails.
Spring clothes are not enough for winter weather! But the lovely hotel owner’s
wife lent me her long winter coat for the day. Well, once I got up into Engadin,
there was little snow and lots of sunshine. But at the end of the day, the sun
disappeared behind the mountains and it got very cold and windy. I was very
grateful for the coat! Thank you, Jenny!
Mary Baschtarz, BrTRF
Here is something very interesting and inspiring, sent to BALANCE by Mary
Bashtarz BrTRF* based in the USA.
Here are some examples of why I love doing this work...
I would like to highly encourage more riding facilities, pony camps, therapeutic riding centers and other training centers which
have multiple riders per horse, to take a look at BALANCE Saddling methods and options.
I have worked with owners and barn managers to create ‘transition plans’ to help them to move their horses into more
appropriate saddles over several years. In barns with multiple horses and riders this has been necessary in order to make the
process manageable from both practical and economic stand points.
There have been incredible successes that I would like to share with you
Example 1 In one facility that focused on youth lessons, the owner was operating with an overhead of 30% more horses
because of the high rate of rest and recuperation needed for injuries which were almost completely due to back soreness and
related lameness.
The programme that we put into action was as follows:
! We first looked through all the saddles that the center already owned and identified the widest ones that also had the most
‘horse-friendly. We coupled them with appropriate pads to make them comfortable and safe to use on the narrowest of their
horses. A chart was needed for each horse and the saddles/pads arrangement choices to make it simple for those tacking up.
! The next step was to look for some better/wider, conventional saddles that could be used with appropriate pads for the
horses who were too wide for any of the saddles that the center owned.
! The last step was to transition into BALANCE saddles. We starting with the widest horses first and then as the other horses
recovered muscle and posture to a point where they had healthy, well developed backs, they moved into a BALANCE saddle,
as soon as finances permitted.
This process took a lot of commitment and some financial investment. However, the benefits have been significant.
In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that the horses were comfortable, the facility was able to reduce their herd
significantly as the horses in use could stay in use due to almost no more back related soreness or lameness. It also provided
for an almost 50% reduction in the number of saddles that had to be kept in stock for use, thereby reducing the amount of
labor for tack upkeep. Each saddle could now be used by several horses with a different BALANCE pad arrangement.
Example 2 The next example is from a very busy therapeutic riding center.
They run up to 60 lessons per day. They also happen to be incredibly organized! When we started about 5 years ago, it began
with their purchase of two BALANCE saddles. We had to work within a very strict budget. Again, the process started with
looking at the equipment that the facility already owned and the horses it was being used on.
! The first step was to stop using the narrowest saddles and those with the least horse friendly features. Then we started to
phase in BALANCE pads to be used with the widest of their conventional saddles.
For several years their two BALANCE saddles* were used in every set of lessons they offered. *If there was a group in the
arena, there were two BALANCE saddles in use! That was possible because of the versatility of ‘fit’ offered by the use of the
different BALANCE pad arrangements.
! Next, they started to buy used BALANCE saddles and their goal is to have at least one BALANCE saddle per horse.
Results that speak for themselves. This center had started with almost every horse working with back soreness of some type, to literally no back soreness at all
now! It is an amazing achievement because this has been achieved despite that fact that almost all of their student riders are unbalanced and crooked.
For this center, an added side benefit is that when they have to retire or replace a horse, they can still use the BALANCE saddle on another by changing the pad
arrangement. I have also been told that the horses are now adding years to their retirement dates, which is being attributed to lack of back soreness and attitude
improvement. A great testament to the effectiveness of the BALANCE Saddling System.
Supportive and constructive riding is important too. Many horses just need regular reminders or suggestions from a balanced rider to allow them to become
straight and to improve their balance. (provided they are allowed to use a saddle that allows this) At this particular center, the riding instructors took several
Constructive Riding**clinics with me in which we used the center's horses and the BALANCE saddles. This allowed the instructors to recognise and correct the
crookedness and improve the balance of the horses during the first clinic. The instructors then volunteered their time to ride each horse for one hour per week in
this way to help the horses to recover/remember straightness, equal bending and balance. This method is working so well that most of the horses are now well
established in their basic balance, straightness etc. and so the instructors are starting to introduce more advanced work.
These results are just from the horses having one session (1 hr) per week, being ridden by a balanced rider who can remind them of how to use their bodies more
efficiently, despite them having 5 days a week carrying unbalanced riders!
