Calmer... Please HELP!

[stacey222]

Hi

I have a mare that is very highly strung. I am trying to event her but she just gets so over excited, tense and ignorant in the dressage. she has been a bit of a madam at home causing all sorts of problems with the geldings, i cant catch her, pull her mane, clip her (it took 4 lots of sedation) or get a vet near her but she will have her teeth done by electric tools and be shoed! She is now on regumate and is much much better but she is the leader of the pack (boss!!). she is on top spec balancer as she has been prone to tying up, we now have that under control (bad breeding... not feed related). Her back is check every 3 months, wormed, teeth, new saddles, snaffle bit... I seem to have tried everything. she is worked 5 days a week and goes on the walker 7 days a week for 30/45mins

Calmers I have tried are:

Magic paste & powder
Think Calm paste & Powder
B-Kalm paste
Oxyshot
Zylkene
Equine America pastes & powders
Steady up
Top Spec Calmer powder
Horse First Relax Me powder

Nothing works, if anything just makes her worse.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated

Thanks

 

[MrsMozart]

What feed is she on? I ask because anything with sugars in sends our Grey Mare whappy.

Valerian.
Nupafeed.

 

[asommerville]

have a look at nupafeed ive found it excellent


mine us fed pure magnesium day to day and a nupafeed shot when travelling

 

[asommerville]

would second checking feed mine only gets fast fibre and molasses free chaff, anything else sends him.doolally!!

 

[stacey222]

She is fed Top Spec balancer, top chop lite, salt & regumate... i work closely with Top Spec because I have a few horses that have an hereditary gene that causes them to tie up, she is a Appaloosa, with relations to Secretariat. I am sure that the race horse in them comes out when they see white dressage boards, very naughty!

 

[Myhorseeatsmoney]

Have you tried cro-mag. Everyone on our yard has used it on different horses at different times and it has not failed us yet.

You can only buy it online and it does take a week or two to get into the system but for taking the edge off a sharp horse it is brilliant.

I would love to be able to say that all problems with horses can be resolved by changing food or training but sadly they can't, but having seen the rezults on so many different horses cro-mag is the one calmer I would always try first.

 

[Farasi]

Ring equifeast, they do a variety of different supplements. Calmers and some specifically for mares. I know a lot of people who have had brilliant results with them. Good luck

 

[maccachic]

It sounds more like a training issue not a feed issue.

Agree eliminate feed issues with and as fed analysis and make sure all the basics are covered.

Could it be pressure - might need to go back a stage like attending events but not competeing, making the enviroment more enjoyable instead of a tense situation between horse and rider - how do you react at the compitions?

Could she be over fit for the work she is doing?

Is she stuck in a stable - if so can you leave her out so she gets rid of extra energy.

Do you reward the glimpses of good behaviour instead of punishing the bad?

Can you get a video of the whole comp and analysis it? Look for contributing factors.