Calmers - what's the point?

Fine to keep the spark unless the horse becomes dangerous - which mine did - bolting on the road. He came out of a riding school and was a plod until he realised that there was more to life than trailing round a school all the time - had lots more go in him and was fine until he started bolting on the road - no amount of work could knock out this unpredictable aspect of hiim and rather than give in and sell him on I put him on brewers yeast and changed various other parts of his diet - cut out molasses/changed hay to late cut seed hay etc and have worked him much more in a calm and consistent way - nothing too exciting! - he has improved no end and I am now cutting down the brewers yeast and he is stil (touches wood quickly) doing OK. I don't think people should be slated for using calmers if they make their horse a safer ride - the calmer got me through the worst and I know damn well that if I hadn't tried brewers yeast I would have sold him by now as he had started to scare me. I have done 2 dressage competitions this year and been placed in both - last year 'before the calmer' I couldn't even work him in at a competition without him losing it. I love my little horse and I'm bl**dy glad I used a calmer!!!
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I put my last pony on a herbal calmer as she started getting a bit neurotic and too much for me to handle. I went the calmer route first as an alternative to selling her, although I did in the end. I have just bought some calmer today for my donkey plod, but I have good reason as she is about to boil over at the mo as she is on box rest. I'm hoping it will help her to relax while the vet and insurance take their sweet time sorting their paperwork out so she can go for MRI. I certainly wouldn't have her on calmer at any other time as I bought her as she was so naturally calm, but she is a big big horse when she decides to p**** off when leading her to her pen. She almost kicked me in the head the other week. So really I'm hoping it will help her relax a bit and become easier to handle.
 
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