Equifeast CC&C

Sarahs83

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I can’t find any recent reviews on equifeast cool,calm and collected,
My mare looses concentration when she sees another horse and totally looses it, I like the sound of their products but read some reviews on here but they’re from 2014! Any recent ones? Is it worth it? She’s currently on Oestress
 

be positive

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One of my liveries was persuaded to try it by a rather pushy sales rep, it made no difference whatsover to her spooky pony, they wanted feedback which they got, they suggested a slight change, still no difference so we stopped using it when we ran out, what did help was more work, more exposure to his issues and keeping his brain more engaged.

If a horse is so stressed by seeing another horse I would be concerned that something in her life/ management was wrong, they see other horses all the time if kept in an appropriate way living with other equines.
 

Sarahs83

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She’s in rehabilitation at the minute, she gets really attached to other horses, we’re working on her getting used to working on her own, doesn’t seem to matter where she is she’s exactly the same weather it be at home with my friends horse and my sheties or in a busy livery yard, even if the horse is in the distance her concentration just goes and she doesn’t focus on the rider
 

windand rain

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Sounds like she needs 24/7 turnout in a small herd of horses so she becomes more aware of the fact she doesn't have to leave them permanently and she always goes back might take a while but the penny will drop.
 

Sarahs83

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She’s had that too, I’ve had her 3 years, she’s 8 this year, if this rehabilitation don’t work I think I’ll have to accept this is just the way she is,
 

Sarahs83

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Behaviour, she naps rears, even naps when someone walks out of the school who’s been on the ground teaching, she’ll nap after them, it’s like she’s got no confidence when she’s on her own, I must say though she has made some progress and they’re doing a great job with her, with her being on oestress we was talking about calmers and this equifeast came into convo so just wondering if it works and worth the money
 

windand rain

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Have you had her hormone levels checked as it sounds like a medical rather than a simple behaviour issue especially if the Oestress has any affect. It is possible to have ovaries removed if they are causing an issue although not something I would do. It could also be pain related again a good vet work up might be in order. Behaviourly it could be that she has associated being away from others as an unpleasant experience at some point either painful or not corrected kindly at the right time. I hope you get to the bottom of it good luck with the rehab
 

Sarahs83

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Orstress not working hence why I’m asking about this equifeast, I’ve had her vet checked, she agrees it’s more behavioural, everything else has been done and checked, back teeth and tack, she’s not in pain it’s not a constant thing one day she’s fab the next she’s throwing this at us, the lady who’s rehabilitating her seems to think it stems from a traumatic time with weening, she is a ex racer too, and was a stress head then (I found this out this year) I bought her as a 5 yo and been out of racing nearly a year,
She wasn’t constantly in work after she came to me due to problems life throws at you, moving house, splitting with partner, working full time being a mum to three boys, Time winter etc but she was sold to me as anybody’s ride, can be left in the field for months and still be the same.... obviously far from it,
I’m not sure about this equifeast as I’ve read so many mixed reviews, I don’t like the sound of the fact it’s made some horses worse 😕
 

windand rain

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Could simply be that she is an exracer with some of the handling issues due to that factor alone. Race horses rarely go anywhere alone and she may well have been handled badly if someone less sympathetic has been on the receiving end of her tantrums. Good on you for trying to get through to her
 

Sarahs83

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Thank you, I’m all she’s got arnt I so if I don’t try nobody else will! If all fails in lucky enough to have my own place so will just be a very pretty field ornament lol, I could sell her I’d be scared what would happen to her
 

Leo Walker

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You need a proper vet work up not just a quick check. I am fed up to the back teeth of reading posts like this where vets have advised things are behavioural. They almost never are! And in an ex racer the chances of not having ulcers and or some sort of physical issue is pretty much zero.
 

Sarahs83

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She was with me and her for two hours, it wasn’t a quick check...
the woman who is rehabilitating her is very well known round my end and would know if it was a pain issue too, she’s a really good horse woman, the only time my horse shows this behaviour is when she’s on her own or napping to get back to a horse, any other time she’s happy, she’ll hack with others perfectly and is happy in the field, it’s just when she’s on her own
 

Sarahs83

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Not in with her at the moment but in separate paddocks next to each other, at home she lived with my friends mare and sheties at the other side of fence also, I tried her in livery over winter where I bought her from own paddock again but surrounded at every side by other horses
She’ll be going absolutely fine in the school then she’ll see a horse in the distance and I mean the distance and she’ll just lose concentration and start being naughty
 

Bellaboo18

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Not in with her at the moment but in separate paddocks next to each other, at home she lived with my friends mare and sheties at the other side of fence also, I tried her in livery over winter where I bought her from own paddock again but surrounded at every side by other horses
She’ll be going absolutely fine in the school then she’ll see a horse in the distance and I mean the distance and she’ll just lose concentration and start being naughty
There's your problem. She needs to be *in* with other horses. It makes a big difference to alot of horses. She's on high alert because she's turned out 'alone' in her eyes. She may also have ulcers due to this stress this has caused her. Ex racers are very very prone to them. If the woman that is rehabbing her hasn't told you this i'd ditch her straight away.
 

