6. Echinacea for horses

Echinacea is a herbal plant known also as a coneflower. And just because it’s a herb, we tend to forget that it’s one of the strongest and most effective booster of immune system as it actives white blood cells. The better the immune system works, the quicker horse body will handle infections. Echinacea also acts anti – inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral and anti – bacterial. It encourages wound healing and can help with skin conditions such as burns or insect bites. Not to mention it can relieve respiratory tract problems such as cold or cough.

Some people don’t believe in power of herbs. I agree it takes time for herbal products to work and for us to see results. It can take up to few months. I’m not trying to encourage you to over – supplement your horse but just trying to give you ideas what to do when a problem occurs. If you know that your horse is particularly weak, older, recovering from a surgery or in high risk of becoming ill, I’d personally consider supporting its body. My friend’s competition horse is currently on box rest recovering from a surgery. As her food and grazing are restricted and she’s still very weak and prone to infections, my friend decided to support her immune system with Echinacea (she anyway hardly gets any supplements apart from biotin and soya oil). Let’s be honest when a horse is recovering, the last thing we want is some nasty infection. I’m watching my friend’s mare carefully and must admit she is looking very well and quite happy.

You can buy horse version of Echinacea supplements online:

http://www.nutrecare.co.uk/latest_detail.asp?prod_id=3297&id=&grpid=3297&msg=&offset=12

http://www.feedem.co.uk/horse-117/horse-care-supplements-147/naf-products-137/echinacea-liquid-supplement-1307.htm

http://www.orchardequestrian.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=4248&substring=echin

These supplements are pretty expensive. You can try to substitute them with a human version of Echinacea supplements which you can probably get from your local health store. In both cases always CAREFULLY READ THE LABEL, don’t overdose, if you have any doubts speak to your vet.