calmer advice/suggestions

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BeachBreaker

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I'm looking into trying my boy on a calmer...I've had him for nearly two years now and he's always been quite spooky (he is still only 5). I can manage him but it does effect us out competing if he is not in the right frame of mind and I really just want something that will help him to focus and concentrate when working. We also only do limited hacking for a combination of reasons and it would be nice just to take the edge off that aspect of his work. He is a wb, usually worked 5-6 days a week, turned out every day and fed a very small amount of a spillers cube with chaff once a day. As I say, I have managed his behavior until now but I am moving yards in the next month and just wondering if it's worth a go. I have had a look at lots of different options and read a few threads but opinions are so varied and what works for some horses just doesn't for others...so where do I start? If anyone has got any left overs that haven't worked for their horses, I would be willing to pay p+p plus a small donation to give a few different things a go before settling on one and paying retail prices.
 
You say Spillers cubes and a chaff but can I ask what? Its worth making sure your feed doesn't have anything heating like molasses in it before you add any calmers. I was feeding hi fibre nuts for quite a while before I read the ingredients in detail was and was quite shocked to see what was in them.

Calmer was it would be cheapest to start with straight MagOx off ebay as most calmers are magnesium based anyway. If that solves your issues then great, if not you know your horse doesn't have a magnesium deficiency and you might as well try a different base. I currently feed Cool, Calm and Collected from Equifeast which has a calcium basis.
 
he is fed their slow energy release competition cubes which he has been on for almost a year. They don't make him fizzy and as far as I'm aware no molasses. I have been considering changing him on to something like calm and collected though, do you think this would be worth a try first?
 
Personally I'd cut the feed back first to be sure it wasn't that that was causing the spookines. Competition cubes will be quite high energy so it could be that.

Do you mean the Allen and Page feed? Don't like it myself, have seen it send several horses decidely wappy but thats not to say it doesn't work for others. I can't have dairy but OH loves milk and horse feed is similar. Some will have a reaction to something and others won't.

Personally I would cut right back to a lo energy chaff and mag ox and then take it from there.
 
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Slow release energy cubes will not be causing the spookiness. These cubes use fibre and oil not starch. Starch causes spookiness but fibre and oil doesn't. Food it's self doesn't cause excitable behaviour it's the type of energy being used but as I said these cubes are not going to cause that.

Unfortunately he may well just be spooky. How much turnout does he get? Workload etc?
 
He's a 5 year old warmblood - it sounds like you're doing all the right things, I've found consistent but varied work is the best "calmer" they grow up eventually I promise :)
 
i gave my then 4 year old naf nagic for a wee while and really noticed a difference in his concentration which decreased his spookiness. hes off it now and seems a bit more grown up :-)
 
Suziq77 said:
He's a 5 year old warmblood - it sounds like you're doing all the right things, I've found consistent but varied work is the best "calmer" they grow up eventually I promise :)
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so true...and i do try and remind myself of this all the time. he WILL grow up one day and we have come so far since I first had him! I just thought that if there was something I could try to take the edge it would help us at competitions more than anything and I am also slightly apprehensive about moving yards.

wellsat - it is a spillers feed which he has been on for some time and has never caused him to hot up or become more spooky. he is on a very small amount already, more just so that he gets 'something' to keep him happy. If i cut it down much more he would have a pretty empty bowl.

Trot_on_Dressage - you are right about the food, it really has very little influence...especially considering the amount that he is fed. He is worked 5-6 times a week, usually in the arena but it is mixed (flat, jumping and lungeing on a weekly basis) and he goes out every day from 8-5. His behavior is not a new thing, he does just like to respond to everything. I wouldn't call him a worrier but he is always looking for things and gets quite stressed at shows/ when there's lots of noise or other horses. I do need to get him out more, we did a lot last summer which really helped his confidence, but I don't have transport at uni so it's very difficult. I was really just looking for something to take the edge off whilst I get him through his baby phase.

asommerville - great thanks, ill look into it!
 
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