What ointment for sarcoids in horses?

What ointment for sarcoids in horses?
Sarcoids are so frustrating, but I have had great results with all the ones I have had on my horses.

I walked into our three-sided shed one day, and there was blood everywhere.  I was shocked.  All three mares were standing their, quietly munching their hay and it looked like one of them had lost a leg.  I searched and searched, running my hands all over them and nothing.  Fresh blood and it just appeared out of thin air.

I sat down in complete frustration, not knowing if my horse was going to die or even which one.  As soon as I sat down, I could see the Sarcoid, between my mares thigh and her udder, up as far as it could be.  It was about the size of a golf ball and I could see where it must have burst and then clotted over.  This would not be the last of the blood, or the sarcoids, but I knew I had to do something until I could get the vet there.

I called my vet friend that uses Young Living Products since I knew I had a bunch of stuff on hand and might be able to help my poor horse.  Here is the protocol she recommended twice a day until the vet could get here:

First, clean really well with Thieves Cleaner - 3 capful strength in 16 ounces of water.
Dry really well.
Gently rub in this blend:  (it lasted me about 5 days, twice a day)
Copaiba - 20 drops
Purification - 20 drops
Thieves - 10 drops
Longevity - 10 drops
 Tea tree - 20 drops

Cover with Animal Scents ointment (I mix with a tiny bit of coconut oil to get good consistency to apply).


It took a few weeks but the sarcoid disappeared before the vet came.  She had a few more pop up and he was able to see one and confirmed it was a sarcoid and was surprised that the big one had gone away.

Usually, sarcoids go away on their own but not always and it is important to have a vet look as soon as possible.  The above supports the healing along with what the vet needs to do.


Am I Strong Enough?

Am I Strong Enough?
Going through hard times makes us stronger.  Or are we already stronger than we could ever imagine, and we just don't know it?

After my accident, I was questioning, am I strong enough?  It can't only be about physical strength.  Our horses will always be stronger than we are.  We do have to be physically strong enough to care for our horses.  We have to be able to groom, saddle, mount, ride, unsaddle, and so many other things to be a good partner for our horses.  But it isn't just that physical strength.  It is strength of character and heart.

This shows up in the subtle things and the big things.  Today, as I was trying to trim Michelle's front right hoof, she kept turning her head between me and her.  She kept trying to put me in her left eye.  I would just back up a bit and give her time to allow me into her space on the right side.  I had a time schedule that I needed to be back in for a meeting, but I also knew I needed to get her feet trimmed.  Today, I was strong enough to wait.  I was strong enough to hold that space for her to relax and allow me onto her right side.  I started to feel the stress come up, the needing to get it done.  But my strength of heart took over and gave her time to catch up to me.  To relax into me.  It took an hour, but I got both front feet trimmed and she was much quieter when we finished.  I never had to "get after her" or "make her stand".  I let her move, I let her block me, I let her tell me she just wasn't comfortable, emotionally.

I had the strength to trim some of her right front foot from the left side.  That didn't seem to bother her at all, and it let me show her that she could stand and hold up the right front foot.  Normally I would duck under the neck and go to the other side.  I knew this would disrespect her and so I didn't.  I backed up and went around the front, allowing her to say no.  To keep her head between us.  I rubbed her face and loved on her until she relaxed enough to let me in, to give me the gift of her foot.

Am I strong enough?  Today I was.  We are all stronger than we could ever imagine and sometimes, we need to tap into that strength to notice the subtle things and do the right thing for our horses.  

I have a fun foot exercise in this youtube video I did a while back.  I guess I need to do some of this with Michelle!  If you would like a fun challenge to do with your horses feet, click here!

Why don't we take care of ourselves? Like our horses would take care of us?

Why don't we take care of ourselves? Like our horses would take care of us?
Imagine, you are the one in the pasture, or stable, and our horses are in charge of our health and wellbeing. 

Would you have great food?  Fresh water?  Or would you be eating fast food, drinking coffee and soda?

Would you have a good night's sleep, every night, in a comfy bed?

Would you have all your vitamins every day?

This really hit home for me in a coaching call I was doing last week.  Why don't we take care of ourselves, as well as our horses or others would take care of us?