Do not underestimate the effect of even a single session of better handling and/or riding with a horse! Horses are amazing in their willingness and ability to let go
of old and unhelpful habits and behaviours when reminded of a better (more efficient, natural, comfortable) way of using their bodies. In most cases they instantly
start to participate in the process as soon as they are provided with a saddle and a riding method that both support the way their bodies are ‘designed’ to move.
As an aside, the instructors are thrilled with the 'new' horses they have discovered. What had started as a dedicated commitment to try to help offset the effect of
unbalanced riders on somewhat unresponsive horses has changed into a very real anticipation of weekly rides on balanced, responsive and interested horses who
are much lighter on their feet.
**Note from BALANCE
The Constructive Riding clinics that Mary refers to are based on her own version/interpretation of the teaching methods created by Carol Brett, co-founder of the
BALANCE organisation, with whom, Mary has spent a good deal of time during the past 10 years. Also, attending some of Carol’s ‘Constructive Riding’ Workshops
and Clinics.
Carol’s ‘Constructive Riding’ (AKA ‘Straight-Forward-Riding’) approach has, at its foundation, a reverence for the natural, functional anatomy of the horse (and the
human being). In so doing, it provides the rider and trainer with an understanding of what the ridden horse needs to either recover or retain its health, soundness,
comfort and good performance.
4
exclusive story
The BALANCE
Padding System
Here is a basic introduction to the BALANCE Padding System.
Lesley Taylor
The BALANCE Saddling System
comprises of a well designed saddle that is deliberately chosen to be wider than the horse's current static
back shape and width, used in conjunction with padding that provides comfort, protection and the balance of the saddle.
To do this, the pads have to have a variety of important qualities and this requires a mixture of materials.
The pad that goes against the horse needs to provide some cushioning, the ability to regulate body heat, and the ability to wick away sweat. There are many high tech. materials
around, but as is so often the case, when the horses themselves are asked for an opinion, the material that seems to fit the bill more often than not, is wool. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule and very occasionally, we come across a horse who dislikes the feel of wool and then an alternative needs to be
offered. However, this is unusual and therefore, BALANCE saddles are usually 'fitted' with a wool-fleece, lined saddle pad to go directly onto the horse.
This pad is always an equal depth/thickness through its length, but we do offer two different thickness's of pad because some horses want more padding
than others. The pad will lift the saddle up and off the horse's back a little, but it will not impact on the front to back balance of the saddle.
When you fit a saddle to be slightly wider than the horse when at rest, it will not be stable/balanced when you only use the wool-fleece
pad alone. The saddle will rock and tip down and forward at the front as soon as any weight is put into the stirrups. In conventional saddle fitting this
would be considered to be a fault. However, in Constructive Saddling, this feature is essential because the saddle width has to allow for the use of an
additional, protective, therapeutic pad under the front of the saddle without lifting the front of the saddle out of balance.
The extra pad under the front area of the saddle is the key to the success of the BALANCE Saddling System and the feature that time and again, transform
horses from short striding, tense and resistant, to free moving, happy athletes! One would never imagine something so seemingly simple and innocent
could cause so much controversy in the saddle industry, and yet is often does!!
If the horse is well muscled and has been trained well enough to carry its rider in an engaged and lifted posture, it will probably only need a modest
amount of therapeutic padding under the correct width of saddle. Indeed, there is no benefit to the horse from using more pads than are necessary.
This is where we use, what we call the JB Pad. These pads, sit under the front of the saddle and depending on which version is used, or which
combination of JB pads areused, provides anything from a quarter of an inch of lift to three quarters of an inch of lift to the front of the saddle. The pads
can be fine tuned in their actual position to work for every horse. The material used inside the JB pads is a closed cell, gel foam. This is important
because the material in these pads has to be able to respond/recover fast to keep up with the rapid muscle movement in the horse's back and must not
stay compressed.
It is the combination of the wool-fleece next to the horse and then the closed cell foam layers between the saddle pad and the underside of the saddle that
creates a dynamic and protective interface between the soft tissues of the horse and the structures of the saddle.
Whenever a rider gets onto the saddle his or her weight is impacting on the horse. The structure provided by a well designed tree of an appropriate shape,
length and width is important because it makes it easier to carry the rider's weight over a larger area than can be achieved in a bareback pad or tree less
saddle.
However, where you have weight from the rider, you also have compression of the soft tissues in the horse's back. The closed cell foam in the JB pad and
the wool-fleece work together and act like a protective barrier for the horse. Rather than the soft tissues of the back being directly compressed by the
riders weight via the structure's of the saddle. Now it is the materials in the pads that get compressed well before anything on the horse!
