Game changer.
It’s not often that you find something that literally changes everything for the better, without a down-side to it. But two years ago, when I bought my dream horse, and subsequently realized he was more of a hot mess than a dream, I decided to try CBD or cannabidiol. Why not? The only thing I had to lose was my horse – I couldn’t ride him safely and at my age, I didn’t need an accident waiting to happen. At the suggestion of our barn owner and lead trainer, Melissa Ashcraft, I tried CBD oil with great results. There was my horse in all his beautiful glory, standing quietly for the farrier, the vet and most importantly, me.
So, what is CBD, you might ask, and how does it work? CBD is a phytocannabinoid, which simply means that it is a plant-derived substance from the Cannabis plant. But that’s marijuana, you might say, and isn’t that illegal? CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC are two of the most well-known therapeutic components in Cannabis. While THC causes the “high” that marijuana is known for, CBD is a non-psychoactive. While full-spectrum CBD formulations contain varying amounts of THC and other cannabinoids, we chose to use CBD isolate for our oil because it has no detectable THC, which was confirmed by repeated third party testing in Colorado and Chicago. As to the legality of CBD, in 2018, the Congress passed the “Farm Bill” which federally legalized Cannabis as long as the THC content is below 0.3%. This has opened the floodgates for the CBD market, as you have probably noticed.
The exact way CBD works is still being studied, but I will try to summarize what we know. Every mammal has a system in their body called the endocannabinoid system, or ECS. The primary function of this system is to regulate homeostasis, which involves the brain, endocrine, and immune systems. The ECS is considered to be a critically important system in the body. https://www.jyi.org/2018-june This system consists of endocannabinoid receptors which are found in cells located throughout the body. Your body, as well as your horse’s body, is a busy hub of microscopic cells that interact in a symphony of communications. Each individual cell has protein receptors waiting to receive and transfer information. Cells send and receive chemical messages to coordinate the actions of cells, tissues, and organs. The ECS helps regulate the communication of cells by interacting with the receptors in your horse’s cells.
While the body has its own endogenous cannabinoids, plant-derived cannabinoids such as CBD have been found to have therapeutic effects on the ECS as well. Although no formal studies have been done on horses yet, CBD has been found to have many therapeutic effects in humans and shows little to no harmful side effects. The most formal studies have been on the use of Epidiolex®, a purified CBD oral solution approved by the FDA for treatment of epilepsy. However, research has shown that CBD can have therapeutic effects on many other conditions such as pain, depression, anxiety, inflammation, and migraines in humans. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.01.003
So how does that affect your horse? Your horse is a mammal with an ECS similar to that of a human. Although no major studies have yet been conducted on CBD’s therapeutic effect on horses, it stands to reason that they would have much the same response as we do. And as it turns out, we have overwhelmingly found our horses’ physical dispositions and health to improve on CBD. The best way to administer CBD is through the sublingual tissues under the tongue, this way the CBD enters the body into the blood stream where it has less chance of being diluted. Horses require a much larger dose than you would give to yourself or your dog, starting around 50 mg twice a day, and then adjusting dosage as needed. One effective way to administer CBD oil is to place it on a horse treat and then feed it to them before their morning and evening feeding. Some studies have suggested that splitting the dose into an AM/PM dose keeps CBD levels consistent throughout the day.
In some cases, the results have been dramatic. Horses like mine that could seriously injure someone have calmed down and become trainable. They are not dopey or drugged, just calm. Horses like my partner’s, who have suffered the effects of equine protozoal encephalitis (EPM), have shown increased mobility and lessened pain. Other benefits have been increased appetite, lessened anxiety, better pain management, and improved gut health, which is a critical health condition for horses. https://www.projectcbd.org/wellness/gut-microbiota-endocannabinoid-system
Understand that CBD won’t take the place of good training or quality vet care, but it does help and can be a game changer for both you and your horse.
