Brookby Herbs Launches in Australia!!

By Jackie Rive at www.brookbyherbs.co.nz 
Helping horses and dogs live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

Brookby Herbs, New Zealand’s leading family owned supplier and manufacturer of natural and organic herbal healthcare products for pets has successfully cracked the Australian market this month.

The range can now be purchased from a number of physical and online outlets throughout Australia, including Horse Supplies Direct in New South Wales and Natural Horse World in Tasmania. An Australian based manufacturer has also been brought on board to produce and distribute the brand’s selection of dry herbal products.

Brookby Herbs founder and Managing Director, Jackie Rive, believes that there is a growing international market for natural herbal healthcare for
pets.

‘As people across the world become more health conscious and increasingly aware of the food and supplement choices they make, they are also turning their attention to the health of their pets,’ explains Jackie. ‘This trend can already be seen in countries such as the United States where, according to a recent industry report released by the Packaged Facts market research company, annual retail sales of organic and natural pet food are expected to grow three times as fast as pet food sales overall through 2015. Pet owners are paying more attention to the feed and healthcare supplements they are giving their dogs, cats and horses and are starting to recognise the benefits a more natural and holistic approach can provide.’

According to Jackie, New Zealand’s clean, green image also gives producers of natural and organic products in this country an advantage.
‘Consumers overseas think of New Zealand and automatically imagine a healthy, pure environment. This perception is ideal for Kiwi pet care brands offering natural and organic alternatives,’ says Jackie. ‘We already have a large customer base in the United States, who purchase through our website and we now have the interest from Australia as well. It is definitely a market that is expanding, despite the global economic slowdown.’

Visit www.brookbyherbs.co.nz for a full range of natural organic herbal health blends for animals.

Rosehips- A Brilliant Anti-Oxidant Food for Horses.

By Jackie Rive at www.brookbyherbs.co.nz 
Helping horses and dogs live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

Rosa Canina- Dog Rose

Dog Rose is native to Europe and is considered a weed in parts of Australia which is unfortunate as it has such wonderful health giving properties for both ourselves and our horses. The hips of the dog rose were a popular sweetmeat in the Middle Ages. The term sweetmeats usually refers to candy or sweet confections. Doctors in the Middle Ages often concealed bitter medicine in candy form, so that it was more palatable to patients. However, many patients believed that medicine wasn’t working unless it tasted awful.

Constituents: Rosehips contain vitamin C , A, B 1, B 2, B 3 and K, flavonoids, tannins, invert sugar, pectin, plant acids, polyphenols, carotenoids, volatile oil and vanillin.

Rosehips are a fabulous herb or fruit for ensuring great health for both horses and humans. Because of the Rosehips anti-oxidant properties they are a brilliant food for maintaining good health. Research has shown that antioxidants protect the body against certain diseases such as cancer, arthritis and cardiovascular diseases

Antioxidants can protect against free radical cells which can damage tissues and are implicated in causing many diseases. Excessive free radicals are caused by poor nutrition , stress and damaged tissues. Infections will lower your horses vitamin c levels and this can also inhibit the growth and repair of cartilage and bone tissue if it is constantly deficient.

Rosehips have an important role to play in neutralising free radicals therefore they are a wonderful food for keeping your horse healthy and in peak condition. Research has established Rosehips as the highest source of flavonoids and biotin which is great for strengthening horses hooves as well.

Naturally occurring vitamin C has been found to be far more readily absorbed than artificial vitamin c, therefore the benefits of feeding rosehips to horses should be an obvious choice.

Rosehips are a great source of Iron and can be used to rehabilitate weak kidneys .They are also a good tonic for liver based ailments and can help build a barrier against infection.

Rosehips can be made into a tea by mixing 2 dessertspoons of granules into 1 liter of boiling water and steeped until cool. This tea is then poured over your horses feed. For those of you who don’t have time to make your own tea then Brookby Herbs have a Rosehip and Garlic tonic in cider vinegar already made up for you and available through selected stockists.

For a Free on-line herbal guide “37 herbs & remedies for fabulously healthy animals” visit http://www.brookbyherbs.com/

Visit www.brookbyherbs.co.nz for a full range of natural organic herbal health blends for animals.

A Guide to Summer Herbs for Horses

By Jackie Rive at www.brookbyherbs.co.nz 
Helping horses and dogs live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

Summer is the perfect time for tasty herbs growing naturally.

In the summer and early autumn, horses require various nutrients to balance hormones through the duration of the breeding season and to prepare them for winter.

Chamomile, passionflower, valerian, hops and red raspberry leaves are excellent for mares in estrus and stallions used for stud. These herbs relieve much of the hyperactivity and 'moody mare' aggression seen in mares in estrus, sexually maturing horses, and breeding stallions.

Cleansing, toning, and stimulating herbs are usually seen from spring to late summer. Such plants include plantain, dandelion, burdock, sheep sorrel, garlic, wormwood, yarrow, mullein and wild pansy.

These herbs cleanse and tone the lymph system, digestive tract, nervous system and immune system thereby helping horses stay healthy throughout the months when parasites and toxins are most prevalent. They also act as stimulants and equines will have better stamina and energy as a result.

External parasites are common in the warm months but horses seek out herbs to assist them in preventing this problem. Chickweed, plantain and mint are a few plants in which horses will roll to resist fleas, ticks, mites and other pests.

A good, healthy pasture will not only contain grass but also seasonal herbs (weeds) and most of these should be encouraged. The attentive horse owner will take note of herbs beneficial to the horse and provide these as they were intended to be used.

If your pastures and paddocks are healthy, you should find herbs growing at the appropriate times but in many cases they must be introduced for the benefit of your horse.

Although Nature provides the wild horse with beneficial herbs at just the right time, domestic horses require our initiative if they are to enjoy the health of their wild ancestors.

It is not harmful for a horse to eat herbs out of season but it can be detrimental if they do not receive certain plants at all. Allowing horses access to herbs that they naturally crave at particular times of the year can give their bodies the elements needed to prevent and correct hormonal problems.

The horse that grazes daily will seek out and eat the plants necessary to keep themselves healthy and therefore this aspect of horse care does not require human intervention. However, in cases where your horse is not at pasture frequently enough to enjoy seasonal herbs, you should provide herbs as part of the daily diet. Learning about seasonal herbs and how they affect equines can help owners select the plants that their horses need throughout the year.

Why not grow your own herbs? We have a Hedgerow Seed Mix available which contains seeds for the following herbs:

Parsley blend, Mugwort, Dill, Fenugreek, Valerian, Red Clover, Marjoram, Fodder Beet, Alfalfa, Sorrell, Chamomile, Chervil, Chicory blend, Burnet, Corn Poppy, Yarrow, Fennel, Garlic, Chives.

Visit www.brookbyherbs.co.nz for a full range of natural organic herbal health blends for animals.