Has your horse/pony gone insane?

[Tnavas]

Has your horse recently turned into a monster?

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

)

He's not possesed!

He's deficient in Magnesium - culprit is the spring grass.

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.

 

[Donkeymad]

Oh for goodness sake, do you need to post this in three different forums.

For anybody reading, please read this thread before acting.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4319244/an/0/page/0#4319244

 

[Tnavas]

As I have replied to someone else - I have merely posted the thread in the same areas that others have posted that their horse has become a quivering mess.

There is absolutely no problem feeding 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts daily to your horse for a month or so while the grass is growing fast. Mother_Hen as over-reacted. While I respect her opinion 40 years experience of feeding it counts for something. Approved by mey VERY experienced equine vet it will help to calm you magnesium deprived horse. Making him safe for you to handle and ride and also prevent him from blindly racing into fences!

 

[embonaught]

And as I said on the other forum, who is your very experienced equine vet?

 

[martlin]

Oh Tnavas, if only all the problems could be sorted with Epsom Salts, wouldn't the world be a wonderful place?

I bet it would be much more expensive, though

But seriously, you can't go around forum dishing out 'Epsom Salts' to every single problem you read about

There are so many other things that can go wrong, not just magnesium deficiency!
And Mother_Hen is one of the last people to over react to anything, really.

 

[Tnavas]

This post was only aimed at those people whose horses have recently had a personality change - not as a be all and end all cure for everything.

Magnesium deficiency is a very real problem when horses are out on rapidly growing spring grass. It is that time of year and from 40+ years of experience I know that for the majority of horses that have just gone out on the spring grass they will be suffering the effect of reduced magnesium.

Why not give it a try?

 

[embonaught]

Did you mention the name of your vet anywhere? Wasn't sure if I missed it...

 

[Donkeymad]

Could I just throw in then that your saddler is talking crap too.
Mother-hen is making people aware that OVER use of epsom salts can be bad, not that it should never be fed.

 

[Tnavas]

Martlin - of course many other things can be a cause of high spirits but at this time of year with horses turned out on fresh rapidly growing spring grass the most likely cause for sudden erratic behavour of normally sane equines will be Magnesium deficiency. Fast growing grass does not absorb sufficient Magnesium in relation to other nutrients. Replacing the deficit with an easily assimilated form is then required. It takes no longer than a couple of days to work. Why can I not use over 40years of knowledge to help people in need! Did you offer them any hope of sorting ouot their problem?

embonaught - Yes I did reply to your request in the other thread that you posted the same question.

Little_Donkey - my old saddler never talked crap - he was a very wise old man when I first knew him. One of the old horsemen that lived in the era when horses were the main form of transport. He could build you a saddle from scratch and it would fit your horse like a second skin.

mother_hens has over reacted - reading the post out of context. I clearly stated that the Epsom Salts would only be needed during the flush of spring growth! This post was to help those that are in despair about the current crazy behavour of their horses. As a result of the scornful replies their may be many who will no longer give Epsom Salts a go meaning that they are handling/riding potentially dangerous horses.

I know that it works from years of using it especially on the riding school horses and ponies that I couldn't afford to be behaving like loonies.

Have you ever seen a horse with serious magnesium deficiency? - you can't even touch them, loud noises send them airborne, give Dougal and Shorty a feed with Epsom Salts and within hours they can be handled again. Within 2 days they were back working.

I KNOW that it works.