ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder Syndrome in children and adults has been recognized by the medical community as a very real problem. Poor performance at work or school, the inability to focus on a task and see it through; erratic and antisocial behavior all are symptomatic. Although recognized in humans for over 100 years, it has never been reported in other species; yet inexplicable changes in behavior or performance are common in a number of domestic animals, horses included. Could poor equine behavior, unpredictable performance, or training stallouts be caused by a form of horse ADD syndrome? The answer is yes and no. No, because the root problem in of ADD syndrome in human patients is hormonal and veterinary science has not established similar hormonal imbalances in the horse showing signs of horse ADD. Yes, because veterinary science has recently made a major breakthrough in identifying a condition that can and does negatively impact your horse’s interactions with you and his environment, horse ADD. That breakthrough is the discovery that diet, in conjunction with nutrient management is the root cause of several serious physiological problems in horses, including horse ADD, and that these problems and the associated discomfort they cause, can negatively modify horse ADD behavior.
How do diet and the management of that diet impact behavior? Simply put, too much of a good thing in too short a time becomes a recipe for disaster. This is true under a variety of conditions, and can be experienced by even pastured horses, but usually it is horses in training or competing in the show pen that are most effected. In the horse, nutrient utilization is heavily dependant upon hind gut breakdown of ingested feed through the action of the bacteria that naturally live there. This breakdown is called fermentation. Feeds that are calorically dense, and chemically made up of carbohydrate in a rapidly fermentable form are the triggering mechanisms. The negative impact of such diets is made worse by rapid consumption over a limited period of time. This causes digestive upset, which becomes a source of nonspecific pain and irritation to the horse. A horse’s reaction to irritation is to move away, but in this situation escape becomes impossible. Such horses react the only way they know how and that is to focus on the source of irritation. It becomes a vicious cycle that is almost impossible to break without a new approach to equine nutritional management.
ReStore is an equine specific nutreceutical that has been shown to be effective in maximizing digestive efficiency in the horse, along with reducing horse ADD behaviors. It does this by stimulating the natural digestive process, thus minimizing the risks associated with feeding calorically dense, readily fermentable grain based rations, or any situation where rapid fermentation can lead to problems, such as pastured horses or even horses fed good quality grass hay. By breaking the cycle of feed and irritation, ReStore allows your horse to keep his head where you want it to be, in the game, not worrying about how to relieve pain or manage horse ADD syndrome.
- return to the site map -