Ethnoremedies used for horses in British Columbia and Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

Introduction This paper describes an update to research conducted between 2000 and 2004 to describe the use of ethnoveterinary products among horse owners in Trinidad and British Columbia, Canada. The racehorse industry in Trinidad has seen a major decline as many breeding farms have shut down. Methods Previous respondents were contacted and horse owners met professionally in the last 4 years, some of whom were associated with Horse Council British Columbia (24,000 members). One racehorse owner was still working at one of the five horse racing tracks in British Columbia and conducted training and riding lessons. Three BC respondents offered boarding. The study in Trinidad involved none of the previous respondents as most of them either had passed away or were no longer working in the industry. The respondents who volunteered to participate were between 25 and 80 years of age and had been working in the racing industry all their life. Results Twenty-one plants were found to be used in Trinidad, 20 of which were reported in the previous study, and the use of cannabis (a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae) was not previously reported. In addition, commercial herbal preparations were reported to be used in 2018 which were not reported in the previous study. A similar finding in the use of commercial preparations was observed in respondents from British Colombia. Turmeric pills were suggested for inflammations. Ancient remedies were also used such as honey and cobwebs for wounds. The use of diatomaceous earth for parasites was not considered safe for the gastric lining of the horse. Products from two websites were being used by British Columbia respondents. One website was called Riva’s Remedies, while the other one was called Greenhawk. Commercial products from HorsePower Herbs website were used by respondents from Trinidad. Discussion The ethnoveterinary remedies were consistent in 2018 as was recorded in the previous study. The range of use was not as widespread, and the practice appeared to be limited to key respondents who obtained the knowledge from a relative or mentor. The use of prepared herbal remedies was also considered to be a last resort. The additional use of commercially available herbal products was a novel finding which was a similar finding for respondents from British Colombia and Trinidad. Conclusion More commercial products, both herbal and not, are used in Trinidad and Canada, than was apparent in the previous research conducted by two of the authors.