Check out my Blog, https://www.transitionstreats.com/between-the-cross-ties-with-allison/
It’s not often that you find something that literally changes everything for the better, without a down-side to it. But two years ago, when I bought my dream horse, and subsequently realized he was more of a hot mess than a dream, I decided to try CBD or cannabidiol. Why not? The only thing I had to lose was my horse – I couldn’t ride him safely and at my age, I didn’t need an accident waiting to happen. At the suggestion of our barn owner and lead trainer, Melissa Ashcraft, I tried CBD oil with great results. There was my horse in all his beautiful glory, standing quietly for the farrier, the vet and most importantly, me.
So, what is CBD, you might ask, and how does it work? CBD is a phytocannabinoid, which simply means that it is a plant-derived substance from the Cannabis plant. But that’s marijuana, you might say, and isn’t that illegal? CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC are two of the most well-known therapeutic components in Cannabis. While THC causes the “high” that marijuana is known for, CBD is a non-psychoactive. While full-spectrum CBD formulations contain varying amounts of THC and other cannabinoids, we chose to use CBD isolate for our oil because it has no detectable THC, which was confirmed by repeated third party testing in Colorado and Chicago. As to the legality of CBD, in 2018, the Congress passed the “Farm Bill” which federally legalized Cannabis as long as the THC content is below 0.3%. This has opened the floodgates for the CBD market, as you have probably noticed.
The exact way CBD works is still being studied, but I will try to summarize what we know. Every mammal has a system in their body called the endocannabinoid system, or ECS. The primary function of this system is to regulate homeostasis, which involves the brain, endocrine, and immune systems. The ECS is considered to be a critically important system in the body. https://www.jyi.org/2018-june This system consists of endocannabinoid receptors which are found in cells located throughout the body. Your body, as well as your horse’s body, is a busy hub of microscopic cells that interact in a symphony of communications. Each individual cell has protein receptors waiting to receive and transfer information. Cells send and receive chemical messages to coordinate the actions of cells, tissues, and organs. The ECS helps regulate the communication of cells by interacting with the receptors in your horse’s cells.
While the body has its own endogenous cannabinoids, plant-derived cannabinoids such as CBD have been found to have therapeutic effects on the ECS as well. Although no formal studies have been done on horses yet, CBD has been found to have many therapeutic effects in humans and shows little to no harmful side effects. The most formal studies have been on the use of Epidiolex®, a purified CBD oral solution approved by the FDA for treatment of epilepsy. However, research has shown that CBD can have therapeutic effects on many other conditions such as pain, depression, anxiety, inflammation, and migraines in humans. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.01.003
So how does that affect your horse? Your horse is a mammal with an ECS similar to that of a human. Although no major studies have yet been conducted on CBD’s therapeutic effect on horses, it stands to reason that they would have much the same response as we do. And as it turns out, we have overwhelmingly found our horses’ physical dispositions and health to improve on CBD. The best way to administer CBD is through the sublingual tissues under the tongue, this way the CBD enters the body into the blood stream where it has less chance of being diluted. Horses require a much larger dose than you would give to yourself or your dog, starting around 50 mg twice a day, and then adjusting dosage as needed. One effective way to administer CBD oil is to place it on a horse treat and then feed it to them before their morning and evening feeding. Some studies have suggested that splitting the dose into an AM/PM dose keeps CBD levels consistent throughout the day.
In some cases, the results have been dramatic. Horses like mine that could seriously injure someone have calmed down and become trainable. They are not dopey or drugged, just calm. Horses like my partner’s, who have suffered the effects of equine protozoal encephalitis (EPM), have shown increased mobility and lessened pain. Other benefits have been increased appetite, lessened anxiety, better pain management, and improved gut health, which is a critical health condition for horses. https://www.projectcbd.org/wellness/gut-microbiota-endocannabinoid-system
Understand that CBD won’t take the place of good training or quality vet care, but it does help and can be a game changer for both you and your horse.
Check out my Blog, https://www.transitionstreats.com/between-the-cross-ties-with-allison/
By Allison Black Goldberg