Does My Horse Need a Detox?
When you hear the word ‘detox,’ you might immediately think of drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
However, detox can also be defined as a normal daily process by which the body removes toxins via the liver, kidneys, lymph, blood, bowels, skin, and respiratory system, as in “detoxify” or “detoxification.”
Some horses cannot detox naturally due to overloads of toxins in their systems. There are varying factors that can cause this disruption to occur:
- Environmental factors
- Air quality
- Chemicals in grooming products
- Fly sprays
- Medications
- Herbicide and pesticide residue
- Heavy metal exposure from hay, forage, and water
Horses’ toxin loads can then be made worse when combined with metabolic conditions, anxiety, and stress.
The Ayurvedic perspective
In Ayurveda, Agni (the fire element) is a critical factor in health. Agni represents the principle of transformation: the digestive fire. Digestive fire is the process of digestion, absorption, and assimilation, transforming food into tissue, energy, and consciousness.
Ama, on the other hand, is known as unmetabolized waste that cannot be utilized by the body. Ama in Ayurveda is said to be the root cause of disease.
Agni and Ama are opposite energies in the body:
- Agni is hot. Ama is cold.
- Agni is sharp. Ama is dull.
- Agni is lightweight. Ama is heavy.
- Agni is dry. Ama is wet.
- Agni is clear. Ama is slimy.
- Agni is fragrant. Ama is foul smelling.
Signs of Ama accumulation in a horse’s body
- Fatigue
- Poor performance
- Excess hindgut gas
- Loose stools
- Diarrhea
- Compacted fecal balls
- Bad-smelling manure
- Skin issues
- Poor appetite
- Poor hoof quality
- Chronic anxiety
- Immune challenges
Gentle detoxification with activated charcoal
Helping horses rebalance the Agni-Ama energies begins with activated charcoal.
Activated charcoal is a time-honored detoxifier with the ability to bind toxins in the gut. This process is known as adsorption, in which toxins bind to the surface of activated charcoal and exit the body in the form of manure.
Activated charcoal is different from the charcoal you use on the grill. BioStar uses activated charcoal sourced from coconut shells, which produce a very porous charcoal that is extremely adsorption friendly.
When feeding activated charcoal, ensure it is separated from regular grain and administer once a day for one to three days.
When to do a gentle charcoal detox
- After antibiotic and other pharmaceutical therapies
- In the presence of diarrhea, foul-smelling manure, or hard dry fecal balls
- In the presence of consistent skin issues
- After intense periods of showing and competing
When addressing ongoing issues, a gentle charcoal detox may benefit horses that have:
- Chronic anxiety or nervousness
- Chronic inflammation or stocking up
- Difficulties maintaining weight
- Poor appetites
- Brittle hooves (may need a longer clay detox period)
- Metabolic issues with weight gain despite dietary protocols
Support for the microbiota
It’s important to support the colonization of the gut with live probiotics after a charcoal detox.
If your horse has diarrhea, hard fecal balls, or rancid smelling manure, try increasing Agni via active yeast probiotics.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
If your horse’s manure is normal, try supporting Agni with active Lactobacillus, Bifidum probiotics, and Bacillus probiotics. Bacilli can be extremely important, as they form a barrier in the intestinal tract to keep pathogenic bacteria out.
When choosing a probiotic supplement for your horse, ensure the CFUs (Colony Forming Units) are at least 100 billion CFUs per serving for proper colonization of the gut.
Support for Agni
Turmeric, peppermint, and fennel are helpful resources when reducing Ama, without producing too much digestive fire for horses with ulcers.
Triphala is an Ayurvedic polyherbal medicine consisting of dried fruits from three different plants. It has been used to reduce Ama for thousands of years in Ayurvedic healing.
Support for the liver and kidneys
Supporting the liver and kidneys is incredibly important, especially because they play significant roles in overall detoxification.
If your horse has been dealing with chronic skin or digestive issues, or they currently have a metabolic imbalance, it can be helpful to do a 30-day liver support formula.
