RECIPE: Rain Rot Treatment/Shampoo

Since there are only 2 ingredients and one of them is soap, I felt strange calling this a "recipe" but didn't know how else to label it so you could find it! :D

Oh and here's a little history for ya: There was a period of time when I had to ask and keep asking someone else how to make it and then I kept forgetting it before I could get home to make it! For some strange reason I had a real brain block on the measurements. I knew it was a 2-to-1 ratio, (in other words, twice as much of one ingredient as the other) but I just could not remember which ingredient you used twice the amount of! Yeah, this simple little recipe really made me feel like Ms. Bright Bulb! ;D

So...since I had such a hard time remembering it and could never find where I had written it down, I decided to include it in my recipes for others like me who may suffer from momentary lapses in memory or brain blockages! (There are others out there like me, right?) ;D

Okee-dokee...well, anyhoo....here's how you make it:

6 ounces of liquid Ivory dish soap
3 ounces of Iodine - (10% Povidone-Iodine Solution. Available at most equine supply stores)

I mix this up in the bottle that the Ivory dish soap comes in.

To use:

1. Thoroughly wet down your horse
2. Using a bath mit or "scrubby" plastic curry, lather the mixture (full strength) onto your horse, starting at the back of the ears, working it through the mane and working your way down and across their body to really work it into their tail, being sure not to forget their feet and under their belly. You do not want it getting into their eyes, so don't wash the horses' head or face with it.
3. Once the horse is completely covered, allow the mixture to sit on the horses' skin for about 5 minutes
4. Rinse well (and I would advise to rinse very well)

Your horse will be squeaky clean and super shiny! Bathe your horse with this mixture once a week for as long as it takes. I would recommend about 6 weeks but it could take up to 12 weeks.

Other helpful tips:

1. On light colored horses, do a "stain test" first, either on their belly or a small area on a fetlock or some small or hidden area. I know this is safe on chestnuts, bays, browns or blacks but it is possible that the iodine may temporarily stain the hair of ligher colored horses. If you really want to get rid of the rain rot and you don't mind your palomino being a weird shade of rusty "iodine-a-mino", then skip the stain test and get to shampooing!
2. Either before you bathe your horse or while you're bathing, wash or soak anything that normally comes in contact with your horses' skin such as saddle pads, blankets or sheets, ALL of your brushes, combs, curry combs, etc in soapy bleach water and this part is very important: Use only the newly cleaned equipment on the horse after you've bathed them in the iodine solution. This may sound like a pain, (and it can be) but once you get yourself "in the groove" and find little ways to save time, it's really not bad and it's so worth it to get rid of the rain rot! Before you head out the door to bathe your horse, you can just throw your blankets in the washing machine and toss all of your grooming supplies in a bucket of soapy bleach water and let them soak or wash while you're bathing. When you're finished bathing your horse, you have the hose out already, so just rinse out your grooming supplies and lay them out to dry.
3. You must ALWAYS sterilize all of your grooming equipment around the same time as you bath your horse so that you don't reinfect your clean (sanitized) horse with the rain rot bacteria that is living in your brushes and blankets.
4. Don't bathe your horse in this mixture any more often than once a week. Using it more frequently than that could really dry out your horses' skin and cause irriation.
5. Don't buy those tiny, little bottles of iodine from the drug store or supermarket. It will cost you a small fortune to buy enough bottles and that kind isn't really strong enough anyway. I buy the 10% Povidone-Iodine Solution, made by Horse Health Products, (which is a division of Farnam). A vet or equine supply store should have it and the large 32 ounce bottle only costs about $10 bucks.

As long as you keep up the cleaning and grooming of your horse and he or she is not constantly in contact with other horses' who have rain rot, using this mixture and these methods should get rid of it!

RECIPE: Fly Trap Attractant

I love it when I can find recipes to make a natural product that is cheaper than commercially bought products. However, there are few things in this world that I despise more than annoying, disease-carrying flies and I have never made or found a better fly trap than the Rescue Fly Traps. If you hang them outside your barn in the sun, these traps actually work the way they claim and I absolutely love 'em! Depending on how bad your fly population is, in the first week of hanging it, it will trap hundreds, if not thousands of dead flies! Also, if you decide to buy them, go for the disposable plastic bag type. For some reason, the plastic bag type works far, FAR better than their new, reusable, hard plastic jar. For me personally, I'd rather just fork out the $3.99 for a good product that works really well and is clean and easy to dispose of. (Once that fly trap is full of dead flies, I don't want to touch it, much less have to empty it!)

Ok, if I've sold you on one of my favorite horse products in the world :D here is a picture of what it looks like and a direct link where you can purchase it:



Now, if you would rather make your own fly traps, here is a recipe for the attractant:

3 cups of water
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of white vinegar

Mix all ingredients together until the sugar is completely dissolved.

You can use several things to make the actual trap. A coffee can with a plastic lid, a heavy duty zip lock plastic bag or a glass jar. Just poke some holes in either the lid or the bag that are large enough for the flies to fit in, put in the attractant and place or hang the trap where flies are a problem. The flies crawl in and most drown in the attractant or can't find their way out.

Put the trap outside where it will be in the sun and make sure you place the trap out of the reach of the horses, especially if you're using the glass jar.

RECIPE: Bring 'em Running Bran Mash

Here is a great recipe for a nutritious bran mash that your horse is sure to love.

