Help disguising a calmer in feed

[emmanash]

Hi all,
I'm hoping you may have some suggestions as to how I can disguise the smell of a new calmer I've bought for my scattish mare! I swear she's the fussiest most awkward bloomin horse alive! I bought some garlic powder to mask the smell and she ate her feed fine yesterday, but not today, she could still smell the calmer. I can't afford to fork out alot, and she is a fussy girl so don't know what she'd think of molasses etc. I don't want to give her anything that's going to counteract the calmer either! Help please x

 

[skint1]

Spearmint, fenugreek, apple cider vinegar, apple sauce are all things we've tried with success on our horses to disguise various meds in food.

 

[wizzybit]

My horse LOVES marmite. Give it a go as has a v strong taste and if she loves it, will do the trick.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

I've used Tescos cheapest apple juice slopped into the feed with great success. But I've never cracked the Noradine problem - it's very bitter (tasted it to find out!) and nothing worked. In the end I had to change to the Noradine paste tubes at almost four times the price. If it was me, I'd taste the calmer to see what the trouble is. If it tastes just different, your ned should come round to your way of thinking if you persevere with apple juice, marmite, golden syrup, speedibeet etc. If it tastes very bitter though, she may never accept it unless you arm wrestle her to the floor and pump it down her throat in a syringe. Might be worth trying a different (but similar) calmer and ask the company for a sample first to make sure she'll eat it.

 

[Kenzo]

As well as what everyone else has suggested (adding things to disguise the taste), can you not introduce it gradually? I know it won't 'kick in' the same because you won’t be giving the correct amounts but if you introduce it over a week, her pallet may get accustomed to the taste more, at least you won't be wasting it if she's not eating up her feed.

I’ve had to do with my two with a certain supplement, which they both eat now, but it didn’t matter what I put in the feed, they could still taste the other supplement, so I just added a very small amounts over a two week process, now they eat it

 

[boneo]

Try a few drops of peppermint cordial mixed into the feed, we get ours from Tesco, few horses can resist the smell, it will mask anything.