I'm interested if anyone has suggestions for a supplement for my horse that gets nervous/hot at shows.  She's been treated for ulcers, I had her on DePaolo Excel as a preventative which I did like, and then I've used ACE to take the edge off of her at shows. We took this year off due to a strained tendon so I'm game planning for next season. I'm not against using ACE if needed but I'd like to try a different alternative this year. I'm wondering if anyone could suggest something I could give her the day of shows that would work as a stomach buffer/ulcer prevent for the nerves, take the edge off her, but that also doesn't break the bank. Or even two different supplements if you've found things that work in either of those categories! I've been doing my own research but always like to hear about products that others have had good personal experiences with. And I'll be honest, I can't afford $20/tube for paste that might last me only 2 shows when I'm going to every weekend TIA! :) 

I used Thai/Cal liquid supplement for Xena. I would also use a quarter tube of ulcer med pre-race just to settle her tummy at that time - she did not have ulcers.

The biggest change I made that helped was to warm her up and then get off her. If possible I had someone else hold her. I would walk her, or follow if someone else was holding her, into the holding pen and not get on until the horse before me was clear of the 3rd barrel. If a barrel had been knocked I'd wait until the setter was done setting it to get on. I don't think I was her entire problem, but she could feel my nerves/anticipation and it made her a monster at times. She was still strong at the gate but with no time to think about it she went in fine and forward every time.

Thank you for your reply! :) I definitely think your warm up routine is beneficial!! I'm good with her being hot and on the muscle as long as she is capable of thinking clearly and doing her job. Unfortunately, due to lack of thinking clearly we have more often than not looked like we haven't seen a pattern before.

I know some of it with my gal is just needing to be seasoned, I got her off the track as a late 4 year old but due to life, injury, and financial circumstances that took place over the years, last year was her first year really being seasoned and she's 11. I try to get her in the arena while it's empty before the show to get her "lookies" out of the way.  And then when it's time to warm up, taking her off in a corner away from everybody and lots of trotting and some loped circles if ground permits. The first year I hauled my other horse (now retired) and she was 100x worse, super buddy sour.  Last year was better because I hauled her alone but we battled some soreness issues and a hoof abcess. She's one of those types that once she gets "rattled" about something then she's a hot head for the rest of the ride hence wanting something that will maybe help her relax a little while she learns the ropes of everything but also helps her tummy.   

Might try Gastro-Plex from MVP, either daily pellets or paste when you haul. 

I'm sorry, but I can't stand to see that people use ace to calm a horse down at a barrel race. That is just wrong. Ace is a drug that was meant to be used for certain things but not for calming a horse so you can run barrels. Do more slow work & training at home. Did a vet say your horse has ulcers ? If I come off harsh, oh well. It ****'s me off when people go to ace their horses at a barrel race instead of doing more training or finding a RESPECTED trainer to help them with their horse 

I had a vet that also competed in the NCHA advise me to give my hot mare a 1/2 cc of ace before my daughter competed on her the first time she ran her. His reasoning was that he believed most breakdowns of cutting horses was greatly enhanced by the hours they spent loping the horses down at a competition. So he gave his own horses a little ace instead of loping them down for an hour before competing on them. He felt it was better for the horse's health and well being to give them the tiny bit of ace rather than an hour of loping before competition. I did give the mare 1/2 cc of ace and it barely had any effect. After that my daughter felt confident and never used it again. 

I understand your opinion. I do not agree with drugging a horse to mask issues HOWEVER I can assure you I am not drugging my mare in order to make or force her run barrels! In fact we aren't even RUNNING barrels yet. We are high loping through at max as she is still being seasoned, and many times we only haul to exhibition and do not even enter.  My mare has no training issues, is actually quite well broke and trained, and we do in fact have a WELL RESPECTED trainer we work with when needed. She is wonderful to ride at home. In fact I have owned and ridden and trained her since she was 4 years old. However due to my life taking turns I did not expect, I was not able to begin hauling her off my property and exposing/seasoning her to everything until she was 10/11 yrs old. The ACE isn't used to drug her because of training issues nor soreness issues. My mare is the type that, as a following poster stated, requires a lot of loping down when she gets nervous/hot about something. She is an OTTB mare who has endurance for days and I would much rather give her a 1/2 cc of ace PER MY VETS RECOMMENDATION to help calm her rather than spend the time loping circles upon circles on her in the warmup pen. And yes, my mare was treated for ulcers per my vet and then due to her nervous nature it was recommended I place her on a preventative supplement hence the Excel.  And lets face it, I'm sure there are people out there that would then start saying I was abusing my mare because I was working her into the ground at a show by loping so many circles.  So I do give her a little ace at shows to help calm her nerves rather than having to ride her into the ground and stress her mind/body excessively just because she is nervous about her new surroundings/horses/carnival rides/etc.  

So while I understand your opinion on this and agree to an extent, I do not think it is polite for you to ASSUME and therefore ACCUSE me of drugging my mare to force her to do something; especially considering you do not know anything about me or my mare's history.  I am thinking only of her well being and doing what my VET RECOMMENDED to help relax her while she adjusts to her surroundings.

I have had good results using Gastro Elm and Magrestore.

My horse gets really hot at the gate also, so just like Va Barrel racer I warm up and get off and don't get on til right before my run. I don't even take her in the holding pen. What I did discover this year is that having a calm buddy helped her nerves tremendously going to and waiting in the holding pen. Unfortunately it is not the norm since we don't travel with anyone.

What worked great for us is a 3 part deal. We use a good magnesium supplement as most horses are magnesium deficient and that deciency manifests itself most times as hot, can be difficult and even body soreness.

 Then for about 10 races used Compose from OE Neutricuticals.IIt works great and doesn't make them loopy or take the run out.

Then while she was getting the compose we were treating the ulcers through the vet. As soon as we took her off the compose we used the gastro plex paste prior to running. She is so easy now! And let me tell you she was a orangutane to begin with.

Contact Abler and talk to them about Ulcer treatment and prevention, priced decent and worked for my mare!