Sarahs83

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She’s fine in the field though? She’s fine when she’s brought out and walked back to the yard which is a fair trek, she’s fine stood in to be tacked up and goes well in the school but if another horse just walks past she loses it... I can’t bring another horse in to the school to work her, it’s impossible? She was also the same at home even when she was in and living in the same field as my friends horse,
I’m sorry but I’m not ditching her I told her what I thought about ulsers she agreed for me to talk to the vet I spend two hours with the vet explaining her behaviour and how she’s been over the past three years of me owning her in every detail and this is where we agreed I’d send her to a pro and with years of experience, on a yard that understands all kind of horses, she’s a head person for help the horses and she’s well known for helping people and horses with problems, I have 100% trust in her, she knows what she’s doing,
All I wanted to know was if this cc&c calmer works to help with concentration
 

be positive

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There's your problem. She needs to be *in* with other horses. It makes a big difference to alot of horses. She's on high alert because she's turned out 'alone' in her eyes. She may also have ulcers due to this stress this has caused her. Ex racers are very very prone to them. If the woman that is rehabbing her hasn't told you this i'd ditch her straight away.

I agree, some horses appear fine but never truly rest or relax unless they are with another that stands watching over them while they lie down, I had one horse totally change and become stressed when turned out with another that he did not trust to be alert, the other horse was a real follower and not reliable to stay alert, he relaxed as soon as I swapped him into a different paddock with a new companion.

I also agree that no one can discount ulcers without scoping, if she had a 'traumatic weaning' they may well have started then, it is fairly common for tb foals to get them so if the expert is correct ulcers are even more likely and to me it seems to be a waste of time, money and expectations to have a horse in rehab without at least scoping her to rule them out if nothing else.
 

windand rain

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As I see it you are paying for a rehab service that either isnt effective or on the wrong track as she is still the same. I would have expected significant improvement if it was purely behavioural. I know everyone shouts ulcers at the mention of TBs but there is a clear correlation between rearing, napping and pain so perhaps they should be ruled out first. It is simply a question of getting a second opinion
 

Akkalia1

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Sounds very similar to my ex racer mare who is very anxious. She will see a person walking in a field in the distance, which she sees all the time and will lose it, her heart will pound and I might as well be invisible. She gets very anxious if I just walk away from her in the yard, even if there are other horses in. She's spooky and has various behavioural tics. She can spook at absolutely nothing as far as I can tell and goes explosive with it, heart pounding etc. Saying that in the three years I've had her we've had good patches and when she's calm she's lovely, never a totally easy ride but I can actually enjoy it. Winter 2017/18 and summer 2018 was generally great and we made progress but having a very bad spell recently - well since the end of last summer actually!- and her behaviour has reverted to the over reactive spooking, rearing and just being very difficult to manage. Can only ride sporadically on the days when she doesn't seem wired and to be honest I'm just waiting for something to happen. Like yours she generally appears ok in the field, will lie down and snooze and is a sweet, sociable mare when not horrendously anxious. She has company in the field though.

She has had regular physio, dental and saddle checks. She had a bute trial which was inconclusive. She has had a vet work up at home with flexions, she has been to the local vet hospital where she had a full lameness work-up, was scoped for ulcers, had a bone scan and a neck and head x-ray (one of her things is an odd extension of her neck and tilt of her head while lunging or riding). She had a couple of very mild grade 1 ulcers which the vet didn't deem to be enough to be causing her issues, but she had a full gastrogard course. Didn't really make much difference. The bone scan showed nothing of clinical significance and her neck X-ray was clean. They watched her moving on the lunge in their school and exhibiting the neck extension and twist and said she moved beautifully over her back and could eventually only conclude her neck twist was behavioural and her way of releasing tension and agreed she was a very anxious mare.

I've tried every calmer under the sun, including valerian with no effect and am currently trying CCC. I initially thought it may be working as I had a few weeks where we could get some nice ridden work but now she's back to anxious mess so I don't know. They are very helpful as a company though. I'm almost at a loss. Either my mare is just emotionally unable to deal with work, something about the environment I keep her in might not suit her (quiet home yard but with two others for company), or there is something physical that hasn't been found yet and I'm wondering whether to send her for another work-up more focussed on her back end. Sacroiliac (although bone scan only showed minor hotspots there that the vet said was of a level he would expect to see in a young working horse), stifle, hock and maybe suspensory ligaments. But I could cry for her (and myself to be honest, she's very stressful to own), I just want her to be a happy horse.

I feel your pain, it's not a nice thing to see. I would definitely suggest a full vet work up - I mean a proper one, not just home flexions etc - although I have not found anything yet, the vast majority of these behavioural problems are rooted in pain.
 

Sarahs83

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Our horses sound like twins! She’s the same weather she’s on the same paddock as my friends horse or next to others, she’s been out in a mixed herd and still the same behaviour, she’s turned out 24/7 from March till it really gets really cold, then she’s stabled at night and again turned out first light and doesn’t come in till 6pm,
I’ve spoken to the vet and she’s booked in for scoping on Thursday, so hopefully get some kind of answer, luckily she’s insured, the thing with my mare is she loves work, if she’s with others, it’s like she’s not confident working on her own, when she’s hacking out with others she’s impeccable, she has made progress but one day she’s perfect then the next she’s spooking and just not concentrating, otherwise she’s the most loving sweetest horse ever,
 

Sarahs83

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Update, she’s been scoped this morning and there’s only two very minor lesions the vet said that won’t be causing her behaviour, starting a bute trial tomorrow then having a full work up
There was two ex racers there including mine and two ponies having it done, both ex racers was clear and the ponies had them! The vet said one of the ponies was the worse he’d seen! Yet out of them all you would have expected our ex racers to have them! Typical
 
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