Don't Let This Happen to Your Horse!

Warning: You are about to see some graphic images of surgery performed on a horse's deformed hoof.

Mineral Deficiencies Can Cause Hoof Deformities

Don't let this happen to your horse! Below is a photo relating to a horse that got its hoof tangled in a wire fence. Believe it or not the same sort of thing can result from poor mineral supplementation (laminitis). Fortunately the veterinarian was able to perform remedial surgery in time to save the horse's leg from amputation, and the horse is now consuming trace minerals and responding very well. In this case it was an accident that caused the damage, but neglect and poor mineral supplementation can contribute to your horse going lame, or becoming foundered. Each year thousands of foundered horses are needlessly put to sleep because of hoof deformities that cause lameness, ultimately, necrosis, gangrene and much suffering. If the owners had only known about trace minerals in addition to the customary macro minerals in packaged feed and in salt licks, over 90% of these abnormal hoof growth, deformities and abcesses could have been prevented.

Incidence of Foundered Horses and Laminitis may be Reduced Substantially

Below is the hoof pictured above, cleaned-up prior to surgery. This same photo, though, may illustrative of a poorly developed hoof due to inadequate mineral supplementation. Notice the upper part of the leg is nicked and scarred. Abcesses won't leave this kind of visible damage if they don't form in the first place, and vestiges of typical injuries become much less evident, or all but disappear when a horse is put on a proper mineral supplementation maintenance diet.

The emergency surgery was a gruesome process, requiring pinning the foreleg and adding a temporary prosthesis to give the natural hoof time to regenerate. Again, many remedial surgeries, due to poor hoof formation, can be obviated if a horse gets a balanced supply of essential trace elements.

Certain colloidal minerals with naturally-chelated trace elements have properties to remineralize undernourished horses and supply essential trace elements along with their catalytic properties. Silicon is an element very prevalent in the heart and also is extremely important for the restoration of damaged tissues. It was discovered to act synergistically with calcium and phosphorous to lend structural integrity to plants, and in conjunction with Vitamin D, to speed of the recalcification of bones. One of the best sources of silicon and micro minerals for horses is a particular clay, montmorillonite, a colloidal substance that is loaded with dozens of unique trace elements.

Montmorillonite Clay and Humic Acid - Known Colloids

Montmorillonite is a mineral in clay form which is a known colloid. One famous deposit of montmorillonite occurs in a sedimentary deposit on the outskirts of Panaca, Nevada and is said to be laced with lignitic silts, or humic material. Humic material was formed by organic processes millenia ago by the action of probiotic life on decomposting vegetable matter. The montmorillonite in the sedimentary deposit near Panaca sandwiches humic material between its clay layers. Montmorillonite clay results from the weathering process on pyroclastic material (found in ash and tuff). Nearby basaltic formations bear silent testament to the kind of volcanic activity responsible for bringing to the surface this mineral rich material which was then broken down with the aid of Mother Nature's chemistry and turned into montmorillonite.

At intervals hydrothermal waters that percolated over adjoining ore bodies, and runoff from the basaltic hills, intoduced dozens of new trace elements, along with additional vegetable matter. The bullrushes and reeds that grew along the waters' edge, together with the lilly pads and algae that alternately flourished then died back during droughts, added layers of compost. As this freshwater area, also fed by an artesian well, gradually assumed the dimensions of a large lake, confined by the perimeter of a collapsed volcano ("caldera"), diatoms and other aquatic life both further contributed to the decomposition of the vegetable matter, as well as, their own defunct remains to this primordial soup. Layer upon layer of montmorillonite and humic material thus resulted. The bacteria produced fulvic acid as a by-product of their feeding upon the compost. This fulvic acid chelated or hooked trace minerals onto amino acids in the sediment and suspended them between peptides in the soil, the building blocks of life. The clay has then absorbed this organic residue and the various chelated trace elements into its matrix combined in such as way as be be a balanced source.

Together the fulvic acid, the naturally-chelated trace elements, the silicon, and the clay itself form a powerful supplement. So beneficial is it to horses to prevent founder and laminitis that a use patent (#6,764,692) has been granted to Carlos Cortelezzi VMD http://www.animaltraceminerals.net/Article1%20atm.pdf for his discovery of its use under his formulation. Just as amazing, is the use of the montmorillonite from Panaca, Nevada for the noticeable regeneration of hair, mane and tail in just a matter of weeks that you will notice in your horse, causing dull, dry hair to disappear and a luxuriant new coat to appear underneath. Dr. Cortelezzi's new export line of products may be found at www.animaltraceminerals.com .

Many other benefits that come with the chelated trace elements can be found by reading about the various products featuring it as a main ingredient on http://www.montmorillonite.biz, and other websites. However, not just horses, benefit. Humans, zoo animals, household pets, livestock and dozens of plant families are known to respond quickly to the colloidal minerals and trace elements in the montmorillonite mineral.

We are more conscious today about taking vitamins and even antioxidants and amino acids, but minerals almost always seem to be overlooked until last. The "macro" elements like sodium, calcium, phosphorus, carbon, and so forth are often prevalent in the processed foods we humans, and our animal companions, eat. In plant foods and fertilizers we find a few more like nitrogen, sulfur, magnesiusm, perhaps a total of 8 to one dozen elements in significant dosages, but what about the trace elements. These are the so-called "micro" elements that are not easy to acquire and blend in traditional factory-made food and supplements. These are just as important as the macro elements because without them many valuable synergies are lost including their catalytic boosts to the metabolism. For this reason they are called the essential trace elements. We can only acquire them from an outside source. Just like the essential amino acids, our bodies cannot manufacture them from the normal food we eat. But we find them combined with certain minerals like montmorillonite, an edible clay.

Don't deprive your horses of the essential trace elements they need any longer! You will notice their natural beauty and temperament to improve and at the same time greatly enhance your chances of preventing debilitating symptoms provoked by poor mineralization, hence assimilation of the foods they do eat. You will find that horses need less rich food when supplemented by the montmorillonite clay with chelated trace elements, and therefore, be less expensive to maintain. They can practically subsist on grass when eating two ounces of minerals per day (for thoroughbreds, Arabians, quarter horse, fox trotters, paso fino, Tennessee Walkers, etc.)

For more information about animals eating clay to obtain their minerals go to the blog:

http://junglebirdseatclay.blogspot.com