2 Quarts of wheat or rice bran (8 cups)
1 cup of Quaker oats (or any rolled oats)
3/4 cup of applesauce
1-1/2 cup of hot water

Mix all ingredients together until the bran and oats are well moistened.

ADD-INS FOR VARIETY:

1. You can add a couple of tablespoons of honey or molasses for a little added sweetness;
2. For a crunchy surprise, try adding about a cup full of chopped apples or carrots, raisins, pears (or any of your horses' favorite fruit or veggie OR toss a tad bit of several different things in there! Get creative! Your horse will love it!);
3. For extra nutritional benefits, you can add a couple of tablespoons of oil
4. You can also add a little beet pulp (make sure it soaks for a few minutes in the mash before giving it to your horse)

This probably goes without saying but I have to say it anyway.... :D When making hot bran mash, always make sure it's cooled a little before giving it to your horse so it doesn't burn his or her mouth. :D

And just like we humans with our comfort food, remember that too much is not a good thing. Because of the high phosporus content (that can throw off a horses' calcium levels) you shouldn't feed a bran mash any more often than once a week.

Apple Cider Vinegar For Your Horses' Health

I began researching and getting into natural products in the early 90's. I found out back then that apple cider vinegar has a countless number of great uses for home and health.

I recently found an awesome website on apple cider vinegar, in particular this page that is loaded with uses for your horses' health! You can use apple cider vinegar for everything from a cooling linament, a nutritional supplement, a hoof care product, a cure for some skin conditions, a natural fly spray and more!

This page is definitely worth checking out! http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/horse-care.html You will be amazed at what all you can do with apple cider vinegar and SAFELY! with no dangerous chemicals!

Treat Recipe: Hor-Sa-Mores

I've had a request for recipes (thanks Amelia!), so I'll be searching through all of my old papers and books and post some recipes for treats and mash as well as natural products and remedies.

Your horse will definitely ask for "sa-more" of these delicious and healthy treats! You may even want to eat some yourself. Go ahead! Have one! They're yummy and safe for you to eat, too! :D

2 cups Quaker Oats (or any rolled oats)
3/4 cup of unsweetened apple juice (if you don't have apple juice, substitute applesauce!)
2 medium apples, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup of raw, shelled sunflower seeds (Sidenote: NEVER substitute peanuts. Horses can't digest them.)
2 Tablespoons of honey or molasses
1 cup of wheat bran (can use rice bran)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Using a tablespoon, drop balls of "dough" onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before giving to your horse and place the rest in an airtight container for storage. (I keep them in the fridge)

HANDY TIP: You can also wrap this dough in plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap), roll it on the counter until it's in a roll like refrigerated cookie dough and partially freeze it. It will be so easy to cut into "cookies"!

Treat Recipe: "Nicker"doodles

Here's an easy recipe for yummy horse cookies. It doesn't take much time and you probably have all of the necessary ingredients in your kitchen!

3 cups of Quaker Oats (the original, long-cooking kind is the best, but you can use the instant or 1 minute kind if that's all you have)
1 large carrot, shredded (can substitute 1 large apple, diced)
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, blend together the applesauce, honey and oil and set it aside.

In a large bowl, mix the oats and shredded carrot (or apple) together. Fold in the applesauce, honey and oil mixture and continue stirring until it is all blended well together.

Roll into small cookies or balls, about 1 inch in diameter. (If too sticky, add a few more oats. If too dry to stick together, add just a little more oil.)

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before giving to your horse. Place remaining cooled cookies in a ziplock plastic bag for storage.

I know we all want to spoil our babies but remember that too much sugar is really bad for a horse. A couple of these treats a day is plenty and they'll love it! :D

HANDY TIP: If this is too sticky and messy to roll it with your hands, try this: Put the dough in a large sheet of plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap), roll it up tightly. Using both hands, press lightly and roll it on your counter top, into a roll (like refrigerated cookie dough) and then partially freeze it! It will cut off so easily!

How do you stop a horse from bolting their feed?

"Bolting" of feed means the horse is eating their grain much too fast. Bolting increases the chance that the feed won't be properly chewed and digested, (which can mean the horse won't be getting all of the nutrients from their feed) and it's unnerving and frustrating because of the danger that it may cause choking or colic.

There are many different reasons why a horse may bolt their feed. The most common reason is competition with barn or pasture mates (or a horse that has had to compete for their feed in the past). Help your horse relax by making sure they don't have to fight to eat and that they're not stealing one anothers' food. Separate horses at feeding time and make sure each one has their own feeding dish.

If you've done that and they're still eating too fast, there are several other things you can do to make them slow down and enjoy their feed a little longer:

1. Place a few smooth stones in their feed dish so they have to nudge around the stones to get the grain (Make sure the stones don't have any sharp or pointed edges that the horse will poke themselves with and that the stones are large enough so the horse doesn't pick them up in their mouth. Remember that you want eating to be a pleasurable experience for the horse and the object is just to slow the horse down by making them nudge around the stones to get to the grain, not to make them put the stones in their mouth). If done correctly, this is a very safe and effective technique.
2. In a solid feed rack, (not a slatted one) scatter the grain on top of their hay ration;
3. Put their grain in a deep feeding dish and then cover with chaff or hayledge (a finely chopped hay product) or some hay cubes.

Using any one of these techniques is a minor change in your feeding routine and your horse will be healthier (and safer) because of it!