FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES AUGUST 2014 15
foods is growing, and Monsanto leads the mega-million-dollar fight
to squash states trying to pass bills for the mandatory labeling of
GMO foods and GM ingredients. If GMOs are so safe, why not
shout it from the rooftops — why not have it on labels?
The irony of Tigger’s company, Equi-Genesis, being sold in the
late ’90s to a subsidiary of Monsanto still makes her hackles rise,
because the first-ever herbal supplements for horses ended up run
into the ground, ruined by cheap, lab-manufactured ingredients.
“You have this massive marketing propaganda machine,
because Monsanto and big ag corporations with unbelievable
amounts of power set up corporate studies, but unfortunately a
lot of those scientists are under the control of the big companies,”
said Tigger. “There are independent scientists, many in Europe.
Don Huber of the United States is probably the best-known
researcher, but Monsanto and its minions have done everything
they can to crush Dr. Huber’s credibility. He’s a retired biologist
from Purdue University and he spent his whole career in plant
biology. He identified that the Roundup® ingredient, glyphosate,
is more toxic to the environment than DDT. He raised a flag with
the USDA and told them it causes infertility in animals, causes
immune suppression — we have real issues out here in the
farmland. It’s creepy. Look at how Monsanto keeps fighting GMO
labeling. They spend a lot of money to keep people in the dark
about GMOs.”
Which prompts the question: What are Monsanto and big ag
hiding?
Real Food Is Medicine
BioStar stands behind its “real food” ingredients. “People don’t
trust labels,” Tigger said. “Many don’t even read them, but there
are basically two that you can trust — USDA Certified Organic and
Non-GMO Project Verified. One challenge we have as humans
and as caretakers of horses is convenience addiction. We buy a
bag of commercial feed and put a scoop in the bucket, maybe add
a few supplements. No horse owner thinks they’re doing harm to
their horse and everyone thinks that they’re doing the best they
can for their horse, but the truth is that processed feeds are not
real food. I can’t believe I fed myself, my horses and my dogs
that way for years until I went down the rabbit hole and did the
research.”
BioStar’s whole food supplements for equines cover a wide
range of health needs. In 2013, BioStar added a complete range
of K9 products, because Tigger’s dogs were stealing the Optimum
bars out of the horses’ buckets.
“You can’t believe how critically important the micro-biome is to
the GI tract — all mammals share their body space with this vital
ecological community of micro-organisms, which inhabit the skin,
GI tract and the soil,” said Tigger. “One of the best things we can
do for ourselves and our animals is to supplement with a multi-
strain probiotic, because healthy food only comes from healthy
soil and the micro-biome of soils has been under assault for years
from industrial farming methods. Healthy gut flora is essential for
a strong immune system. At BioStar we take the micro-biome
seriously in every formula we make.”
Our horses depend on us for everything. Imagine offering to
these magnificent creatures, whether backyard pleasure horses
or high performance athletes, the benefits of nutritious and
healing real feeds that can contribute greatly to a long, healthy
and joy-filled partnership. This, in and of itself, puts priceless merit
on Tigger’s mission to spread the gospel of real food nutrition. Her
message echoes Hippocrates, renowned ancient Greek physician
and the father of modern medicine, whose legacy includes these
two very wise thoughts: “First, do no harm” and “Let food be thy
medicine. Let medicine be thy food.”
For more information on BioStar, visit
About the writer: Lauren R. Giannini is an award-winning journalist, specializing in
stories about the equestrian world. Crazy about horses all her life, she craves more
stable time, especially in the saddle. Right now, she rides her beloved MacBook, a
genuine work-pony, and reads voraciously to escape the everyday world.
