Calmer for an extremely nervy pony

J

jemz84

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Don't know whether anyone can help, about 8 weeks ago I took on a little welsh A, he will be 4 in october, however for almost 3 years he was used for animal testing so has had no handling, was always sedated for the farrier etc so we are starting from scratch with him. When he arrived you couldn't lead him, catch him, touch any part of his off side and no further than his neck on his near side. we have worked tirelessly with him and he will now lead reasonably in walk, if let onto the yard he can be caught and he can now be groomed both sides (altho he is still very nervy when your on his off side) and is letting us pick out his front feet. I know the biggest key is repetition, which we are doing but he is just so nervous of the smallest things, he spooks at anything, runs from you if he can (he is always led on a lunge line and now comes back to you once he has got over his fright).
So, I am looking into 'calmers' to help him settle down a bit and realise that we won't hurt him and just to help him enjoy life a bit! I've been told to give up on him, but he is such a sweet natured pony who loves cuddles and I know he is going to grow into a cracking little chap with the time and patience I am willing to put into him.

Any suggestions for supplements which may help would be greatly appreciated :)
 
Aw, he sounds lovely, bless him. Hope with time and patience he blossoms into a lovely pony.

I've tried Naf Magic which didn't seem to do anything. I then tried Nupafeed, it's very good and it work for my mare but it is very expensive. I thought if it was magnesium she was lacking then I'll try the pure stuff, so I ordered some (heavy) magnesium and it really seems to be working.

Edited to say I also tried Blue Chip with no effect.
 
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ProKalm is amazing - you can get a trial pack for about a tenner from horserequisites.co.uk and seems to give a greater ability to cope without sending them to sleep.

I've also used Global Herbs SuperCalm - not as good as the ProKalm but cheaper, and not bad at all. More sedating than the other.
 
Thanks for replies, He is on the molly chaff calmer, but due to being a typical pony he is only getting a handful due to not wanting his waist to expand any more so don't think the quantity he is having will have any real effect!

I was a bit dubious about the magnesium based calmers as I was told that they only work if the horse/pony is deficient in it and to be honest I wouldn't even know where to start with regards to having the soil tested to see if it is the case.

A friend suggested valerian cordial or root, however, after researching it I found out that it is benzodiazepine based, and having worked with human addicts I wouldn't want to attempt to detox him off it!

It really is a mine field out there with all the different supplements you can buy, normally I am fairly clued up, being an experienced horse owner who has dealt with problem horses for many years (all my other 3 are also rescue cases of some kind, but little sparky is by far the worst I've had to deal with so far!)

With the ones that have had an effect, how long has it taken to see the difference, I'm not expecting miracles over night but I just don't want to be pumping the poor little mite with stuff his body doesn't need for longer than necessary just to see if the desired effect appears!
 
Second nupafeed -

Althogh java is on Equifeast cool calm and collected
And I can honestly say it's fab!
You feed a loading dose for 5 weeks with 2 days off a week then after that go on the maintenance dose
Equifeast rang me after 3 weeks to see how we were getting on and see if Any adjustments to dosage needed to be made as each horse requires a different amount
You can also get a strong version
 
first of all ... WELL DONE YOU!!! thats so lovely that you are prepared to spend so much time etc on this chap... and im sure he'll come good for you :-)

I have a nervy horse so have been through all this type of stuff too!....

Research did originally seem to suggest magnesium calms horses down... but actually thats just one part of it and its not a long term thing... newer research suggests that actually calcium is what nervous horses are lacking and the fact that their brain isnt fed as well as it needs to be as such, means they dont process information or situations logically, so they react in a spooky way. If you can control how the brain processes info by feeding the brain what is needs then youve cracked it - kind of thing!

Now, I know for yours this is slightly different as he has a very real reason to fear humans and human interaction, but im sure the science of it must be similar - so once he trusts you it will be necessary to feed the brain in the right way to help him logically process information.

The best stuff i;ve come across so far upholding this theory is... Equifeast (based in Nailsworth, Stroud, Gloucestershire) im lucky - its about 5 miles from where I live and the owner of the company runs it too with a few staff. Some top event horses and riders use it, and they are becoming more well known.
Best thing about it is that it is not a rip off! Its suitably priced and they are very helpful people!
I would suggest you call and speak to Malcolm (owner) and please say I put you in touch (Sarah Watkins) ... he will explain that you need a loading dose (one month) and then the maintenance level is half... so is also half the price :-)

GOOD LUCK!!!! xx
 
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