Instant calmers

harryhorse11

harryhorse11

New Member
May 11, 2005
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Newbury Berkshire
I'm having a few problems with Harry hacking out, we are now going out for longer and longer hacks which is lovely, we're in company and on the way out he's fine even in strange surroundings, but as soon as he realises he's on his way home he starts getting really stressed, snatching down with on his bit, and I dont mean a little bit, he's quite viceous with it and does it repeatedly, it's like he can't find his legs and rather than say trotting on he will almost trot on the spot, it's most peculiar behaviour.

For example today we went for a lovely long hack, the first part was somewhere he'd never been before and he handled it beautifully:D even went past a field full of pigs:eek: didn't batt a hoof!! but as soon as he recognised we were on the way home, he started stressing and by the time we got home he was sweated up and in a bit of a state.

I want to try a calmer on him, but I dont want one that he has all the time as he is very laid back with everything else. i've discovered Equine America do one, but does anyone know of anything else incase I have trouble getting this suppliment?
 
Calmag (milled magnesite) is a source of magnesium which among other things helps regulate the production of adrenalin as far as I can gather. A lot of horses are either short of it in their hay or pasture or suffer with imbalances with other minerals which also leaves them short. Feeding magnesium to a reactive horse may well help, but it won't do anything if they're not short of it, and any excess is simply excreted. The other thing it doesn't do is dull them down, they remain perfectly normal, just more level headed (if they are to start with of course:D ).

It's super cheap and sold in big sacks from agricutural feed merchants. Barefooters supplement it because it also wards off laminitic type symptoms and promotes strong laminar connection in the hoof.
 
i have to disagree with it no dulling them down,

a really spooky horse i know was on it 5 days, she has never been calm or level headed, and after 3 days she was a different horse.

and have seen it on other horses too
 
Ive bought a magnesium calmer for my horse, not because he's silly or spooky, he's just a bit unpredictable and moodswingy and I want to even him out. I couldnt get CalMag so I have NAF Magic which has had good feedback. Not put him on it yet.
Someone I know uses a magnesium based suppliment and a paste for when she goes to shows / clinic etc. It's squirted into the mouth like a wormer and just seems to totally chill out the horse. I think these things have a placebo effect on ourselves too - we are expecting them to be quieter so we ride more relaxed.

xxx
 
placebo effect possible

but friends horse who showed signs after 3 days was unexpected, she expected it to take a month or so as most calmers recommend a loading period of one month

so think placebo effect here was neglible
 
The Rs uses something called settle-eeze (I think thats how its spelt) to calm the stallions if they're being a bit fizzy.

I think its a herbish thing, not sure though, but it works wonders, they'll be fidgety and hyper, but one feed with that brings them right down and then they act sensible and can actually concentrate on what you ask of them rather than being taken over by the "fizz".

ETA : if one of the younger ponies is being fizzy too, they get a bit and it just brings them down a bit so they can concentrate better on what you're asking rather than how high they are and how much fun it would be to have a bounce around :)
 
Like all supplements and medications, calmers work more effectively on some than on others.
I think to expect all responses to be same in all hrses would be a bit daft to begin with.

I have Ruby on NAF Magic for just general hyperness. She was on it for 2 weeks with no signs of it working. So I upped her dose (under the advice of the NAF helpline) and within a couple of days there was a marked improvement.
It's not a magic forumla (as the name suggests :p ) - she's still as ludicrously over-excitable as ever, but the NAF just seems to have made her mood more managable.
Not that she was mareish (that's not what I mean) - but whereas, before-magic, she'd go into the school poised to spook at a grain of sand. Since being on magic, she'll still spook at a grain of sand, but she won't go into the school "expecting" to be upset.
There's just an ever-so-slightly more relaxed feeling about her. Not when she's having an off day - but most of the time.
 
I'm having a very similar problem at the moment - i've put it down to lack of confidence, both him in himself and in me, literally the second we are heading home (even on circular routes!) he throws his head between his knees and prances about on the spot, then jogs all the way home throwing his head about. I'm going to try the aromatherapy remedies for calming mentioned in this months Your Horse - will let you know if i have any success!
 
Couldn't imagine for a minute that ANY animal would display a placebo effect as the have no knowledge of what they are being given.
 
gordo said:
Couldn't imagine for a minute that ANY animal would display a placebo effect as the have no knowledge of what they are being given.
Click to expand...

nope but people do, if you expect a calmer to work, you yourself are more relaxed, the horse then picks up on thsi and si itself more relaxed
 
Couldn't imagine for a minute that ANY animal would display a placebo effect as the have no knowledge of what they are being given.
Click to expand...
If you're referring to my post I did say 'I think these things have a placebo effect on ourselves', because we think of them like an extra safety net. I know some people who use the calmer as much for themselves as their horse - it's good to know that in a new, scary environment the horse has had any 'edge' taken off and is less likely to be unpredictable. Gives us a little boost of confidence (even if it has no effect on the horse at all). We then ride more confidently and the horse behaves - was it the calmer, or the calmer rider :p? Who knows.

xxx
 
my mare gets excited if we have been out for a while (longer than normal) and she realises we are turning for home. its not malicious, just excitement and usually happens if we are only in walk. I usually just pick up pace to a trot to get her forwards and then she settles fine at walk again. she has been on NAF Magic for quite a few months now and it certainly helps to keep a lid on things if things get stressful.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys:D I'm going to try the one by Equine America first, it's on paste form and lasts for about 3 doses, as i said I dont want him on something all the time as he really doesn't need it as he's very laid back most of the time. I think if I used one all the time I'd have to scoop him up in my wheel barrow to get him in from the field:D :D I don't want it as a long term measure anyway, I only want to use it to prove a theory really just to see if he gets less stressed on a calmer, will let you know how we go
 
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