Imagine a horse in a lush green paddock with post and rail wooden fencing. A glance at our picturesque paddocks might suggest a utopia for horses, yet the reverse could be true – our precisely managed environments may be stifling their natural instincts.
Meet Cindy Engel, a wearer of many hats—author, biologist, and bodyworker—as she chats with Anna Louise in this fascinating episode.
Cindy wrote "Wild Health, How Animals Keep Themselves Well and What We Might Learn From Them." Way back in 2002, this game-changing book about animals treating themselves rocked the scientific community, vaulting to the top of Berkeley's Popular Science list and still widely cited today.
Understanding Animal Self-Medication
Animal self-medication is a fascinating phenomenon. Imagine trekking through the jungle with a hairy, intelligent guide who knows precisely which shrubs to chew on to feel better. That's what African great apes do when they forage for medicinal goodies. They instinctively engage in behaviours refined over millennia that lead them to sources of relief and healing.
Animal self-medication isn't just a theoretical concept; we can learn much from real-life examples illustrating this behaviour. Dogs, for instance, often eat grass when they feel unwell to induce purging and deworming. Bears, after hibernation, seek out wild garlic, likely for its rich supply of Vitamin C, iron, and magnesium, essential nutrients after a long winter's sleep.
How Do Animals Know What to Choose?
How do animals know what to choose for self-medication? Cindy Engel has forgone the lab for the great outdoors, dedicating decades to studying animals up close in their natural environments. For her, the magic happens when primal instinct meets in-the-trenches testing, distilling the best ideas through an unyielding commitment to refining and revising.
Animals have developed a finely tuned system to identify, through taste and physiological responses, what makes them feel better or worse. This inherited wisdom becomes firmly etched in the family tree as time passes, breeding a cyclic effect.
Consider sheep gravitating towards a particular type of herb. While it might seem like they're attracted by the nutritional value, Engel proposes they might be instinctively selecting it for other effects. Perhaps the herb aids in digestion or acts as an anti-parasitic. It's not always about taste but also about the specific outcome on the body.
The Importance of Diversity in a Horse's Diet
Imagine your horse's diet as a palette of colours – a balanced mix of is vital for crafting a vibrant, thriving picture of health. Homogenous eating habits can create a drab, lacklustre existence, while diet diversity paints a brighter, healthier portrait.
Diversity plays a starring role in ecosystems, cultural communities, and even a horse's lunchbox. Cindy emphasizes that equines are naturally driven to nibble on various plants and bark and even ingest soil types like clay. What if we could introduce an element of dietary variety and engagement that reflects the horses' natural instincts into their paddocks?
Engel suggests that an overly manicured monoculture of grass, while aesthetically pleasing, doesn't offer horses the same range of options their wild counterparts enjoy. Studies on New Zealand's commercial deer farms have unearthed convincing evidence that backs this concept. When these deer were raised on "beautifully manicured pastures," their veterinary costs were exorbitant.
However, when diverse weeds were allowed to flourish in their grazing areas, veterinary costs decreased significantly. What we casually dismiss as "weeds" could, in fact, be lifesavers, naturally tackling the very health concerns that keep us up at night. Head off costly surprises by catching potential problems early on.
The Role of "Mechanicals"
Cindy highlights a critical aspect of a horse's diet: mechanicals. In "Wild Health, How Animals Keep Themselves Well and What We Might Learn From Them", she stresses that all grazing animals also seek out clay.
For horses, "mechanicals" aid digestion and eliminate toxins. These are often overlooked elements of their diet but play a significant role in their gut health.
Providing your horse access to these substances safely and in a controlled manner is key. Consider substituting safer options, like providing bentonite clay or charcoal for your horse to play with, or even allowing them to get their teeth into a piece of wood. For example, if a horse ingests a potentially harmful plant, bentonite clay can help.
Bentonite clay binds to the plant toxins, allowing them to pass through the digestive system without causing as much damage.
Recreating a More Natural Environment
Creating an environment that encourages natural foraging and dietary variety for horses requires creativity. Allowing them to explore different types of terrain, graze on a mix of grasses and plants, and even offer them the occasional branch from a non-toxic tree-like willow can significantly improve their well-being.
For instance, fearing their toxicity, you may have been meticulously removing acorns from your horse's pasture. You are right to be cautious, as acorns contain tannins that can be harmful in large amounts. Yet, Engel explains that allowing horses to consume acorns in moderation could offer benefits as a natural astringent.
Flipping the script on a horse's dietary dogma can yield some truly astonishing results. Instead of restricting their diet, embrace their inherent drive for a diversified palate. When they make this change, a life filled with happiness and good health becomes a real possibility.
Final Thoughts
Horse owners who dare to be different often face an uphill battle, particularly if choices are limited as you likely board your horse at a livery or with a trainer.
Regardless, it can't hurt to have the conversation and see what small changes could transform a paddock that is visually appealing for humans into a pleasing environment for grazing animals and wildlife.
By working with or learning from biologists like Cindy, we can decipher our horse's subtle cues and give them what they need. Healthy choices become the obvious path when surrounded by environments that support well-being.
Wild Wisdom: Nutrition and Self-Healing for Horses