Calmers?

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katiehatie

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Have had daughter's mare on Magic for about 2 months and it seemed to be just taking the edge off her but the last week she has turned into a pony possessed! even after lunging i haven't been able to let daughter ride her all week as she has been awful, stressed and dangerous to handle. she has been constantly showing the whites of her eyes, galloping off when we try to catch her, bucking and tanking on the lunge, spooking at EVERYTHING including her own haynet, box-walking all night and i am at a loss at what to do with her. i know the weather is partly to blame but its getting ridiculous now!
Any other calmer suggestions? she is already on Oestress for her seasons as she is a terrible flirt and was still trying to break down the stable wall to get to the gelding next door!
anyone used Equine Herbals V Calm?
just want a lovely if slightly tarty and fast pony back, not the crazy dangerous nut-job she has turned into!
 
Is she stabled 24/7? If so this might have some effect on her outlook.

Have you tried the Equine America calmer?
 
she is out all day, in at night but last winter when we got her she was stabled 24/7 due to lack of turnout at old yard and she was never this bad.
Haven't tried any except NAF Magic and Instant Magic but they just aren't doing what they should right now.
 
My friend uses Lincoln Valerian calmer on her horse, who can be a bit nutty. (Not as bad as your pony by the sounds of it though.) I don't think it is expensive - about £9 I think - so maybe worth a try. It stinks, but the horse eats it no problem.
 
I've tried all the callers on the market over the years and unfortunately none of them have made any difference to my mare! Luckily she's not hormonal as u described but she can be extremely spooky! In the end I switched her feed to blue chip and it has made a massive difference to her temprement. It has magnesium in and this is in most calmers anyway. A few months ago I ran out and ended up putting her on a difference feed balancer and she was a pain again lol! It's worth a try, good luck :)
 
It could be that we have had a real flush of fresh grass through and the overload of sugar is driving her crazy. If you feed carrots/apples/lick its/treats ect I would stop them for now and see if it makes a difference.

However it all sounds very sudden and a complete change of character. It may be worth having the vet out, if reducing her sugar intake does not work, just to check her over and possibly a blood test to make sure there is nothing going on. Or she could be experiencing pain somewhere and she is not coping.

With regards to calmers, My gelding used to need one and the ones with L Tryptophan in tends to work best. The Equine America So Kalm Plus is a good one. Doesn't work for all horses like most things but look for something with L-T in and it may make a difference. Magnesium will only work if your horse is deficient.

Good luck, not much for you or your daughter.
 
The Equine Herbals stuff is very good. I'd give them a ring to find out what would be best for your mare, they're very friendly :D The mellow transformed one of ours!! They are also, to my knowledge, the strongest herbal supplements on the market :D
 
thanks for all your replies i will give equine herbals a call tomorrow i think. she is a bit highly strung at the best of times but never dangerous but recently she has been unmanageable, i know the grass and weather aren't helping but she is constantly sweated up and in a real stressy state, rearing occasionally aswell (in hand and once with daughter on board) which makes her completely unmanageable for my daughter as shes only 11. if anyone has any more suggestions please keep them coming
 
I have tried Naf Magic and Blue Chip calmer and they didn't seem to work. I then tried the pure magnesium but my mare refused to eat it. A friend at my yard sold her horse and had some of her Nupafeed calmer left so I tried that and I noticed a huge change, so I ordered some. Our hacks are bettter, when she spooks she doesn't go stupid anymore and when we are schooling she concentrates more.
 
Ive been using magnitude, my pony was chasing the mares up and down the field all day everyday before i gave him this, think is was about £20 but lasts 3 months
 
I would also like another poster suggests take a look at what you may be feeding I took my lad off all sugers and feed a plain chaff with high fibre nuts, it looks boring but the change in his playfullness was amazing. He just could not tolerate anything with molasis, and its shocking when you look at feed designed for even laminitics can have lots of hidden sugars.
 
The_snoopster said:
I would also like another poster suggests take a look at what you may be feeding I took my lad off all sugers and feed a plain chaff with high fibre nuts, it looks boring but the change in his playfullness was amazing. He just could not tolerate anything with molasis, and its shocking when you look at feed designed for even laminitics can have lots of hidden sugars.
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Couldn't agree more :)

My girl is on as much of a sugar free diet as possible, even her hay is soaked for 12hours. Poor lass never has an apple or carrot, if she has a treat it is a few high fibre nuts.
 
Maybe give Rescue Remedy a go, have always used this and worked for all my horses, you can get it at Superdrug/Boots :)
 
I have my WB on Nupafeed calmer. It is FANTASTIC. Expense but worth every penny. Its how the horse absorbs certain types of Magnesium that is the trick.
Check out their web site and give them a shout.
Good luck
 
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