One of the most important health factors that a horse owner can influence is their horses diet.
As the West becomes more aware of the health benefits of various branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these practices become more common and accepted in the equine community. Feeding horses, according to TCM food principles is relatively new here in the West. Yet, these practices date back 3000 years in the East.
Food as medicine as the adage goes. In TCM, food is considered an extension of herbal medicine..
TCM ascribes certain properties to specific foods for their energetic, flavor and thermal values.
TCM teaches that by eating particular foods in the daily diet, individuals can promote the body's Qi, or life force, as well as correcting any deficiencies, or excesses, which can lead to ill health. Or in the case of illness, helping to correct the imbalance and return the individual to health.
These same principles can be applied to the horse.
We will be offering specific TCM seasonal diets for your horses, as well as common forage items for assisting to balance your horses diet the TCM way for optimal health.
Your experiences, questions and comments on this forum are welcome.