Ionce took my 4 year old mule, Jake, to a training clinic. When wejoined the other 13 riders in the ring the first morning, Jake was abit overwhelmed. He was pretty wound up with all the activity andjust a step away from an out-of-mule-body experience. It occurred tome that I had not given him any Rescue Remedy or taken any myself. Iusually give us both Rescue Remedy when we face something new andchallenging. I took Jake back to the trailer and we both took a dose.The rest of the morning went much better.



Itwas a long day and the heat index was well over one hundred. Jakegave his all and was a bit sore and grouchy at the end of the day. Itook a little extra time to do a short Bowen session on him to helphis muscles relax. In addition to his extra probiotics and algae atdinner, I also gave him an extra dose of noni juice to help with anyinflammation from the extra work. The next morning Jake was brightand ready to go. I did not need any Rescue Remedy as he was verycomfortable with his new surroundings.

Irecently read an article in Practical Horseman about medicatingperformance horses and was dismayed to see that the supplements Iused at the clinic would be considered illegal. The articlespecifically said, "The United States Equestrian Federation'sdrugs and medication rules are clear: Anything that's given to ahorse, in any way, with the intent to alter the horse's performance,be it through pain control or temperament adjustment, is notpermitted. That means anything you give your horse--homeopathic,herbal, or otherwise--that's meant to calm him or make him morecomfortable is illegal unless expressly permitted by the USEF."

Ifeel we should draw a distinction between substances that helprestore a horse to its natural physical, mental, and emotional state,and substances that actually increase a horse's performance beyondhis normal abilities or mask pain. Since this can be quite confusing,I'll give a couple of examples.

Considerthe difference between valerian and chamomile. Both have calmingeffects. The difference is that valerian can actual alter a horse'sstate beyond what is normal while chamomile could only restore ahorse to its normal state of calmness. Valerian can cause a horsethat is normally not very calm to become calm or even sedated. On theother hand, giving a chamomile to a horse that is normally tense orhigh-strung would not have much of a sedating effect. Chamomile iseffective in restoring a normally calm horse to its regular stateunder stressful conditions such as a show.

Anotherexample is the difference between arnica and devil's claw, both ofwhich reduce symptoms of soreness or pain. Arnica cannot mask pain,but will help a horse recover from muscle soreness more quickly. Itwill not, however, allow a horse to perform beyond its actual levelof fitness. In contrast, devil's claw has some medicinal componentsthat would act in the body like a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.When regulations allow for low levels of non-steroidalanti-inflammatory agents such as bute or banamine, devil's clawshould be a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Inthese examples, we are making a distinction between nutritionalsupplements or homeopathic remedies and herbal supplements. Someherbs, such as valerian, kava kava, and devil's claw are medicinaland chemical in action. Even though they are natural substances andmay not be harmful to the horse, using them to alter performance doesviolate the spirit of fair competition. On the other hand,vibrational/energetic remedies and nutritional products that do nothave chemical-like constituents cannot alter performance and insteadallow a horse to be his best.

Homeopathicremedies and flower essences work on a vibrational plane and cannotmask pain or cause a horse to act in a certain way. Homeopathicremedies will never show up in tests because they are not physicalsubstances. They also do not have side effects or harm the horse inany way.

Similarly,nutritional support from natural products such as probiotics, nonijuice, or aloe vera will not alter a horse's performance but can helpthe horse recover more quickly and be more comfortable. Stress fromshowing will often cause the bacterial flora of the horse's digestivetract to change, and this can cause discomfort and make a horsenervous. Probiotics are a natural way to bring back the balance andhelp a horse feel better. Noni and aloe vera are considered herbs butthey act in a nutritional rather than medicinal way by giving thehorse extra enzymes and nutrients to recover quickly from stress.Blue-green algae is a concentrated nutrient which supports overallhealth so can give a horse extra energy and help him focus better athome or on the road.

Thebest way to be successful with your performance horse is to train himcarefully, give him the best nutrition, condition him to be able towithstand the rigors of competition and support him with naturalproducts which do not mask pain or alter performance. I do not seehow giving homeopathic remedies, flower essences or nutritionalproducts interfere with the spirit of the medication rules.