Has your horse/pony gone insane?

Tnavas

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Has your horse recently turned into a monster?
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Perhaps behaving out of character, spooky, shying, bucking, not liking to be touched or just being plain silly. (Sounds like one of those annoying TV ads
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)

He's not possesed!
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He's deficient in Magnesium - culprit is the spring grass.
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Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salts to his feed twice daily and in a few days you'll notice a complete difference.

Spring grass growing fast fails to absorb enough Magnesium to keep the minerals balanced. Lack of Magnesium affects the nervous system causing the horse to start acting silly. Some even get so sensitive that you can't touch them.

My old saddler told me about this as every spring he would have people come in clutching their saddles asking for them to be restuffed. After listening to tales of being dumped and run away with he'd send them home again telling them to buy some Epsom salts and feed some twice daily while the grass was growing fast - Spring and Autumn. In a few days they would call in and say all is well again - thanks!

When I talked to my vet she said the same thing - Magnesium deficiency. She also told me that it is also known as 'Grass Teteny' as it mimics the symptoms for Tetenus - mainly hypersensitivity.

So for all you folks out there tearing your hair out in despair over your crazy equine - head for the supermarket and buy a bag of Epsom Salts, in a few days your old friend will be back with all four feet firmly planted on the ground.
 
Oh, and there was me thinking it was all the oats I was giving him…………..
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Unfortunately my boys don’t do insane, would be nice though!
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You mean we can use epsom salts instead of all the pricey magnesium calmers out there?? (Sorry I don't even know what es are really, can you tell?)
 
Of course, at this time of year the saddle probably DOES need adjusting too.
 
WARNING

Epsom Salts may be cheap but...

Magnesium is seldom overdosed but over supplementation can interfere with levels of potassium and sodium and although excess magnesium will be passed in the urine some major overdoses have been associated with renal and heart problems

Beware of Magnesium Sulphate , also known as Epsom Salts, which is a water hungry form of magnesium and will cause dehydration problems if fed for more than three consecutive days.

Epsom salts, although cheap, are also best known as a laxative. Give too much and your horse or pony will experience diarrhoea. A dose at anything more than one level tablespoon a day per 100kg of a horse's bodyweight is likely to cause diarrhoea.


In addition to the above i understand Epsom Salts can damage muscles if fed long term (and the heart is a muscle like any other) so you are better to go for a product manufactured and balanced for purpose than the unscientific view of some old horse man
 
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mines mental 24/7
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So is mine. Magnesiun wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference, but not turning out 24/7 on new grass will keep her weight under control if not her brain.
 
i gave my mare epsom salts cuz its ment to help flush out there system as she had a nasty reaction to something that sure did clear it up was advised by instructor
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mother_hen - aptly named!

I've been feeding basic Epsom Salts for around 40 years. 2 Tablespoons a day over the next month will not hurt your horse. It will at least reduce the risk of him hurting you or himself hooning around the paddock.

Magnesium deficiency makes them act as if they are as high as a kite - stoned! This treatment was also approved by my very experienced equine vet.

How do you all think we looked after our horses before all the companies realised that they could make a killing on the guilt horse owners feel if their beloved equine is not being fed the latest fashion in food and supplements.

The average age of my riding schools horses was around 20yrs - each and everyone of them received Epsom Salts twice daily during the fast grass growth period with no ill effects.
 
It causes dehydration which is why the horse is calmer - and dehydration leads to muscle and kidney problems.

I used to livery at a riding school many years ago, and the owner used to keep his horses dehydrated as then they were complete donkeys in the school and on hacks. Funnily enough, when these horses were sold to private homes (every horse there was for sale) the horse would overnight become a lunatic.
 
Magnesium is needed to maintain the central nervous system.

EXCESSIVE amounts fed for a PROLONGED time may cause dehydration purely because it draws moisture into the digestive system. Most horses with free access to water would drink sufficent to compensate. However they would not be too well as the diarohea caused by the excessive Magnesium would reduce the absorption of food given.
 
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