Changing lives
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I am a horse lover with a story to tell. I gave up competitive riding many years ago and my husband, also an ex-rider, and I concentrated on building up our free range egg producing farm….but if you love horses…you love horses!
A few years ago, I was gifted a miniature horse named Tumbles, needing to move on as his bigger friends needed more space. He was a beloved mini and fitted in with us beautifully. He had two sheep as friends and two humans that doted on him and that lasted for nearly 3 years.
Not too long ago I noticed a teeny, tiny, little guy in our area that seemed very lonely. He had no company, no stable and no real care and for those little guys, that is not good. I knew his owner, a really good man, but he had no knowledge of what the little horse needed, so he asked me to take him in…and I did. We had a spare stable next to our Tumbles which we prepared and within 24 hours we brought him home.
Apart from being a horse lover, I am also a “walker”. Every morning, before sunrise, I take to the roads of Drummond for a walk, and one of the routes is past SA Natural Products (SANP), and I see their beautiful, huge rescues. I have admired them for many years and longed to do the same.
Now, Buddy as we named him, came home and he was very sad and depressed. My groom and I gave him a bath and found him to be covered with ticks and had a crust of scabs all over his chest, belly and hind quarters. After a bath, we spread tick grease where necessary and rubbed milking fat on the scabs. His tail dock was just one area of yellow, infested lumps. The little guy was not in a good state.
I contacted SANP and asked for advice because their horses looked so good and they told me to put the little man on Equi-Strath, 20ml per day, and monitor it from there.
Buddy has gone from strength to strength and the transformation is nothing short of a miracle. The sad, depressed demeanour is now sassy and full of life. Mentally a different, confident, loving, playful little soul. We have a lot of horsey friends/neighbours and everyone is totally in awe what Equi-Strath has done.
People ask if he’s on a special diet and when we tell them it is grazing and Equi-Strath they can’t believe it. He had dentistry done and what we thought was an old man is only 12 years old, with a long life ahead of him. 2 weeks into using Equi-Strath has changed his whole life and he would not be on the wonderful road to recovery without it.
Horses, big or mini, need so much more than love and food, and I learned that by taking on a little horse that had been neglected, not by cruelty, but by ignorance and I am so grateful to all at SANP for their support and understanding and knowledge of horses and their needs.
Buddy has a story to tell, and I will keep you all updated on his journey!
Our property has always had horses since the late 1970s. For the past twenty plus years our home has been a refuge where abandoned, neglected and abused horses can find a safe and kind home to live their lives out along with the retired Metro Police horses that have done years and years of service, also deserving peaceful rest in their pension years. Knowing our history with horses, one of neighbours asked if we would please help a gelding that had been rescued by an elderly couple but who had little understanding of horse husbandry and we were urged to consider taking him in.
Visiting Troy on the property where he lived alone with little human interaction and no company we immediately decided there and then that he needed to come to us. Unbeknown to his caretakers, he was infested with ticks, so severe that they ate holes in the back of his legs where the leg and hoof meet. Troy was in a lot of pain and discomfort and thus VERY wild! We could hardly come near him for his lack of trust of any human being. We had to call the vet out on a Sunday afternoon to help tranquilize him so that we could clean his wounds and remove the hundreds of ticks!
What work it was to help him and when the vet left he said to us that we have a wild pony here that does not trust anyone and someone needs to build a bond with him so that he can learn that not all humans are bad. It could be anyone he said, from the groom, to any one of us.
The next day his wounds needed care and my wife slowly and with much kindness and talking approached Troy to get him to trust her.
She started with the front leg that was not hurting and slowly worked her way to the back legs where the biggest problems were. It took a few tries and finally he relented and said yes, you can touch me. Elation! He then began to heal quickly. And so over the next few months, Troy and my wife built a strong bond.
He now neighs when he sees her and loves his face rubs. He is still a little skittish when it comes to sudden movements and sounds but he has learned that on this property he is safe. He just loves his carrot and treats and is so grateful for his stable, water, hay and delicious food every day.
He shares the property with many other retired horses, a herd that walks, lives and sleeps together. From the first day that he arrived we put Troy on Equi-Strath as this is the best tonic for horses, especially for the ones that need that extra support and he so needed it. He loves Equi-Strath. When he sees the bottle it’s a push to get to the front to eat it out of Moms hand.
The vet is amazed. He knew it would take one person, he just never knew that the trust, healing and recovery would have been so quick. With love, care and Equi-Strath, horses can thrive and live a full and happy life.
