Remember the old nursery rhyme?
The leg bone is connected to the knee bone, and the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone, and the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone and on and on it goes.
Although it’s only a nursery rhyme that teaches the anatomy of the skeletal frame, maybe we should take a closer look and apply the concept to the entire body.
It’s a common misconception that the body should be treated as a collection of individual parts. Doing so has the potential to lead to a series of health issues since every system in the body is interrelated and dependent on the other. Any imbalance (problem) in just one of those systems can affect the other systems. Many times, internal problems, invisible to the naked eye, may exist long before physical or external signs are seen.
For example, if a horse has a problem in one area of the body, is it probable that it can manifest itself somewhere else as well? If the horse is lame/hurt/injured in one part of its body, might the horse begin to over compensate in another part of its anatomy? What about the strain from compensating muscles? Could it affect the musculoskeletal system or cause joint problems? Could it lead to founder/laminitis?
If the horse is in pain, could it affect its eating habits? If so, could the digestive tract suffer? Could it possibly lead to more problems in, perhaps, the immune or endocrine system? How about the circulatory or respiratory system? Could even the reproductive system be affected?
Ever notice how symptoms are treated, but usually not the cause?
Since the systems function together and interact as a unit, it is important to find the cause of the problem, not just mask it by treating the symptom.
Think about it.
Nutrition is pretty much the same way. Vitamins and minerals were designed to work synergistically together in a balanced team effort. Your horse is what he eats and if the diet is not balanced, it can cause short or long term problems—maybe even some of which you were unaware—but it will eventually catch up to him/her.
Often, a change in diet that supports every system with correct, balanced nutrition, allows the body, in many instances, to repair itself.
View the body as a whole—not individual parts.
After all, the leg bone is connected to the shin bone, the shin bone is connected to the …you get the picture.
The majority of health issues are nutritionally-related.
Choose Wisely—Your Horse’s Health Depends on it.