In the spring and autumn you hear and read a lot about detoxing horses. We also participate in this, because a detox is a natural phenomenon in horses and has health benefits. But a detox is not without danger and should always be given well-considered. That is why we want to tell you in this blog why a detox is not always wise. Do you want to give your horse a detox? Always consult us first or do it after consultation with a therapist.

Horses in the wild also detox

Horses that live in natural conditions/in the wild also detox. These horses live to the rhythm of nature, which means that they gain an extreme amount in the summer, but lose extreme weight in the winter due to scarcity. Waste substances are stored in the body in fatty tissue, because of the weight loss, the horse also slowly loses these waste products in the course of the winter. In addition, horses in the wild don't just eat good quality hay or fresh grass, they eat what they can find. In certain periods these are herbs that have a cleansing effect. These herbs are only available for a short period of time, so they only have a cleansing effect for a short period of time. A horse in the wild therefore arranges itself that its body is regularly cleaned.

Detoxing is not without danger

As a horse owner we want the best for our horse and we know that a clean body is the healthiest and ensures that nutrients are also better absorbed. Especially horses with sweet itch, mites or another condition really benefit from having a body as clean as possible. It is therefore recommended to do a detox in the spring (March/April) and in the autumn (September/October). But what happens during a detox? During a detox, the stored waste products are released so that the liver and kidneys can remove these waste products. This means that the waste products end up in the blood and pass everywhere. If a horse has a lot of waste products in the body, it may be that far too many waste products are suddenly released and it can be harmful. A detox is intense for every horse and it costs energy, because the blood is then full of waste products and all of that has to be processed by the body. Therefore always adjust the labor when you give your horse a detox. But if this is an enormous amount of waste, these can accumulate in the hooves, for example, with the result that the horse becomes laminitis. Other ailments can also manifest themselves through a detox. Therefore, never give a detox blindly, but think carefully whether your horse can process a detox.

In these situations you NEVER give a detox

There are situations in which we always advise against doing a detox, in these cases a detox is too intense and it can actually trigger an aggravation of complaints or disorders. Therefore, do not give your horse a detox:

• If he is very overweight
• If it is prone to laminitis
• If it is prone to tying-up
• If it has a reduced resistance (due to illness)
• If the horse is sick
• If it has just been operated, vaccinated or dewormed

Are you unsure whether your horse can handle a detox? Then consult with us or with your therapist. But with a detox we always say "when in doubt, don't do it". If you want to do a detox after a vaccination or deworming, wait at least 4 weeks so that the horse can first restore its resistance itself.

Liquid nettle tincture as an alternative to detox

Some horses can really use a cleaning because the waste products get in the way of recovery or because otherwise a condition cannot be treated properly. Then choose liquid nettle tincture. This is blood purifying and can therefore be seen as a mild detox, but without the danger of being too intense. An additional advantage is that it is also a huge boost for the resistance.