Though the smallest in stature, Troy is now the leader of the herd here. It’s his mom first before all the others.
Truly Wicked is a 6 year old gelding send down from JHB to me here at the Summerveld Stable Yard. We would soon be retiring him as he is not as young as his fellow competitors and was starting to slow down on the racetrack. I am a firm believer in Bio-Strath and know what a difference it has made to my body, and so went out looking for something similar for my horses.
I stumbled across Anima-Strath at our local vet shop and the shop assistant put me into contact with the sales rep who informed me that they were just about to launch Equi-Strath in SA. I decided to give the product a go on a few of my horses including Truly Wicked. Within the first month of being on Equi-Strath I noticed a difference in his energy levels and improved his conditioning. He placed 2nd, then 3rd, and after a month, on 21 September he won the race at Greyville Racecourse!
It has given my horses that extra bit of power that some were lacking in training and racing, and their overall health, weight and coat is now fantastic. Administration is easy, I just draw the liquid into a syringe and squirt it straight into their mouths without hesitation, they love the sweet taste.
Eisling’s miraculous recovery
With a history that could easily be called a nightmare, an 18-year-old mare was finally rescued from a terrible fate. She was being advertised on a WhatsApp group and had been purchased off a truck headed for an abattoir in the Free State by Monique Kymdell. Monique is well known in the area for rescuing horses from the butchers.
Thank goodness for John Glaister, our trucker, who is a very kind, gentle and patient man. After a few hours he had managed to load her and safely truck her to us here in KZN. She arrived on 21 October not knowing how to lead out on a halter and was extremely violent and untrusting. She would charge, kick and bite anyone who tried to touch or come near her. When we tried to get her off the box she was extremely scared and aggressive.
On closer inspection it was established that not only was this mare extremely underweight, suffering from overgrown and cracked feet, hair loss due to parasites, central nervous system damage causing loss of full use of her near side ear and muzzle, multiple lacerations, puncture wounds, saddle sores and a hole in her tongue; but she was also pregnant!
It was decided that her name would be Eisling, which is a Gaelic name meaning ‘hopeful dream’.
Our team bravely set to task to bath her and treat all her wounds and the process of her recovery began. After consulting with the knowledgeable team at Assagay Feeds, we concluded that the best way to support Eisling’s recovery would be to supplement her diet with Equi-Strath. In just a few days there was already an incredible physical improvement, she gained massive amounts of weight and her coat started to darken and shine!
Having suffered at the hands of humans for most of her life, Eisling was violently aggressive and difficult to handle. She resource-guards and is extremely food aggressive which we have been working on. Local horse whisperer, Glyn Redgrave, stood up to the call and worked his magic on the mare. Having visited her every Friday for 5 weeks, Glyn could not believe the physical transformation of the horse and having seen first-hand the incredible impact of Equi-Strath.
After just 35 days of being rescued and treated with love and respect, Eisling decided to drop her foal late at night on the 25th of November 2021. A healthy and strong colt was born! Aptly named Odin, after the God Of War, since the colt had survived a war zone whilst in the womb and still managed to come out strong.
Over the past 3 months she really settled in and is much safer to work with now that we have done lots of training with her. She now even enjoys being lead out around the farm to hand graze and allows you to groom her. We plan on keeping this mare so that she can live out her days in peace and love. Odin will most likely be trained and sold on to a good home in the future. He is extremely loving and has taken well to halter training and stands to have his feet cleaned and to be groomed. There have been so many people who have shown great kindness in helping with this mare without the expectation of anything in return and for that we are truly grateful.
Follow the hashtag #Eisling on social media to find out more about this mare and colt and watch them as they journey on to a life of wellness and happiness.
“This little pocket rocket returned to racing after being off the track for 11 months. He had a minor strain to a suspensory ligament initially. He then had a major bout of colic caused by an Enterolith which was removed during a colic surgery. The vets were not very optimistic about his recovery and he spent some weeks at the Equine hospital.
I was introduced to a product called Equi-Strath in November 2020 and decided to try GG on it. He was still not in the best condition and needed something to help him bounce back. After only a week on Equi-Strath he picked up 27kg. His condition changed dramatically after using Equi-Strath and today he is back in full training and racing again.”
At age 27 , Red always had a good appetite, but as soon as we hit the first cold spell in May ’21 he lost condition quite drastically. Personally I had been taking Bio-Strath with tremendous increase in energy levels. This prompted me to try the Equi-Strath for Red.
