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| After reading the post about what's your fav calming supp, I got to thinking about when to use these. I mean, how do you decide it's what you need? I have always used everyday riding plus extra riding on top of that, wet saddle blankets, lope-em-till-their-tongue-hangs-out method. So I got to thinking, is there an easier way? Give me some instances you use a calming supplement. Do you always use it on that horse once you start? Is it just to get you through their green times? Some are obvious ones, like a blown up horse. I get that one for sure. Thanks! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I've never used one but I've certainly thought of it for some horses. If probably use it on the type of horse that doesn't tire down, a horse that could work all day but I'd a little more on the anxious side, you know? I feel like some horses will relax when you do work them and tire them down some but others it also gets them hot instead. Those are the horses I'd give a calming supplement to. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | It takes a lot to un-nerve me. I mean a whole lot. I will ride one miles to get his mind thinking on me and what I'm trying to communicate to him.
I always hope that thru those miles we make a headway but sometimes it's not possible.
If I have a horse that's getting to the point of possibly hurting himself or me by his actions I will medicate.
One that rears or throws himself against walls. I'll try to ride a bad bucker or one that grabs the bit till the cows come home. Yes, I'm that gal that will scratch and you may see me walking the horse 5 miles from the race. I go back and work when the excitement tones down.
I have a personal horse that I've tried some meds on and they are NOT helping so its back to the basics of ear plugs and possibly blinkers. He can handle the jackpot but the rodeo atmosphere sets him off. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| cecollins0811 - 2017-04-26 7:21 PM
I've never used one but I've certainly thought of it for some horses. If probably use it on the type of horse that doesn't tire down, a horse that could work all day but I'd a little more on the anxious side, you know? I feel like some horses will relax when you do work them and tire them down some but others it also gets them hot instead. Those are the horses I'd give a calming supplement to.
Yep.
The more I lope her, the hotter she gets. So I give the Pozzi Relax pre-race. I don't have to fight her in the warm up pen, and her runs are A LOT smoother and more enjoyable. She still knows that it's time to work, but she's not a nervous jittery wreck in the warm up pen anymore. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | My little mare was very much like this, lope or trot her to "quiet" her and she got hotter. Underneath the ADHD/Bi-polar crap was a very smart athletic mare and some how thru the crazy up and down of her personality had managed to learn and become quite "broke" as far as the amazing things she could do with her body on request if her brain didn't have halucinations, LOL!!! After trying several calming products we found for her that Silver Linings Keep Cool worked best for her. I have 3 horses that are all bred similar, same dam, yet they all respond to different things differently and that includes any supplements too. One product made her worse, seemed like she focused on what scared her, one made her catatonic though she did lope the prettiest pattern ever on it but even though she was trying she couldn't get it out of Park.
With her I knew how she behaved at home or the little arena we hauled to often was there, we just needed to find something to help calm her mind so her body could do what it knew how to do. Found that with the Keep Cool and after 4 months on it we were able to go to just giving it to her a few days before an event. 6 more months of that and she got enough good experiences under her belt she no longer required it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| uno-dos-tres! - 2017-04-27 9:20 AM
It takes a lot to un-nerve me. I mean a whole lot. I will ride one miles to get his mind thinking on me and what I'm trying to communicate to him.
I always hope that thru those miles we make a headway but sometimes it's not possible.
If I have a horse that's getting to the point of possibly hurting himself or me by his actions I will medicate.
One that rears or throws himself against walls. I'll try to ride a bad bucker or one that grabs the bit till the cows come home. Yes, I'm that gal that will scratch and you may see me walking the horse 5 miles from the race. I go back and work when the excitement tones down.
I have a personal horse that I've tried some meds on and they are NOT helping so its back to the basics of ear plugs and possibly blinkers. He can handle the jackpot but the rodeo atmosphere sets him off.
You sound AWESOME!!!!! Thats exactly how I am. |
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| I have had horses become unsettled just by the loud music at barrel races. That is an instance I would use a calming supplement. I also had one that didn't like 10 horses in the warm up pen with her, she would become uneasy. Other than that, these horses had no other signs of anxiety. If you deep down have a bigger issue somewhere, a calming supplement isn't going to touch them. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I use a very dry Bombay Sapphire Martini, up with olives. Higher stress situations may require two. Oh, did you mean for my horses? I have never needed to use one for them.
They don't seem to like Gin.
Edited by winwillows 2017-04-27 3:46 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| The horse i'm going to use them on is a very enjoyable ride, rides quiet and a hair on the lazy side. But -- he can turn into a fire breathing dragon in certain settings. A Loud, stimulating environment, jacked up horses and busy chaotic warm up pens for instance. He gets very anxious in these settings- almost to the point he wants to run off. He can get pretty intimidating.
He gets plenty of miles, doesn't matter, those things just set him off a bit. |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
Location: OH. IO | I gave my pony a half of calming cookie today to get his feet done as he's alittle jumpy but the donkey is usually good.Today the pony did good with his cookie BUT THE DONKEY WAS AN ASS |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
Location: NE TX | I have never drugged one to run but did put my mare on b1 last year and MareMagic and another something similar to try and calm her cause she had gotten to be a huge handful out back going into the alley (lunging and rearing and being impossible to hold back).
Come to find out she was bleeding, fixed the bleeding issue and she has calmed down at home and on the road. She still gets excited but she doesn't try to kill me coming out of holding pens anymore.
Not saying that all horses are naughty due to pain, I did like the b1 and other stuff but don't feel a need to use them anymore. I did it cause I didn't like being that racer that couldn't get her horse under control out back that was running people over or not getting her horse in. I thought it was all mental for her getting so wound up out back. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2258
| I don't use calming supplements much any more but tried it on a couple who would get hot and usually worse with more warm up. I just started feeding a good magnesium supplement and it has helped so much. We are in an area that is very low in mag so it can be an issue with some horses. I now just add it to everyones feed. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: Georgia | CUr-ost adapt has been the BEST calming supp ive used. I used it on my horse that is super anxious and buddy sour. I also switched up his feed program to contain less processed grain and more forage. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| I medicate HEAVY...but with valerian root and calming cookies...on 4th of July and New years eve. I've had horses try and run through fences when the fireworks start going off. So I always medicate for fireworks =] |
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give me an example of when you use a calming supp