* Disclaimer: The products offered on this web site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Rather, they are intended for educational purposes only. These treats contain simple sugars and starch levels generally found to be safe for horses with Insulin Resistance. However, every horse is an individual. Check with your own veterinarian. The statements presented on this web site have not been evaluated by the FDA or USDA. The use of herbs for the prevention or cure of disease has not been approved by the FDA or USDA. We therefore make no claims to this effect.  Site Design by Skode's Horse Treats Inc.

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Tea Time for You & Your Horse!
It all started years ago, back when Skode's horses were first being introduced to a low sugar/low starch diet and were having some trouble adjusting to their new hay pellet meals and supplements.

Vashka, Sunny and little Harley would all sniff at their new foods with surprise, lift their heads and look at us wide-eyed, as if to say: "What is THIS?"

"How about trying a little Rosehip Tea," our equine nutritionist suggested.

I will never forget the first time little Harley discovered rosehip tea. He practically dived into his feed bucket, supplements and all. From there, came Peppermint tea, Chamomile tea, Meadowsweet tea -- the list was as vast as our imaginations.

But getting fussy eaters to eat their supplements without adding processed sugar is far from the only reason to feed your horse a high quality herbal tea. Here are just some of the benefits I have found in feeding my own horses fresh, herbal teas:
When herbs are drenched with very hot water, the herbs become a tea and release their volatile oils into the water. If this oils are captured and retained by placing a lid on the seeping tea, and the tea is seeped for long enough (20 minutes to an hour) and allowed to cool, the specific constituents of the herbs can be retained and its unique tastes magnifed.

Some teas may have a powerful anti-oxidant effect. For example, Peppermint helps to inhibit iron absorption. This is wonderful news for the majority of grass hays in this country are far too high in iron -- and once a horse absorbs iron, it can not "unabsorb" iron! Feeding Peppermint tea may at least help to block further absorption. (Please note that medicinal trials were were done with humans using only 100 percent, certified organic herbs.)

Herbal teas may have a soothing effect for both human and horse. Our Meadow blend, Herbal Terrain Hay Mixer makes a wonderful recipe for you to enjoy, too. After all, why should your horse have all the fun?


While strainers and cloth satchels are used for convenience sake, the most flavorful tea is made with the largest strainer available or no strainer at all (so if you do use a strainer, use one that's horse-size!) This is because the more space the leaves have to unfold in the water, the more they are able to release their full flavor.

In keeping with the fact above, buying herbal teas in loose leaf form allows the herbs to stay freshest longest.

All teas have flavors that fit into one of three categories: Sweet, bitter and astringent.  The sweetness comes from the larger amounts of amino acids found in higher quality teas after cooling. In general, boiling water "burns" tea leaves -- especially delicate Peppermint leaves.

While many people associate tea with Europe, tea actually was first discovered and enjoyed in China. The earliest  known book about tea was written by Lu Yu in 800 A.D.

Some information sourced from: www.tea.sg

INTERESTING TEA FACTS
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