Tag Archives: equilifesa

A Gentle Hand ~ Sikhangele Mbambo

One of the lesser known special events at this year’s Derby was the presentation of long service certificates. We caught up with one of the recipients, Thembelani Mabhena, a very soft spoken gentleman, who has been a groom for the Bowyers for most of his working life. The 39 year old gentleman is originally from Zimbabwe. He first became a groom in his country of birth, at the young age of 18, for Gill Davis where he looked after 7 horses. He left because of the continually plunging  economy of Zimbabwe, looked  to Botswana for a better job opportunity and this is where he met the Bowyers who were then based there and has since been their family groom.

 

How long have you been a groom?:

21

Tell me a bit about yourself :

I am  39 years old, Zimbabwean, married and a father of 2. My children, a girl 14 and a boy 4, both live back home with my mother. My wife is here for a short while, working part time but she is going back home in December. 

What did you do before becoming a groom?:

I have always been a groom, first in Zimbabwe for 2 years, then in Botswana for 2 years and I moved with the family when they came to South Africa.

How did you get into grooming?:

My very first job was as a groom in Zimbabwe for Gill Davis, I was 18 years old then.

Why did you leave Zimbabwe?:

I left because of the economy was bad.

What has been the highlight of your job?:

I received a long service award from my employers at the Derby show. I have been with them for almost 15 years.

Describe a day in the life of a groom:

At 7am, I start by checking the water from the night before and replacing it. Everyday I lunge 2 horses on a rotational basis unless I am given a special request to lunge an extra one. I give them all grass and take them out then I go for my breakfast. When I come back I clean all the stables till 12pm when I bring 4 of the horses inside for lunch. The other 2 stay out for a while longer (their owner prefers it that way), then they all get their lunch. Their meal consists of Alzu 13% meal, teff and lucerne. They also get Complete (Equifox) At 3pm the other 2 horses come in and I groom them all. Supper is served at 5pm and all horses are settled down for the night. At 8pm before I go to bed I check all their water and make sure everything is alright.

Do you have any riding experience?:

Yes, I rode for a short while when I was 18. nothing serious, just walking around and I enjoyed it.

Would you like to take your knowledge of grooming a step further?:

I would have loved to do a few courses when I was younger but now I think it’s too late for me. I am too old.

Do you think a horse understands verbal communication?:

Definitely, one of my horses, Ascot Wonderland has serious trust issues, I don’t  know what happened to him when he was younger but he gets very aggressive when someone just approaches him. When I approach him, I talk to him softly and he calms down very quickly.

Can you immediately see if something wrong is wrong with your horses?: 

I have been working with them for a long while so I know when one of them is not well from the moment I enter the stables in the morning. We are lucky that none of them have ever been seriously ill.

What do you think are the characteristics of a good groom?:

For me, knowing your horse is very important, understanding their different characteristics. Get your horses to trust you and always be careful around them.

What has been the best venue for shows in your travels so far?:

We have traveled to Blouberg in Polokwane and Revil in Shongweni. I enjoyed Shongweni and would love to go back again. We were treated really nicely at both venues. We sleep in the truck when we are away. We were given food in Blouberg and cooked for ourselves in Shongweni.

What did you like most about going away?:

I have not traveled much, this is a good chance for me see the country. I also meet other grooms and learn about their lifestyles.

What are the characteristics of a good horse?:

A good horse has a calm personality, it does not spook easily.

How do you tell a horse is in a bad mood?:

Always look at the ears, they tell you if a horse is cross. The way that it stands can also tell you a lot about its mood. If its pawing the ground, you had better be careful

What horse food do you know?:

Teff, lucerne and Alzu meal.

Do you think the type of food fed a horse affects its behavior?:

Yes, a lot.

Have you ever tasted any of the food eaten by your horse?:

Yes, when I was in Zimbabwe we used to eat these sweet cubes that were made by a company called Agrifoods

If you had the financial capacity, would you own a horse?:

No, I would use it to send my kids to better schools.

When horses are sick do you think they appreciate human comfort?: 

Everyone needs comfort when they are not well, even horses.

Is there anything you would improve in the way you care for your horses?: 

I always do my best,I hope my employers would tell me if there was anything more that I needed to do.

How do you prepare a horse before a competition?:

The night before the show,  I shampoo the horse with Silky n Soft shampoo (Equifox again) and make sure that it is well groomed. I always plait my horses in the morning before the show. I make sure they get Untye, which is good for their muscles because they jump and one of my horses Carl also gets given Redcell.

How would you improve the life of a groom?:

Respect is earned and should be given both ways. I witnessed a groom being shouted at one show and the same thing to the same groom at another show. It didn’t sit well with me. I also think it would be in everyone’s best interest if a groom had a basic grooms’ course when they start their job. Medical and life insurance would also be great as this is dangerous work.

How would you describe a good relationship between a horse and rider?:

The rider should be brave and put more confidence and trust in their horse. If the horse is treated well, it will always perform best.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?: 

I would like to be back home with my family, watching my children grow because I have missed out on a lot.

How do you deal with a difficult horse?:

I try and make that the horse knows that I know what I am doing and I am not going to harm it.

