Hard to swallow: September 2005

Belgium, the origin of the Brabant draft horse, specialises in horse and donkey milk dairy farms; the rich alluvial soil and a mild climate provide an ideal home for heavy horses. The de Brabanders family, who have always owned a few Belgian Warmbloods, began their interest in horse milk in 1997 when a family member was severely afflicted with Crohn's disease. They made a trip to Holland to purchase some horse milk and after two months of consuming 27cl per day his condition had greatly improved.

Horse-related products are more common than one might expect. Fermented horse milk, which has an alcohol content of 3-8%, has been the national beverage in Mongolia since time immemorial. Until World War One it was a common sight in Europe to see street vendors vying for sales of donkey milk, and today the prominent Italian Journal Gastro-Intestinal Medicine strongly recommends donkey milk for babies with gastro-intestinal problems. Equine milk is also said to help remedy cholesterol, gastrointestinal, skin, joint and liver problems, and aid post-surgery recovery. It strengthens the body, boosts the immune system and stimulates internal cleansing in cases of metabolic disorders.

At the Belgian horse dairy farm 'Het Brabanderhof', the ingredients of commercial feeds are always checked by a lab. During the six-month milking period, no drugs are administered to the mares, and monthly milk samples are taken by a governmental lab to be checked for hygiene, composition, etc.

Because horse milk contains vitamins that 'stimulate skin saturation and cellulation and increase skin resistance', Het Brabanderhof produces a range of cosmetic products, including a 'washing bar'; hand soap; shower gel; shampoo; body lotion; cleansing cream; and a daycare cream to moisturise the skin and treat slight sunburn.

And if that's not enough to convince you, the qualities of horse milk have been appreciated by, among others, the Austrian Empress Sissi, who purportedly never travelled without enough jennets to provide her with a full bathtub of milk each day.