Herbs for Horses

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Permalink Reply by Holly Brown on August 31, 2009 at 10:38am

I am selling this horse. He's been up for sale for awhile, sale is pending right now though soo thanks for all the replys, no longer need anymore though as the sale is pending.

I needed the tips though! Was considering keeping him if something would work to calm him. I will pass all the tips onto the buyer.

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Permalink Reply by Petstorejunkie on August 31, 2009 at 11:50am

He is who he is and I think in the long run you are going to be much happier with your decision. I am the first in line to always say "give the relationship all you've got, never give up" but in this case unless you are willing to work with a trainer that knows and understands his personality and help you two to understand each other, he'll be much happier in the long run making someone else happy.

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Permalink Reply by Holly Brown on August 31, 2009 at 2:12pm

yeah. I've had him since I was 3, when he was born here. He's now 12. His attitude isn't why I'm selling him though. I enjoy his spunk, it's fun. I do have a coach and we've worked with him a lot. I'm only selling him due to having not enough time and no indoor arena.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Sky Horse on September 1, 2009 at 8:44am

Herbs for horses???? ... I feed my horses peyote .. that calms them right the heck down!!
Of course, ya need to be Native American to get hold of this ..erm .. herb.
...*laughing* ...
Sorry, I couldn't resist ... and no, I don't really give my horses peyote.
In fact .. though I do prefer "natural" remedies over chemically produced ones ...
I'm not really Big on, or quick to reach for the herb bag for any reason.

Holly, I know you said you have a sale pending for this horse, so seems as though the problem will soon be moot, but I couldn't help addressing the issue just in a general way ... ( hope that's Ok )

in reading along, I nodded in FULL Agreement with Jackie's suggestion (and Mr. Pannell's echo) to look to the feed .. and the ratios of "protein"
I think Too Often people don't Really know and understand what they're feeding and how "what they feed" might be affecting the "individual" horse ... SO IMPORTANT .. so often overlooked.

The next thing that was running through my mind was "how much actual exercise is the horse getting??
Does he have room for free play/run/hop/jump time?? .. may sound silly, but Hey!! .. horses are Not machines.
They need time to just roll in the dirt, and run about like a mad thing, or just stand basking lazily in the sun.

To tell you the truth, my impression of the whole situation is that it's probably a small training issue, which over time (due to frustration from both Holly AND her horse) ...has escalated into something Much Bigger.

Communication with our 4 legged partner is Sooooo Important!!
Knowing how to "speak" to them .. so that they understand ... and in my opinion .. Knowing how to "listen" to what they are Trying to say to Us, is almost MORE Important!!

We All Get Frustrated from time to time when the struggle for "communication" isn't going to well .. but "Frustration" when riding will only lead to your horse eventually turning a deaf ear to you and what ever you're doing!!
Jackie ... I love you to bits, I hope you know that ... but I can see why Geoffrey went ballistic with your advice about "Yanking" ...*cringes at the thought of "Yanking" ..*
.... size and strength have nothing to do with it ... heck, very small children .. just learning to ride, if they Yank on on a rein it's an Immediate NO NO!! ..We teach them that it's NEVER appropriate to "Yank" at their horses mouth!! ...NEVER EVER!! .. Bit-less bridle or no!!
( ...*laughing* ... can't believe you used that word Jackie, You know it's gonna haunt you forever, ..*wink* )

I love it Holly, that you sought the advice of folks here in the forum ... That Shows Good Thinking on Your part.
This Place s Loaded with Amazing Professional Horse People who've all "been there, done that" and Can Wisely advise on ANY variety of horse related issues ... but here again ... "Communication" is key!!
And sometimes communicating the "Right Direction" is hard ... Especially when it's just cold black words typed on a white back ground ... lol ... Very hard to direct with out actually seeing the horse, watching the rider ride, Seeing "First Hand" what's breaking down in the communication between the horse and rider.

geeeeeze ... sorry folk .... I didn't mean to go on and on ... (I'm way too wordy ...eeeeks) ... really I just wanted to reiterate Mr. Pannell's words of NEVER Yank on a horses mouth!!!
And to congratulate Holly on successfully marketing her horse to a new home.

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Permalink Reply by Petstorejunkie on September 1, 2009 at 12:18pm

Very good points here!
I would like to clarify to anyone reading the thread that the old myth that protein makes a horse hot has been dis proven.
Protein is the LEAST EFFICIENT energy source your body takes in. Protein is used by the body for structural repair, then functional components (like hormones antibodies), then lastly if the body feels like using protein for energy it will. Protein will not make your horse hot.
Fat is the most efficient energy source but the body treats it like a long slow burn; much like an oil lamp. Fat will not make your horse hot.
Carbohydrates come in many forms. Some good, some bad for your horse's hotness and health. Avoid STARCHES and SIMPLE SUGARS for ALL horses! not just pre metabolic. Too much sugars and starches is what makes a horse hot, their feet crappy and crumblie (one of the reasons OTTB's have the reputation for crummy feet is they are fed a high sugar diet to keep them hot). sugars and starches also aggravate an ulceric horse.
Look for concentrates (whether ration balancers, complete feeds, or grain mixes) with 12% or less starch content. It is not required to be listed on the bag, but you can still determine the starch content. Add up the guaranteed analysis numbers. you'll find you get a number that is less than 100% subtract the number you get from 100 and that will be your starch content.
Also, i know purina is one of the most readily available feeds on the market, that doesnt make them a good feed. Last time i checked (which was 1 year ago) their only product with less than 12% starch was plain beet pulp. Between their high sugar formulas and the recalls they have which seem to occur more than once a year, i avoid them like the plague.

My personal favorite brand is Seminole. LOVE seminole! i no longer supplement with anything and my horse looks and performs fabulously. We are using the Wellness Show and sport which is a 12% protein, 12% fat feed. Because it is so nutritionally dense and high quality my 1100# horse goes through 2.5 bags per month (that's only $50) He's worked for over an hour 5-6 days a week. Fantastic stuff if you live in the Southeast.

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on September 1, 2009 at 12:49pm

Barby, great post. Where can I get some of that peyote? For my horse, of course, lol!!

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