Initially he was getting a booster dose of 40ml/day and amazingly he built condition within 2 weeks. What a dramatic change ! I was so happy to witness Red playing and galloping around like a 6 year old .
Red literally developed a “Spring in his Step and a Shine to his Coat “ in a very short time .
He is now on a maintenance dose of 20 ml/day and has kept up his beautiful condition. Very often people are amazed that he is 27 ( going on 7 ) .
I am absolutely delighted !
Whiskey is a beloved Thoroughbred cross who is thriving at age 32. He used to battle to pick up condition after winter until he was put onto Equi-Strath. With just 40ml per day, the vet noticed Whiskey’s appetite, coat, energy and quality of life improve dramatically.
His vet commented, “Whiskey’s coat is looking better than it ever has – even better than our younger horses. His appetite is better and his recovery from Winter was far quicker. Equi-Strath works! I will happily recommend it to anyone with an old horse.”
I have used Equi-Strath regularly on my horses for the past 6 months. I have had excellent results leading up to races with these horses when they are under stress. They stay on their feed better and their post recovery is excellent. I would recommend the use of this product to anyone who insists on the highest standards for their horses.
Texan Dream is my lovely mare that I have had for 4 years. She is naturally a very hot horse and is constantly presenting with problems. She used to weave and wind suck when stabled, so she is now a live-out horse with her friends which helped tremendously with her boredom. She likes to have a good run around now and then and knocks her knee or pulls a muscle from slipping around. Her biggest problem is abscesses!!
She presents with an abscess at least every couple of months. Some last a week or two, but more often than not they last up 4 to 6 weeks! Texan is on probiotics and supplements for her hooves, she never has any bruising so it’s very hard to tell where the abscess is. When she starts to go lame we soak her feet, wrap them and hope that it’s not a month long story.
One day I met the lovely rep who works for Equi-Strath, and at that time Texan was battling with a terrible abscess that just would not go away. She was on antibiotics, and I still had no luck, I told her about Texans problem and she gave me a sample, she told me to dose her for the next 14 days and see how it goes. I was a bit reluctant as I have tried so many different things. I gave it to her on the first day and I expected her to turn her nose up at it being the fussy eater she is, but she didn’t even hesitate, she ate it in a flash! The end of the 14 days came and I could see such a difference in my horse, the lameness had subsided and she was doing so much better.
I was bringing Texan back into work after that last bad abscess, and I was battling to get her to concentrate while working her. Her energy was also just too much for me. After just 2 weeks back on Equi-Strath she has calmed down tremendously and is starting to come into work beautifully – I can see Texan is feeling lovely and strong. She has since only had one abscess and it only lasted 5 days!! That’s the best recovery time she has ever had. I really look forward to the year ahead and hope for a lovely show season. I will most definitely keep her on Equi-Strath to keep that focus that we need to move forward.
The Gentle Giant with a fragile heart.
I first met this big gentle giant, named Informer, when he was 3 years old. He already stood at just below 17.3 hh with big ears that looked somewhat out of place and a beautiful blaze that set him apart from the rest of the herd. What stood out even more was his gentle nature, and so we dubbed him, GG, short for Gentle Giant.
My ex-husband and I purchased him just after he turned 4 years old and so the journey began. As I never sell off animals, GG is still with me today after 23 years together, and back then I didn’t realise what a profound impact he would have on my life.
He was the one horse that could drop his shoulder like no other and unseat me in a moment. Being a Thoroughbred, he definitely had spirit but has never been cruel in nature. He rode and looked like a warm blood because of his big bulky stature and his smooth movement. Where have you ever had a horse that could throw you at a drop of a hat and yet when worked in, I could canter him collectively at a walking pace? While saddle-work was always rewarding, the moments we had in the stable and paddock were by far the most special. He has always been a very affectionate horse and loves having a good head rub against your back or just nibbling grass around you as you sit with him in the paddock.
After having this big man for 16 years in my life, my ex-husband and I went through a divorce. Something about GG (and the rest of my animals) made the difficult time a little more bearable. He is so much more than just a horse, he is my companion and my friend – something that only a handful of people will truly understand.
6 Years ago I was informed that my big guy had a bad heart murmur, we would have to monitor him. He had also developed a little stiffness in his hocks, and so from then work was very light and we just enjoyed each other’s company more than anything else. He was entering his retirement years and we both adapted to this quite well.