Some horses demand even more cushioning under the saddle than the wool-fleece pads can provide alone and for them, the BALANCE Pro-Complete
Base Pad was designed. In two thicknesses, it extends the protective quality of the closed cell foam along the full length of the saddle, but also has the
built in JB pad at the front.
The BALANCE therapeutic Pad System also offers several versions of what we call Remedial Pads, that we see as temporary pads that are used on
occasions where a horse has become so compromised in its natural, healthy posture that a layer of the protective gel foam needs to provide some support
under the back of the saddle or under the middle. The long term solution to these problems has to lie in the correct training and management of the
horse as it is usually in the training and management where the negative influences and the cause of the weak posture, have come from!! However, there
is no doubt that for some horses, the Remedial Pad provide what they need during the time of transition.
All of these pads have been designed, to offer very versatile options to fine tune to any horse.
The fact that they are a layered and adjustable system
makes them easy to use. Taking care of the horses saddling needs is not rocket science! Unfortunately, there is a huge growth in complicated, expensive
merchandise and diagnostic tools that are making some people a lot of money and that seem to suggest that ensuring that the horse is comfortable in its
saddle is beyond the average rider.
This is simply not the case, and provided the rider has access to the tools he or she needs as in:
•
a) a well designed saddle that is available in a good enough range of widths that go considerably wider than a conventional extra wide tree plus
•
b) a simple, adjustable and layered range of pads in materials that offer what the horse needs and
•
c) some simple principles and information about how to work with them.
You have a recipe for keeping the ridden horse healthy, happy, sound and performing well.
For the full range of BALANCE saddle pads, please go and have a look at the options available using the link here. BALANCE Products
Of course, we are always happy to talk to you and give you more information if you want to get in touch with us at the BALANCE office, via our Contact Us
page.
5
TRAVEL
Due to a very successful talk given by Dr. Debbie Carley,
founder of Thunderbrook yesterday, we have been inundated
with enquiries as to why we are different from other feed
companies, and what led to the formation of Thunderbrook
Equestrian and why did Dr.Debbie Carley gave up a very
high powered job ( working as a director for what at the
time was the largest medical research charity in the
world) in order to start a horse feed business.
Well in truth, she did’nt, she took a 6
month sabatical when her own horses
became ill, and well, she never returned,
as they say, ‘the rest is history’
For over 70 years, our family have kept horses
and never once in that time had a problem with
laminitis, or related metabolic problems – that
was until 2008. Within the space of 2 years, two
mares developed acute laminitis, then a couple
of others developed foot soreness and had to be
restricted when already on poor grazing.
In 2001, following my move to a new research
job in Cambridge, we moved our small family
run stud from a Wiltshire farm surrounded by
cattle and sheep farming, to Norfolk, on the
edge of Thetford Forest, surrounded by arable
farming. In all the years we lived in Wiltshire,
our horses were overall healthy with veterinary
call-outs very few. But all that was about to
change. Our first set-back occurred within a
few months of moving to Norfolk. Our Welsh
Sec D mare Abi suffered from impaction colic
and had to be rushed to Newmarket for surgery.
Once there, she was opened up and a full
bucket of SAND was removed from her large
intestines. It turned out that in our move from a
clay-based soil in Wiltshire to a very sandybased soil in Norfolk, Abi was unable to clear
the sand building up in her gut each time she
grazed in the paddocks, and eventually it led to
impaction colic. Back in 2001, that was my first
introduction to using herbal products.
There were (and still are) no veterinary drugs
available to treat or prevent sand colic.
Determined to save Abi suffering this fate again
(and not wishing to have the expense of moving
again) I researched and found out about
Psyllium Husk, which is used in sandy places
such as Australia and parts of America to help
keep the horse’s gut clear of sand. From there, I
researched with my own little herd of horses
and found ways to enable the Psyllium husk to
work more effectively by including other herbs,
botanicals and products from the beehive, to
help soothe the inflammation from the irritating
sand particles, protect the gut membranes and
help with moving the sand particles out. The
resulting herbal product is what we now sell as
Gut Cleanse.
Over the next few years, other problems started
to occur with our small herd of horses including
persistent mane and tail rubbing, ventral
midline dermatitis (itching under the belly),
summer COPD, allergies, runny eyes and
noses, infertility and then bang! We had major
problems.
