How it all began- vital pet solutions

michelle preston
2026-02-10T17:35:29+01:00

Back in 2008 we moved to a chemical free area of Brittany. It was here I taught myself how to make lots of chemical free products.

Firstly naturel soap followed by insect repellents.

One day our dog was lay on the lawn and as she was a creamy colour ticks were easy to spot. I was shocked at how many were trying to get on board!

So my tick tamer mist was born.

Due to go out walking our 2 dogs hubby decided to join us. I had sprayed the dogs and me ( as i was in shorts) hubby said I'm not having that on me! ( typical male response id say) So we all went into the woods.

Upon our return no ticks on me nor the 2 dogs, yet i picked 9 off hubbys legs!

He was a believer after that!

Now I have a cat safe product that has no essential oils.

I then turned my attention to a fly repellent for my 3 horses. After bringing 2 of them out of the field together my face was crawling with them, Unable to let go as we lived near a road i had to put up with it ! Determined to sort this i made lots of test product until finally i settled with my repellent which is now called Equi Guard.

Loaded with quality essential oils and made with my neem oil emulsifier.

What is an emulsifier- its a product that helps oils and water blend together.

Quite proud of myself that I made one from scratch to include neem oil!

Testing lots of combinations of oils I finally settled on the perfect combination that we still use today!

I'm really not keen on the chemical products available as my cat had a rather strange reaction to one years before.

My thoughts on the spot-ons, collars etc. These are designed to kill the parasite once its bitten ( e.g a tick) But its still bitten the host ! Its still spread its disease! So whats the point!

We need a repellent not a poison.

They approach, smell the repellent and flee, that's it, that's what we need!

Essential oils have been natures way to repel for millennia !

I've studied zoopharmacognosy and this is the way wild animals will protect themselves from parasites by rolling in the plant they choose which has been know to repel! Therefore covering them selves in the repelling scent!

Several years passed and my cob Denzel was growing old and needed that little bit extra TLC. He has typically mallenders which is dry cracked skin around the knee area typically and commonly found in heavy draft horse under the feather.

After my study of essential oils I used to make myself skin creams and balms so decided to make one for my Denzel. Full of oils to help cool any inflammation and help control his pain. He has a quite a large front knee that has arthritis. ( caused by a misdiagnosis of an injury when he was just 5 and i was told to PTS, another story i will get around to telling)

So my FlexiCare was born! Each batch is hand made so I can control oil quantities. Still used often to help my Denzel who is now 29!

As Denzel is a cob and has always had feather, he used to stamp such a lot and was very destructive of things in and around our land and barns. Often destroying things by itching his legs. I research further and found out about CPL. ( Chronis Progressive lymphedema) Once again typically found in heavy breeds and its lymphedema. This is damage to the under lying tissues of the lower legs caused by mites! I was devastated that I knew nothing about this and wanted to help my poor boy!

Firstly cutting off his feathers ( I Know heart breaking) There it reveled the skin and wow what an eye opener! Crusty areas, swollen areas, dry cracked areas! All of this unseen by the eye! ( see pictures) So treatment began , now here is where I do use chemicals as its the only thing that kills mites as they are under the skin, once in, its pointless applying a repellent as its to late they have establish bed and board with free food! What do they feed on might you ask?

SKIN

Dry cracked, flaky bits of skin you see in cobs when you part the feathers! A delicious meal to a mite!

So fight back time!

Clipped. Tick

washed. tick

treated with chemical. ( I know i Know) Tick

Daily moisturizing begins! Tick

So back to my skills of making cream I developed one for dry skin in cobs!

voila Equi-Derm restore was born!

It also has fly repellent oils within this to keep the flies at bay whilst any open wounds heal, as Denzel had a few luckily not many but keeping the flies off them became a challenge I can tell you!