Things really took a turn for the worst 3 years after hearing of the heart murmur when considerably high temperature spikes of 39.5 °C and up were becoming a regular occurrence. This was really taking it out of him and my heart broke every time I would see him so warn out for approximately a week afterwards. These temperature spikes used to occur on regular intervals, normally no further than 6 weeks apart at a time. I had him on an antibiotic so often that eventually he was starting to show negative side effects to it. We even tried a long course to try to rid his body of whatever was causing these problems without success. At the time, the vet presumed he most probably had an infection in one of his heart valves.
I had my vets on speed dial already as you can well imagine and was often in correspondence with them and, in turn, they got to know my big guy very well. The temperature spikes went on for a year and then I heard the dreaded news that GG has been diagnosed with the first stages of heart failure. I felt so defeated. What other choice did I have but to start considering one of the hardest decisions a horse owner can make, to put him to sleep and out of misery. I just couldn’t see this big, gentle, noble creature go through this any longer.
Before I could give up, my vet suggested we try Equi-Strath. It was a new product on the market but he advised me that the hospital had had some promising results in other older horses with serious health issues. I was willing to try anything! Being a natural product from Switzerland, I had hope that it would do good, so we went ahead and hoped for the best.
Now at the age of 27, he is healthier than he was 5 years back!
The results we got were far beyond my wildest expectations. Not only did his condition and appetite come back, but these nasty temperature spikes cut back completely. We have them once every few months now, and they are generally not as severe and he recovers so much quicker. For the first time in years I also see dapples on him! What a relief to know I have what seems like will be many more days left with my big boy, that they will be happy ones, comfortable ones and days of good health! I would move Heaven and Earth for GG, but the joy he brings me makes it all worth it.
Equi-Strath has certainly been a blessing to us, I just had to share our story in the hope that it might help at least one other horse too. I wish you, the readers, happiness for you and your gentle giants.
I’ve had my mare for 8 years and have battled year after year with a chronically itchy mane. She obsessively rubbed her mane out leaving her bleeding and sore.
I’ve had numerous vets out, done skin scrapings, tried cortisone for short term relief, home-made remedies, different topical agents, dietary changes and nothing seemed to provide long term results and relief.
I was at my wits end and had come to the reality that my mare was going to have to live without a mane and we would manage her with prescription medication when it was really bad.
Then comes along Equi-Strath…
I heard from a friend that there was a new product on the market that was 100% natural and to give it a try, it couldn’t hurt trying one more thing – I’m so glad I did!
Within 2 weeks there was visible new mane growth with significantly less itching, the dry flaky skin was much softer and supple. After 6 weeks her mane was starting to grow in so nicely with no itching and obsessive rubbing and her coat was beautiful and shiny.
I also noticed cognitive improvements, her attention span when working had increased, she wasn’t as easily distracted and we had more productive schooling sessions. There are no words to express how grateful I am to have found Equi-Strath.
I have a very happy horse and I am beyond thrilled with the results.
Thank you Equi-Strath!
Miracle is a grey, Arab gelding. I adopted him on the 19th of March 2019 when he was just over 5 years old from the Coastal Horse Care Unit.
He was in good shape and so our journey started together.He went straight to a yard in Cato Ridge with many other horses and was welcomed into the herd.
He stayed there for a few months during winter before I moved him to my property in Hammarsdale in October 2019. Miracle has always had many issues stemming from emotional trauma, but he never had an issue with his coat.
Once I moved him to Hammarsdale, he suddenly started to lose his beautiful coat. It looked like he had tiny black spots everywhere and on closer examination, I realized he was actually losing his hair.
I also noticed that he was extremely itchy and suddenly loved being brushed, which he always hated. I became very worried and consulted the vet.
Unfortunately, the vet wasn’t sure either and suggested a bath once a week with a strong shampoo. This was quite a task as Miracle hates being cold and I wasn’t sure if the shampoo was hurting him but he looked very uncomfortable with every bath. Miracle then became extremely sick in February with soaring temperatures of 39 – 40.8 degrees over 7 days. The vet put him on all sorts of medication and I then put him onto EquiStrath.
I gave him a tablespoon 4 times a day. He refused to eat, but as soon as I mixed his food with EquiStrath, he gobbled it up. Eventually he got better but I noticed his coat getting better too! I couldn’t believe it. After months of trying so many different medications and shampoos and sprays and creams. I even had my grass in my paddocks cut regularly just in case it was something in the grass. I still don’t know what it is but he is such a happy, healthy, strong and comfortable horse now. Thank you EquiStrath!
