What is Applied Zoopharmacognosy and why should I use it for my horse?

Have you ever wished your horse could talk to you? Imagine knowing exactly what they need or identifying what's wrong within their bodies so you can provide the right solution. Did you know your horse can actually communicate this to you? While they haven't learned to speak our language, there's an incredible ability that horses have to convey their needs. This ability is known as Zoopharmacognosy, which is the study of animals self-medicating in the wild.

Horses naturally possess this remarkable skill to find the plants they need to heal themselves; it's an instinctive behaviour they are born with, not something they learn. Unfortunately, in today's world, horses often don't get the chance to use this ability. Most fields and pastures lack the herbs necessary for horses to self-medicate, and this is even more true in stable yards. The only way for these horses to self-medicate is by us providing them with the opportunity to do so. This is where Applied Zoopharmacognosy comes into play, allowing us to offer different herbs so our horses can select what they need, and then we supply them with those chosen herbs.

This is all very interesting but how is this even possible?

The most widely accepted theory is called the Sensory Modulation Theory which Caroline Ingraham explains in her book. The idea behind it is that the smell and taste of a plant will change based on the health of the animal/horse. So for example let's say the horse's liver is under stress and not functioning 100%. The horse's body will detect this, release an internal signal (in the form of a hormone, neurotransmitter, etc), which changes the horse's smell and taste perception. Now certain plants or herbs will smell and taste really good, but not others. This encourages the horse to search for specific herbs, or rather the compounds within plants or herbs, that enhance liver health, as these are the ones that smell and taste really good. Once the horse has consumed a sufficient amount of these plants and the liver's condition is getting better, the taste and smell will alter once more. This happens constantly as the body changes, as different organs come under stress, inflammation rises, parasites increase and much more.

Applied Zoopharmacognosy opens us up to new opportunities and several benefits:

• Our horses now have the opportunity to self-medicate and heal themselves, sometimes even before physical symptoms manifest. This is crucial because once symptoms appear, the issue is already well-established, and the horse might require stronger treatments to restore balance, which can be costly and take longer to resolve.

• They can prevent potential problems by selecting remedies to support vulnerable areas in their bodies. Imagine your horse choosing herbs and healing himself before being diagnosed with a specific condition, thus avoiding pain and stress.

• Our horses receive enrichment and choices, empowering them and making their lives more engaging and enjoyable

• We gain deeper insights into our horses, learning about their preferences, communication methods, and needs.

• It can be an excellent stress reliever for horses, and even anxious horses often become calmer and end up thoroughly enjoy selecting their own herbs.

Did you know?

Signs of liver insufficiency may not be evident until more than 60 to 80% of the liver is nonfunctional or when liver dysfunction is caused by disease in another organ system. - msdvetmanual.com

Unfortunately many organ function tests can't always pick up a problem until a significant portion of the organ is dysfunctional, but your horse's body can. Your horse may also tend to hide a lot of their pain and problems, and it can be difficult to know when something isn't quite right until you are dealing with larger issues. To keep our horses healthy we need to act preventatively, and one of the best ways to do this is through Applied Zoopharmacognosy. By doing this, we provide them with the chance to heal their bodies, even when we aren't aware of any issues. We can prevent problems from arising, but also assist them with any suffering they may be experiencing already.

It's easy to wonder what is going on in your horse's body, what they need or what they will benefit most from, but we don't have to guess, we can just ask our horses!

Applied Zoopharmacognosy is a remarkable tool that we don't use as much as we should, particularly in South Africa. Let's eliminate the uncertainty in selecting what to provide our horses and allow them to guide us!

Contact TrulyTrust Equine to book your horse's Zoopharmacognosy consult or herbal testing kit today.