Author Biography:
A lifelong passion for horses, herbs and healing brought Stacey Small and Andrea Baldwin together. A shared desire to protect and advocate for the equine partner led them to collaborate on this book. Both are herbalists and graduates of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies. Stacey was the creator and founder of the Sore No-More liniment line, Equilite Herbals, and Botanical Animal Flower Essences and now resides in Florida with her husband. Andrea is the founder of EquiBotanical and resides in GA with her husband and four daughters.
For centuries many cultures have understood the energetics of plants, herbs or food and how this can impact the body. Western Herbal Medicine does not look at energetics the way Eastern Medicine does, this viewpoint has been lost and herbs are thought of like pharmaceuticals. This is unfortunate since herbs chosen based on their energetics and in small doses encourage the self-healing powers of the body.
For more information on self published authors Stacey Small and Andrea Baldwin's book: Click Here
Sneak peek of Equine Herbal & Energetics:
For centuries many cultures have understood the energetics of plants, herbs or food and how this can impact the body. Western Herbal Medicine does not look at energetics the way Eastern Medicine does, this viewpoint has been lost and herbs are thought of like pharmaceuticals. This is unfortunate since herbs chosen based on their energetics and in small doses encourage the self-healing powers of the body.
We felt it was important to inform our readers about the energetics of herbs, in the hope that herbs can be blended and used properly. We do not want any animals to have situations worsen or stagnate due to lack of knowledge about the herbs properties.
In the 1980’s Stacey Small began work on this book, but as life got busier, the beginnings of the book sat dusty on a shelf. Fast forward to 2013, Stacey and Andrea met through a mutual herb mentor, David Winston. They quickly became friends due to a shared common goal of protecting and advocating for the horse. As Andrea began writing herb blurbs for Holistic Horse Magazine their friendship grew. Then one day, the shelf the book was sitting on broke, scattering the notes and research on the floor. Stacey immediately thought of Andrea and knew they could work well together to finish the book. Andrea brought her determination and passion for educating to the book creation. Both instantly agreed the focus should be “Herbal Energetics” as this topic is not seen in any of the herbal or whole food products marketed to horse owners.
Understanding the energy of each plant or food will help you begin to understand the language of plants and how best to work with them. Focusing on the underlying reason for a horse’s imbalance or deficiency will help in choosing herbs accordingly to support the body. It is important to look at the whole horse versus looking at the horse in parts. For example why is a horse constipated; are they stressed, are they eating something in their diet that is very drying, do they need herbs to provide moisture or nourish a deficiency? Looking at the whole horse can help you choose food or herbs that are most appropriate. Our scientific minded culture tends to think in terms of fixing one aspect of a body instead of looking at the whole being.
With the plethora of herbal supplements on the market it is often hard to choose the best one. Gaining a new understanding of the language of plants will hopefully give you more information to better help you and your best friend. We hope that this book will give you the tools you need to better understand the plants and their mechanisms that rule them.
Forward by Mary Ann Simonds, MA - Author, Educator, Equine Ecologist
Herbs have been a part of human lives for thousands of years and plants have been in relationship with other animals, particularly herbivores such as horses, for millions of years. In fact, many plants have evolved in response to being eaten, nosed, rubbed, digested and otherwise distributed by animals. And of course, most of our drugs have their origins in plants. So it is fitting that all people have at least a basic understanding of plants if you are going to keep horses.
Stacey and Andrea have taken the guesswork out of selecting which herbal blend might be best for your horse. They have brought forth not just the medicinal knowledge of some favorite herbs for horses, but have included the ‘energetics’ of the herbs. So with a bit of exploration you can understand the differences of herbs, such as between “warm” and “cool” or sweet and bitter and how they are used to balance in an herbal formula.
The book gives a good overview in simple format to allow the reader to quickly understand the nature of the herb, the chemical constituents, the history of its use and how the herb might be used today to assist in specific conditions. The reader can also learn about the “subtle energy” of plants that represent the “blueprint” of the plant’s essence, and how the plant has been used in homeopathy, aromatherapy, and flower essences.
If you are seeking to better understand herbs, their actions and how they are used in formulas to assist in healing and/or balancing horses, Equine Herbal and Energetics is a fantastic place to begin your journey. Stacey and Andrea have taken the understanding of herbs to new a level. Their mission is to educate the reader to feel in relationship to plants and seek to learn more about each herb and how it might be used. The book provides a safe platform for the reader to dive deeper into herbal knowledge and better understand the nature of both horse and plant.
Horses as herbivores evolved eating plants and selected the plants they needed until they were kept captive. So if your horse does not have a field full of diverse plants, you will most likely be buying prepared herbal formulas. Hence, this book will be your best friend in learning not just about the herbs, but more about your horse. However, I should warn you that you may want to go out and start planting herbs in your pasture just to see what your horse will choose to eat as you become comfortable getting to know the plants.
I want to “Congratulate” and “Thank” Stacey for following her dream to produce this book and to Andrea for joining the journey. Together they have summarized and assembled a lovely resource book that belongs in every barn.
Whether you are a horse caretaker, a veterinarian, or just a horse enthusiast wanting to learn about herbs and horses, this book will offer you a wonderful reference to be used for years.
