Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ari on July 9, 2009 at 3:46pm

I work at a show barn where some of the horses recieve a drug called 'Calminex' which relaxes and calms them prior to a show. It is perfectly legal and I see no problem with it; as long as they aren't 'doping' their horses, I don't see any problem with using natural drugs to calm the horse as long as they don't become dependent on it...

Permalink Reply by laura day on July 9, 2009 at 4:17pm

Hi, may i suggest a magnesium based calmer? if you would like research to back up claims from companies, go on to google scholar and search for horse magnesium based supplements and see what it throws up. Depending on where in the world you are, NAF instant magic calmer is fed in a wormer style tube around 1 hour before it is required and is ideal for things such as a first ride on a nervous/new horse and before the horses first time for the farrrier etc. or powder can be fed in smaller amounts daily. When the horse is 'nervous' the adrenaline and other chemicals in the brain prevent learning from taking place, so if a legal calmer is used, then training (and safety) can take a top priority. I have recently used magic to allow my signals to be louder than the outside environment during the training of my new boy. whoops, hope i wasnt waffling too much there and that made sense to anyone reading!!....

Permalink Reply by Ann Hatfield on July 9, 2009 at 5:05pm

Hi Laura,

Magnesium, eh? I have had some experience with it in humans, some clients reporting it reduced aches and pains and the same feeling when I remember to use it myself. I wonder what the physiology behind it working as a calmitive is?

I once bought a scrawney Arab mare at auction, when I couldn't stand seeing the meat dealer bidding on her. Like I needed another horse then, let alone an unknown quantity! Her coat was in horrible shape and hers shoes grown into her feet and so on. A friend, who was also buying that night, hauled the mare to her boarding barn for me as I did not want to have to quarantine her somehow at my place. My friend, very experienced in finding ugly duckings, bringing them back into shape, training and reselling them, looked at this little mare and said, "Selenium deficiency". The mare was hyper and immediately proved to be a weaver. Oh, lord, says I have really bought a hard horse to resell! However after just a few days of good feed, some turnout and added selenium, under the vet's watchful eye, she settled greatly. She later demonstrated that she had been halter-shown as she would park and freeze in the arena. Friends of mine bought her and she spent the rest of her life outside, with a shelter and a buddy, and never weaved again. Good ending for a nice little Polish Arab.

Permalink Reply by Ann Hatfield on July 9, 2009 at 4:19pm

Ari,
Do you know what was in that blend? It would be interesting to look at a few people's experience with these blends and see what is in them and what seems to work best. I suspect any of us who want to buy the consituents at health food stores could save money.

I am also interested that these blends, or using 'natural' calming drugs, hasn't been made illegal in shows. This is not to say that I feel that it should be, I haven't an opinion one way or the other on this. I am just interested in how some drugs become illegal and others not.

Permalink Reply by laura day on July 9, 2009 at 5:50pm

http://www.equi-therapy.net/equi-therapy/nutrition/magnesium.shtml

i dont know who this company is, but its the first that came up on google, so its a board to leap off as it were!! i am aware of magnesium supplements containing selenium aswell...i will find my naf magic tube and list ingredients....

Permalink Reply by Amanda Burden on July 9, 2009 at 10:23pm

Thanks for the input. That was very informative.

The other "problem " is his coat. He is fed properly and dewormed...but he always has a dull coat. His mane and tail seem to be two colours. One colour is his natural color...but in parts it seems to be brittle and dry and odd. He probably should be blood tested. Other horses in the herd eating, drinking and being cared for the same way.. are fat and shiny. Is it possible he could be deficient in something like copper...oils (did try veg oil and helped a bit) etc? He seems fine otherwise. Perhaps enzymes, probiotics or such may help him metabolize his food better? He is thin. I was also reading one comment on selinium? His dam apparently was the sam e way and improved drastically once worked regularly?

Permalink Reply by Ann Hatfield on July 10, 2009 at 12:23am

Riff, the Polish Arab I rode enduance on, not the thin Polish mare I bought at the auction, was much more relaxed when fed a quantity of rice bran daily. He is n accident-prone horse, one of thse whose middle name should be oops! or what nw? and one of his times boarded at a friend's, so as to confine him in a box and a small turnout, was no such thing here then, I began to feed him rice bran and my friend, who raises fine Spanish Arabs and is very observant and alert to all her boarders, noticed an immediate difference in him. Calmer, more relaxed. One has to watch to feed a proper balance of calcium and..what, I cannot remember, but recall I offset the rice bran a bit with something. It is ridiculouly expensive per bag and so I switched to various human oils in bulk, sunflower, corn, etc.

Now I do recall that one is pouring omega 6's into the horse via these oils, so we should attempt to get more omega 3's into them through flax oil or..Cannot recall that either, there was something less expensive than flax oil. The oil was good for Riff, particularly in the winters as he has never wintered well. Now that he is old ad has slowed down a lot he actually loses little weight in winter, and I just give him organic ground flax, which we are lucky enough to find locally at a feed store at reasonable cost. All of the horses and the donkey get some with the modest amount of grain and alfalfa pellets I give each daily. The alfalfa pelles are to slow down the more aggressive ones so they don'tjust bolt their grain and move the less aggressive, the youngsters often, away from their feed pans. I feed pellets, not cubes as I find there is a little less chance of greedy eaters choking, but I have had it happen, especially with new horses here.

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lamm on September 1, 2009 at 6:42pm

Hi..... I ride with a small dose of Valerian that my doctor prescribed me, I take more for sleep aid and I'd give it to my horses too... it is good stuff... I have a 4 year old but I've never given him anything... He is actually a very calm horse..... just diagnosed with TMJ and maybe a little bugged by a headache, but we are going to try accupuncture.... I am not against natural remedies of any kind..... I'm glad the horse you rode didn't go to the meat market. :) My horse will not allow strangers near is my only concern, and kids, no way.... he is just not ready for all that.

Permalink Reply by Ann Hatfield on September 24, 2009 at 1:12am

The fear of strangers and of kids might be improved by some straight forward bribery! I find food works nicely for timid horses or those who need to be strongly motivated to overcome some past trauma. Borrowing a patient friend and having them offer food may help. The same for kids, with an adult offering the food and the kid closeby but safely outside the fence. After a few sessions, when the horse begins to thaw and to approach reeasonable readily for favourits treats, then one puts down feed and the 'stranger' stands nearby until the horse gives in and comes for a bite. Then the 'stranger' moves away to 'take the pressure off' and then comes back slowly: you know the natural horsemanship routine.

I have a couple of horses who have had some traumatic handling somewhere in the past with whom I still have to use this technique to introduce new people. With horses like these it may always have to be done, but each time they need this technique a little less, and become accepting more rapidly.