Wildboy is one of our retired Dutch Friesian Police horses that has made history at our local equine hospital last month. Wildboy was diagnosed with severe laminitis in all four legs. He could hardly walk, never mind stand. I would find him lying down often to get weight off his legs and at first thought he had bad osteoarthritis as the police horses work very hard for many years and walk on hard surfaces often with a heavy policeman on their backs that causes severe and quick degeneration on their joints.
But with Wildboy this pain and the symptoms he showed was much worse.
Our vet came to see him and told me this is laminitis – he needs to be hospitalised for treatment as it is very severe and he is in excruciating pain. He would need around the clock care and treatment. He is an 28 year old boy and has come to retire on our property in our care. She said to me, “Estie, there is a strong possibility that Wildboy will not make it. If the X-rays are bad, we would need to put him down.”
In that moment I just knew he had to go to hospital and no matter the cost, this is what we need to do. He deserves a chance. She gave him a strong pain killer intravenously, my husband arranged for a horsebox and Wildboy and I climbed in the back. He sweated profusely all the way to hospital and I thought it was because he was scared of being in the box. It wasn’t, it was because of the severe pain he was in. At the hospital the vet was waiting and his stable was ready. X rays were taken and she called me an hour after dropping him off to say that the farrier had been to trim his feet and put special shoes on him to make him more comfortable and to get him off his toes and they started treatment.
Green boots with ice were put around his legs and changed often to get the inflammation down. We prayed! That’s all we could do. I asked her how he got this terrible disease and she said through the food he ate!!!!! He is a cold blood and they can get fat on fresh air so when you feed a cold blood horse food that has a too high corn concentrate, they build up inflammation in their body that leads to laminitis!
I never knew the food we fed our horses had corn in it and was made for warm bloods and not cold bloods (you are never too old to learn.) He was put on a crash diet at the hospital and lost kilos of weight in the 8 days with them. On day two I received a call in the morning from the doctor. “Wildboy is doing remarkably well”. They don’t know why, but he is looking better. Pain is better and he is more comfortable. And so the positive news from the hospital came in daily. On day three I went to visit him and speak to the vet. She said to me, they have never in all the years seen a horse respond so quickly to treatment. ALL the vets at this hospital, five in total, believed Wildboy would die. He was so severe! All of them!
I said to her he has been on Equi-Strath since he arrived on our property a year ago and we pray for him. Must be the combination of prayer and Equi-Strath? Equi-Strath enhances immunity and when immunity is strong, the medicine given can work quicker and more effectively.
That pricked the vets ears! “What is this Equi-Strath?” We sent more information, our sales rep went to train them on the product and left a sample and they have now given it to an older mare in hospital that was battling from a virus. She was underweight, lethargic and had no appetite.
Within days of being on Equi-Strath she was eating again and her condition started improving! Wildboy came home 8 days after going to hospital and this time with his Policeman daddy that dotes over him in the back of the box. No sweating, happy and comfortable and without any more pain. How remarkable to see how much our products help all of God’s creation.
As my right hand man, Ernest Shozi says, “Horses are God’s transport because one day Jesus will come again and this time on a horse!’’
19 year old Jacco, my Dutch Warmblood, suffered from a terrible cough and nasal discharge. After a week or so of daily administration of Equi-Strath, his cough subsided, breathing improved and his coat and weight became beautiful, even with the change of season. I now regularly administer Equi-Strath to all my horses and can ascertain in them an increases willingness to perform.
In several extents (coat, digestion, energy, shorter recovery time in young horses after ling transport and hard training) they make an even better impression. Equi-Strath is an authentic “Power Maker” and a precious support to me.
I gave Equi-Strath to my 16 year old top horse, Flor du Loup, for the very first time and noticed significant changes in him even after a short time. Particularly noticeable was the fact that the recovery time after trials and major efforts in training was considerably shorter, and that he was on top form even in his first events in the spring and was able to maintain this level of performance effortlessly at the subsequent difficult three- and four-star trials in the summer and autumn as well. An additional he shed his coat without problems in the spring and that his coat was particularly glossy.
As a result of these convincing experiences, my five horses have all been given Equi-Strath daily since that time during the training and build-up period. In the knowledge that this product, produced on a natural basis, contains no doping substances, I doubled (and sometimes even tripled) the dose of Equi-Strath shortly before major trials. Many of my horses tended to go off their feed during the long journeys and also at the big international events, but with Equi-Strath I have seen a marked improvement in appetite.
I am convinced that Equi-Strath is a fundamental support for the health of the horses and have a fantastic effect in boosting their performance.