Calmers for Horses

convert

Hi all, A friend of mine has just asked me about calmers for horses. I don't have any experience of calmers so can't advise him, so I was hoping someone here could maybe recommend a few that might work. The horse is used for riding club dressage mostly, with some CT and SJ added in. , and can get a little excited and bouncy I've recommended they go to TRI and speak with someone there, but I was hoping someone could give a few suggestions.

Thanks

Ave Sodalis

The woman I used to work for used to swear by magnesium supplements. Whether they actually worked, I don't know as I haven't looked into the science behind it. However, she was an international showjumper so had fairly high sprung horses.

fits

Yeah magnesium seems to be the one to try. But I have never used it.

convert

Thanks for your replies. I'll pass them on.

The only calmers I had ever heard of was 'SteddyEddie' which a lot of the ponies in Pony Club seemed to be on when I was there....

Dark Phoenix

if the horse shows symptoms of magnesium deficiency - over anxiousness, over reaction to things, sweating, twitching, doesn't switch off try equine america magnitude. Don't waste money on expensive magnesium based calmers - the main ingredient is the same. Magnitude is about €25-30 for six months. Magnitude is great for the daily feed. if just using a supplement before competitons or if a top up is needed on show days i'd suggest equine america so kalm paste its €12.50 for three doses.

For anxiety and fear before competitions or the unknown, horses that tend to spook, global herbs super calm is fantastic stuff. Combine with magnesium for extra benefits. I find using the two for clipping anxious horses very successful.

For horses who just need help with attention and focus when competing as opposed to needing a calmer as such, oxyshot can be very good. if they are anxious and fearful on top of it, use one of the other products instead - i've only found oxyshot to help with focussing an excited horse not with anxiousness.

I think the key is understanding what is triggering the horses problem:
- is the horse genuinely fearful and anxious and needs help coping with the situation
- is the horse excited rather than anxious and just needs help with focus and attention
- is the horse showing symptoms of magnesium deficiency

Bellablu2011

I used nupafeed and found it great.

Ah_Yeah

Equine America Magnitude is the best Magnesium supplement by far. Super cheap, lasts 6+ months or so and has the highest concentration of Magnesium Oxide. My mare is a headshaker and I've found great improvements with this as it gives her better focus and stops the silly mareish spooking from her. It's also not necessarily only for 'hot' horses as my horse is quite laid back, she just lacks focus and can be quite spooky.