Prebiotic helps calm seedy toe sufferer

When Lilly Walker’s show pony, Teddy, suffered with seedy toe, she used a prebiotic to help calm him during box rest.

Miss Walker has shown Teddy for eight years, but, following a seedy toe diagnosis, was forced to rest the horse for six weeks.

“Teddy had seedy toe and this was removed by our farrier. The foot was packed but this came out during a show, so I was forced to rest him. He was unsettled in the stable as he is used to daily turnout so found being in a stable 24/7 very boring. So we chose to use eCalm to take the edge off him,” says Miss Walker.

eCalm is a non-magnesium, natural calmer which has been developed by Nettex in association with veterinary surgeons and scientists. Its prebiotic-like qualities have been shown to influence natural gut microbiomes which helps to calm horses. It has the added benefit of supporting gut functionality and the maintenance of a healthy skin and coat.

“eCalm was recommended to us years ago and we used it on Vita, another show horse. We used it with Vita for six months, but Teddy only needed it for six weeks, whilst he was getting over his seedy toe,” she says.

Teddy received two scoops of eCalm every day for six weeks, one in the morning and one in the evening to make him more relaxed whilst recovering.

“Seedy toe had left his foot very sensitive and, despite daily treatment, he had to be rested because our fields are very wet and his foot needed to be kept dry. The cavity healed well and he was happy in the stable thanks to eCalm.”  she says.

The Walker family has shown horses for many years, with Lilly starting at just three years old.

“My mum, Sam, showed horses as a child and I have always loved it. My little sister Evie also shows horses, it’s a family tradition that we are proud of and have tried hard at,” she says.

The family’s efforts have led to multiple show successes including Horse of the Year, for Teddy, at the Horse of the Year Show, held at the NEC.

“Teddy has also won best in breed at the London International twice and was second at the Royal International Horse Show,” she adds.

The incidence of seedy toe occurred before the National Horse Show at Olympia and the farrier was able to prepare Teddy for the show, but afterwards he became difficult to work with.

“He is normally very biddable, but we could see that his foot was upsetting him. On the whole, our horses have good temperaments, but it was clear that Teddy needed help to calm down whilst he was recovering, and eCalm did the job well,” she says.

With Teddy back to full fitness, he will be shown by Lilly’s younger sister, Evie, this year.

“He is a lovely horse and has recovered well from his seedy toe so is ready to be shown again. Evie will do a great job with him and hopefully can continue to win shows with him,” she concludes