Miracle Moringa – A food plant with multiple uses ~Debbie Stewart

Moringa oleifera is coming to the forefront as a result of scientific evidence that Moringa is an important source of naturally occurring phytochemicals and this provides a basis for future viable developments. Different parts of M. oleifera are also incorporated in various marketed health formulations, as recently developed by Fulvic Health Pty Ltd.

Fulvic’s Miracle Moringa

In view of its multiple uses, the M. oleifera plant is widely cultivated in most of the areas where climatic conditions favour its optimum growth. Since this plant naturally occurs in varying habitats, it is naïve to expect a great magnitude of variation in the concentration and composition of chemical ingredients in different parts of the tree. The plant Moringa oleifera is both a vegetable as well as a medicinal herb, and as such a proper analysis, such as provided by Fulvic Health, would look at its macronutrient and nutritional profile in addition to isolated bioactives. Moringa oleifera, known to be rich in multiple medicinally active chemicals, is considered a food plant with multiple medicinal uses and therefore considered relatively safe as they are likely to contain synergistic and/or side effect neutralizing combinations of activities, make it a virtually ideal dietary supplement.

So far numerous studies have been conducted on different parts of M. oleifera, which are known to possess a wide variety of pharmacological activities such as antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, antiulcer, antiasthmatic, antispasmodic and antidiarroeal.

Moringa Supplements abound as awareness increases, because of this plant’s remarkable antioxidant, anti- inflammatory, anti-aging and energy-enhancing qualities, it contains compounds and structurally appears to be protective when orally ingested.

Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, b -carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, b – sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. Moringa leaves act as a good source of natural antioxidant due to the presence of various types of antioxidant compounds such as ascorbic acid, flavonoids, phenolics and carotenoids. Moringa leaves act as a good source of natural antioxidant due to the presence of various types of antioxidant compounds such as ascorbic acid, flavonoids, phenolics and carotenoids. The high concentrationsof ascorbic acid, oestrogenic substances and b-sitosterol [16], iron, calcium, phosphorus, copper, vitamins, A, B and C, a-tocopherol, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, folic acid, pyridoxine, b-carotene, protein, and in particular essential amino acids such as methionine, cystine, tryptophan and lysine present in Moringa leaves and pods make it a virtually ideal dietary supplement (Makkar and Becker, 1996).

Moringa roots and leaves have been used traditionally to treat constipation. Moreover, spasmolytic activity exhibited by different constituents provides pharmacological basis for the traditional uses of this plant in gastrointestinal motility disorder.

Research has shown that an extract of Moringa leaves appears to have anti-obesity properties and protect the body against the adverse effects of a high-fat diet.

Moringa side effects are rare and indicate one may have taken it wrong. We’ve seen it at least a hundred times: People get their Moringa and immediately take too much. Remember,

Moringa is potent so you should not bombard the body with something so strong. Give your body the time it needs to adapt and gain the benefits and follow the protocol.

Choosing The Best Moringa Supplement

With more people clamoring for Moringa to take advantage of its staggering array of nutritional and medicinal benefits, many nutritional supplement companies have jumped on the bandwagon to meet the rapidly growing demand. There’s a bit of a problem with this picture, however. Not all Moringa supplements are made from FRESH leaves . . .and not are all Moringa supplements are made to the highest standards . . . nor provide the highest level of effectiveness possible.

Moringa for Equine Supplementation

As a horse owner and supplier of Equine Animal Feed Additives, I have discovered the benefits of dehydrated moringa leaves as an excellent source of nutrition in horses. The all essential amino acids, beneficial fats and omega oils, potassium, protein, fibre, calcium, iron as well as Vitamin A,B,C vitamins B, B1, B2, B3, C and E, amongst others making it a top-rate supplement, ensuring balanced, optimal health.

Benefits experienced by many worldwide include:

  • increased vitality;
  • increased endurance and stamina;
  • increased bone density;
  • cleans and enriches anemic blood;
  • acts as a natural anti-inflammatory;
  • increased milk yield in lactating mares;
  • assists in managing hard keepers’ weight;
  • conditioning coats and relief from eczema;
  • gives needed vegetable proteins and amino acids, amongst other benefits

Moringa for balanced health

Many horses have benefited from the consumption of the dehydrated leaves. Fulvic Health recommend I feed them each 30g a day. Many horse owners think of providing supplements only when their animals become thin.

For our equine friends, we recommend a daily maintenance dosage of 10gr to 30gr Moringa Miracle Powder for every 100kg animal weight per day. EG: If your horse weighs 500kg II lOgr x 5 (500kg) = 50gr/day mixed into normal feed.

Always ensure plenty of fresh water is available for all our Moringa-using Equine friends as supplementation will make a them more thirsty than usual.

Unlike allopathic medicine, herbs stay in the body over a longer period of time, so an occasional break makes the body less dependent on them and increases the benefits of long- term supplementation.

Herbs as a rule should not be fed to pregnant animals, as many of then have uterine or hormonal stimulant properties. Moringa, like many other Indian herbs, has been found to be an effective antifertility treatment in both in vitro and animal studies. Before feeding a herb to a broodmare or foal, please consult with a vet or holistic animal practitioner to substantiate safety of a specific herb.