Daily use softens the skin and stops the crusts from forming and therefore starving any mites that are left! I must admit my Denzel had a very mild case of CPL and I've seen some terrible cases where horses have to have there legs bandaged up to stop the flies infesting in the wounds! My other cob Fraser has the same so off came his feather and his was much worse than Denzels but we healed it!

Now I don't keep the feather on its always clipped off, just in winter I do let it grown a bit for protection!

My pony Whisper is a typical greedy fat pony as I don't ride him he does have an issue with his weight! So has had Laminitis!

Over the years its come and gone and I manage it but as he is an escape artist I can often find him where he shouldn't be, so has another bout of it!

Its difficult managing a horse or pony with Laminitis ( i should know i have 2) When I'm here its managed quite well,( although exhausting) when I have a holiday he often gets on the grass and then suffers. My other cob (Tommy , my new boy) is grass sensitive too and quite often more so then the pony, it a juggling act to keep them all happy but manage the condition.

Whisper the pony has COPD so when on our track system often gets breathing difficulties after dry hay so now I have to soak hay for him and keep him separate.

So back to Laminitis. After having the vet out in the very beginning years ago I've since studied immensely about the condition ( even went on a barefoot trimming course) now I no longer call the vet our I manage things myself! Combined with zoopharmacosgnosy I've saved a small fortune not have the vet visit.

The foot needs cooling with laminitis and if like my pony having a foot in cold bucket of water becomes a game of football then its stops being funny after the 4th bucket!

Pain relief is also of great need and bute is incredibly expensive nowadays!

So now as born my LamiCool mud!

A dead sea mineral mud along with clay with cooling peppermint and pain relief oils soon get the pony back to his normal self again. It dries on the hoof so the oils last all day and keep it cool. I usually apply twice daily.

🌊 Dead Sea Mineral Mud — the heavy lifter

This is the soothing, drawing, cooling hero.

Why it’s brilliant for laminitis:

High magnesium content → helps relax tissues and calm inflammation

Natural anti-inflammatory → eases heat and throbbing in the hoof

Improves circulation → supports blood flow inside the hoof capsule

Osmotic “pull” → helps draw out excess fluid, toxins & heat

Deeply grounding & cooling → instant relief for sore, burning feet

💡 Owners often notice the hoof feels cooler to the touch after application — that’s a big win in laminitis management.

🌿 Green Clay — the balancer & builder

This is where structure and long-term support come in.

Why it works so well:

Highly absorbent → pulls heat, inflammation & waste products away

Mineral-rich → supports tissue repair & hoof health

Mildly antiseptic → helps keep compromised hooves clean

Strengthens weakened tissues → ideal for stressed laminae

Forms a firm but breathable layer → stays in place under wraps

💡 Green clay is especially loved because it doesn’t suffocate the hoof — it lets it breathe while working.

🔥 Why the combo is magic

Together they:

Cool 🔹 soothe 🔹 draw 🔹 support

Reduce heat + inflammation (key laminitis triggers)

Help the hoof self-regulate and stabilise

Provide comfort without chemicals or drugs

This makes it perfect for:

Acute laminitis flare-ups

Ongoing supportive care

Post-trim or high-risk periods (spring grass, metabolic horses)

Did you notice the change then _ yes yes i used a bit of chat GPT ! but only on that bit ! the rest is mine!

Things i have not yet covered...................

Vital thrush buster- well having a couple of heavy cobs its only naturel they get a bit thrushy in winter- Made my own of course!

Mane and tail detangler Equi- Silk- This came about in my years of making soaps, shampoos, conditioners! ( Hairdresser here too! 35 Years! Phew is it really that long!) So I know a thing or 2 about hair lets say that!

Well i hope you enjoyed my 1st blog with a tiny imput from Chat GPT.

More to do in the near future!

Making clip in extensions for horses!

My herbal journeys!

Zoopharmacognosy ( took me a few years to spell it without checking it! And a while to pronounce it even!)

see ya soon!

Love

Michelle, Denzel, Whisper, French Franck, Nu-nours, Tiger and rest in peace my beloved Fraser.