Notice: I'm whipping the first person that says wet saddle blankets.

This mare has been hauled extensively for two years and is nowhere near seasoned or dependable. Now, with that out-of-the-way, does anyone have experience with a daily prescription drug that would calm the hell out of a horse?  I use guanabenz when I take her to a show. All it does is make her less dangerous, but it really doesn't help with performance or focus.  She has all the athleticism and speed that she needs, but we can't get it together enough to even consistently make it into the 5D.

breed her

Give her something else to do. Trail rides, tracking steers, roping.... sometimes they just need to have another job or task other than barrels, not medication or calm down powders. You say she's dangerous? How so? Just curious.  

Could it be possible she hates her job? Maybe she's just not meant to be a barrel horse? Does she act this way doing other things or just at races?

You're not going to get a wet saddle blanket answer from me.  I've done this for many, many years.  Fluoxetine is a daily pill (horsey Prozac) that can make a big difference with a horse.  You get it from your vet.  People who say you shouldn't use something like this just haven't ridden enough horses.  And, it's very possible that after a month or two on the medicine, you can take them off of it. 

More details would be helpful.

How old is the mare?

What exactly is she doing during the run? (is she spooking? is she bucking? etc)

It would be helpful to know what you mean by "dangerous".

How often do you haul?

What's your normal exercise routine during the week?

etc.   Details. 

I do a fair amount of pasture riding and trail riding. She's pretty spooky then too. She doesn't hate her job. She is just a bundle of nerves. She sees everything even going fast.

She gets a fair amount of pasture riding and trail riding. She's just very spooky and high strung. She doesn't miss anything. Going faster is dangerous  when you take her to a new arena because she sees everything even going fast. And this mare  has more hinges than a tacklebox. 

You might look into Relax Pellets from Oxygen. My mare was messed up by the trainers she was with. Anxiaty  big time. Now she also had bad ulcers when I brought her home. Vet took care of ulcers & that helped her. I talked with Rosie Bradley about her & we tried the relax. It has really helped her. 

Chlorpromazine

Have you treated her for EPM?  I really like treating them with some kind of medication first and following up with the EPM Super Dewormer.  Not too familiar with all the daily stuff out there because we just use oral ace on racehorses, you would be suprised how many TBs are on ace every single time they go to the track until they have to be off of it prior to race day.

Look into positive reinforcement training. It is really effective at teaching impulse control, fear, lookiness. It is certainly not a quick fix, but is a game changer once the horse gains confidence in himself and you. 

I think sometimes diet has alot to do with a hot horse, I would feed a very simple diet of mostly hay and a little bit of feed thats really low in NSC% for starters. When they are dangerous its time to get real serious befor they hurt you are someone else. 

Edited to add: I'm with BarnMom have her checked for EPM and have her eyesight checked as well.

Yep. Treated and SDW. This is her. This is horses by this sore. Athletic but nutty.

Come on, guys. I'm not a newbie. Stick to personal experience with prescription drugs.

Chlorapromazine

I'm glad you didn't take my breed her comment seriously.  In the rope horse futurity world, some people use Ace orally.  It takes the edge off.

Have you tried Reserpine? There is a powder you can feed daily, or a shot that will last a few weeks. Some horses it works well on, some it doesn't make much of a difference. Might be worth a shot! 

I will be calling vet to ask about reserpine.

I am going to mention wet saddle blankets but don't whip me because I feel the same way.  I had a well respected trainer tell me years and years ago if you think wet saddle blankets are the answer for all things wrong under a saddle then you haven't ridden enough horses to find out differently or you have been lucky.  Fitting one up that is like that can back fire on you.  

Now to move on.  I worked for a vet that would RX ace for Sub Q injections for a gradual slow release.  I use to trail ride with a girl that had a horse that was nuts to ride.  The vet prescribed this method for her horse and he was the best horse on the trails.  We could get in miles of trails before it wore off.