In 2007 we had two mares develop acute
laminitis requiring remedial farrier work. A
couple of other horses developed foot soreness,
despite already being on poor grazing. Feed and
exercise regimes hadn’t changed over the years,
the horses carried ‘summer condition’ as usual
but were not obese, so the sudden onslaught of
lamintis was most peculiar. Why had we gone
from a position of never having had laminitis in
over 70 years, to suddenly having 4 mares
afflicted with it?
Then Harlequin, our 16.2hh ex-eventer Welsh
Cob gelding who had never been overweight,
began to drastically lose condition and
developed laminitis in all four feet, with pedal
bone rotation. This proved to be the beginning
of a number of findings and life changing
events that came our way over the following
two years…..and led to the formation, in 2009,
of a family run business – Thunderbrook
Equestrian and Equine Pure Essential horse
feeds.
Dr Deborah Carley
Dr Deborah Carley BSc (Hons) Biochemistry,
PhD Biological & Nutritional Sciences, is the
proprietor of Thunderbrook Equestrian. Her
specialist areas are equine nutrition, feeding the
metabolic syndrome horse, feeding horses with
ulcers or compromised digestion.
Professional track record
Dr Carley gained a first degree in Biochemistry
from Sheffield University. She then went on to
study for a PhD and post-doctoral research at
the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on
‘Molecular Analysis of Plant Cell Wall
Hydrolases of Bacterial Origin’. This work
involved the detailed genetics, molecular and
cell biology of enzymes which break down
cellulose and xylan – components of the grasses
and grains that horses eat. Dr Carley then
widened her research perspective working for a
medical research charity, running the facilities
to support genomics research and facilitating
many high level international biomedical
research conferences, training courses and
workshops on areas such as diabetes, other
metabolic diseases, plant genomics, genomics
of common diseases, etc.
Throughout most of this time, Dr Carley has
kept a stable herd of a dozen or so horses, with
little change in ownership. Applying her
research principles to the practical and day-today care and maintenance of these horses has
led to a new way of feeding – a programme
designed to follow the way nature intended, but
taking into account the changing environment
of the 21st century.
Why we are different
We don’t want to just sell you a bag of ‘ready-made’ horse feed. We want you to understand
what ingredients go into feed, what their actions are, and enable you to optimise your
horse’s health and avoid problems.
We are more than a feed company, we advise on how best to manage your horse’s
environment, and continue to do our own research into the effects of pesticides and GMO
on horse’s health.
We are the only feed company in the UK that all of the following apply to –
*We use No waste by-products, no cheap alternative ingredients, no fillers, no binders, no
pelleting agents, no preservatives or synthetic micronutrients.
**We include high levels of active ingredients. When we include probiotics, prebiotics
and herbs for example, we include them in generous amounts that really do work. Not
just a pinch to say it’s been included!
***We use ingredients that have undergone minimal processing to bring you active
functional foods, with fewer toxic by-products
Wherever possible organic, or as close to organic, ingredients are used. For example, our
organic seed oats and our organic wheat bran are soil association approved. Some of our
ingredients are chosen for minimal pesticide and herbicide usage, but it would be
financially prohibitive to include them as totally organic.
****Our feeds and supplements are formulated by an expert biochemist and nutritionist
with many years’ experience of horse husbandry. We also use the services of some of the
best analytical laboratories in the UK and we have access to the finest feed formulation
software, enabling us to formulate feeds and supplements for custom and specialist
needs.
*****Thunderbrook Equestrian partake in a continuing programme of research and
feeding trials with the objective of producing a range of feeds and supplements to be sold
on the quality of product, in excess of 90% of our new customers come to us via
recommendations from existing customers or equine professionals, rather than purely
through the efforts of a sales team.
******All our feeds and supplements are formulated to the best specification for their
use, and up to the declared analysis, not the minimum permitted tolerances.
We are a privately owned and totally independent company
Birgitta’s note:
I have been using the Base Mix, turmeric, gut restore and more from
Thunderbrook. All 3 horses of mine are looking very good now.
Over the years, ever since leaving Sweden nearly 30 years ago, I have been
searching feeds that are natural - herbs,minerals and vitamins. But it has been
hard to find what I have wanted. In Sweden, I had the opportunity to use natural
minerals and vitamins from Eddie Blom - any Swede reading this will know, and
see the astonishing good results.
Thunderbrook ships to Europe, so living across the channel is not a hinder.
Having access to the knowledge is another huge benefit. Thank you, all of you at
Thunderbrook’s!
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