We get so used to just rushing through life, living in a state of overwhelm and stress that we don't even know how to just "Be" a human.  Here are my top 5 tips for living more like our horses are taking care of us:

1. Drink lots of cool, fresh, clean water.
2. Eat good food for your health.  No processed foods, no sodas, no yuck.  Think of your horse feeding you for your best health.  Not every person is the same, just like not every horse is the same, but there is a great diet for each human and for each horse.
3. Take time to just BE.  Whatever that means for you, meditation, prayer, nature, yoga, whatever just "BEING" looks like, take time to BE, in each moment.
4. Exercise.  Keep your body flexible, strong, and balanced.  Use both sides of your body, take care of your core, build strength just in case some day you need it.
5. Sleep.  Deep, wonderful rest, will heal our bodies, heal our minds, and rejuvenate all the things that we have done for so many years.

Why don't we take care of ourselves?  Like our horses would take care of us?

Would love to hear your thoughts if you would like to reply!

I have a chapter in my book for health of horse and rider!  If you haven't read it yet, now would be a great time during the summer heat!  You can pick up a copy here:  Rise From Fear To Courage

How do you take care of yourself? Would your horse approve?

How do you take care of yourself? Would your horse approve?
I was having a conversation this week that really hit me right between the eyes.  We bend over backwards for our horses to make sure of the following:

1. Peace - that they live in a peaceful environment.
2. Love - We want them to know they are loved.
3. Provided for - that they have everything they need
4. Truth - You can't lie to a horse; they see right to your soul. 

How do you take care of yourself?  Would your horse approve.

1. Peace - do you stay in a state of peace, trusting that life if going in the right direction?
2. Love - do you love yourself, 100%, with your whole heart?
3. Cared For - do you care for yourself, your health, your flexibility, your balance, your strength?
4. Truth - are you honest with yourself.  Living in the present moment, in joy.  Is your plate overfull and are their things you can say no too?

Would your horse take care of you better than you take care of yourself?

Here are some things that your horse would do for you:

Your horse loves you, would fill you up with love so you can love yourself, all of you, inside and out.  Your horse would provide nutritious food for you, food that would help you thrive.  They would research it and feed you the best food for you.  Your horse would make sure you were happy and fulfilled.  Your horse would want you to be 100% honest, with yourself and with them.  If you wanted to go for a ride, or just wanted to hang out, your horse would listen and be there for you.  Your horse would want to go on adventures with you, as long as you were present, not worrying about the future and not depressed about the past, but in joy, right here, right now.

Love from me, love from my bay girls.  Love yourself first.

Lost Confidence Riding Horses? 3 steps to getting it back!

Lost Confidence Riding Horses? 3 steps to getting it back!

Confidence can go out with a bang, or a buck, or it can gently slip away like the flow of a creek.  Either way, losing confidence can rob the joy from riding our precious horses. After a horrible accident, mine went out with a bang.  It then, slowly slipped away, further and further until it seemed completely out of reach.  I had to make the decision to get it back and enjoy riding again.  Here are three steps that really helped me.

 

The first step is making the decision.  It would have been so easy to listen to the others and to my fear. I was getting too old, I don't bounce like I used to, I might get hurt and so many others.  I really evaluated the joy I was missing from not riding and that made all the difference.  I made the decision to ride again.  That decision wasn't easy but it was so rewarding.  I was done letting a lack of confidence rob me of hundreds of hours of joy riding.

 

The second step is to put an action plan in place.  Look at the fear and do what is needed to be done to turn that into a success.  Everyone's fear is different so write yours down, evaluate the fear, take action to help the fear get smaller and the confidence grow.  One of my fears, getting hurt, is an easy one to look at as a sample.  What actions could I take to improve my confidence that I wouldn't get hurt. Action 1 = make sure my horses were safe for me, my level of riding.  Action 2 = get MIPS helmet and a vest. Action 3 = improve my balance and flexibility. It was a huge confidence boost to have a plan and see that I could implement it.

 

The third step is to think like an airplane pilot.  Pilots have a complete checklist they go through before they ever take the plane down the runway.  They do this every single time.  Put together your plan, your checklist.  Use it. Follow it.  Put things in that make you know you are ready and things so that you know on that day, at that time, your horse is ready.  If you would like some help with this, I have a whole session in my Fear to Courage Virtual Clinic that walks through my pre-ride checklist for myself and my horse.  This was so important for me to get my courage back.  Knowing when it is ok to get on and when it isn't.  (You can find out more information about the virtual clinic here.)

 

If you would like to hear a little about my journey to courage, I share some thoughts that might resonate with you, in this video.  Click here to watch the video!


 
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