My favorite liver support formula is from Whole Horse Herbs™, formulated by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbalist Gloria Garland.
A 30-day kidney support formula can also be a helpful aid in balancing Agni and Ama, supporting the removal of toxins through the kidneys.
My go-to product is Kidney Support for Horses by Silver Lining Herbs.
Don’t do too much at once!
After the charcoal detox, don’t immediately fill your horse’s feed bucket with liver support, kidney support, probiotics, etc.
Keep it simple, and start with the probiotics. If your horse has been on a round of antibiotics, multiply the days on antibiotics by two to determine how long your horse will need to be on probiotics. Only administer the probiotics after your horse has completed their antibiotic therapy.
Your horse may not even need a liver support formula or a kidney support formula. However, with chronic issues caused by Ama overload (like frequent illnesses, weight gain in metabolic horses, consistent stocking up), choosing a liver cleanse is a good place to start when helping the body reduce Ama.
I generally like to feed a liver support formula once a year for 30 days (spring or fall) just for healthy liver maintenance.
Long-term detoxes
Some horses need a longer detox regimen, especially in the case of heavy metal exposure. This detox can last for up to three months.
Follow up a charcoal regimen with a daily supplementation of bentonite or smectite clay. The clay can be given with feed.
Clays bind minerals as well as heavy metals, so be sure your horse is getting plenty of bioavailable mineral supplementation. Avoid mineral oxides and carbonates, as their bioavailabilities are low. Look for mineral proteinates or chelates, such as BioStar’s Optimum EQ 2.0™.
A 30-day liver cleanse can be given with the clay.
Should you change the feed?
We know in human nutrition that highly processed foods do not contribute to abundant health. In Ayurveda, it is recommended to avoid processed foods both during and after detox.
However, this can be challenging in boarding and training environments. In these instances, my suggestion would be to add a simple whole food topper to the feed, such as:
- Alfalfa pellets
- Teff hay pellets
- Timothy pellets
- Orchard grass pellets
All of these options help to provide dehydrated, real food forage support.
BioStar’s detox support products
Hedgerow Pronto Mash™ features activated charcoal from coconut shells, pumpkin seeds, fennel seeds, rosehips, celtic sea salt, fermented turmeric and Speedi-beet®.
Hedgerow Pronto Paste™ is formulated with active Lactobacillus, Bifidus, and Bacillus bacteria with Ama-reducing herbs: triphala, turmeric, fennel, and peppermint. Also includes reed sedge peat, which helps protect the GI tract mucosa. CFU’s: 200 billion per serving.
Hedgerow Pronto is a dual “kit” that includes both the Hedgerow Pronto Paste and Hedgerow Pronto Mash.
Hedgerow GI™ includes all of the great ingredients found in the Hedgerow Pronto Paste™, with the addition of cordyceps mushrooms, organic nettle leaf, and mallow leaf.
Bio Yeast EQ™ is made up entirely of the active yeast probiotic strains Saccharomyces boulardii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. CFUs: 100 billion per serving.
Chi Tonic EQ™ is a whole-body revitalizer; it helps to rebalance the body, move Ama stagnation, and support the gut microbiome.
Concepts to keep in mind
A gentle detox helps horses’ bodies move toxins out and reduce Ama.
Always consider factors that maybe contributing to excess Ama, such as:
- Feed
- Fly sprays
- Stress-inducing circumstances
- Grooming products
Addressing and adjusting these factors, along with reducing pesticide and herbicide use as much as possible, can help rebalance the Agni-Ama energies.
About the Author: With over 30 years experience in the equine and human supplement industry, Tigger Montague knows nutrition from the synthetic side as well as the whole food side. She started BioStar US in 2006 with formulas she created in her kitchen. Before she started the company, she was an avid rider and competitor with eventing and show jumping, until she got hooked on dressage in the late 1980’s. She has competed on horses she’s owned and trained all the way from training level to Grand Prix.
