Magnesium and behaviour - any experts?

[soloequestrian]

My mare can be spooky in the school to the point that schooling doesn't actually happen - we just banana around looking at ghosts or she won't go near one end of the arena. It's taken me several years but finally I have her on Nupafeed MAH, a magnesium supplement, and most of the time now she is great. The herd composition has changed a bit recently and the weather has had a downturn and for the past week or so she has been a nightmare. Nupafeed suggested upping her dose from around 35ml per day to 100ml for a few days and then reducing. I did that and she was a different horse so yesterday I took her down to around 60ml and the spooking was back this morning. I have given her 75ml tonight to see if tomorrow is any different. I wouldn't mind keeping her on 100ml per day if necessary but it's getting quite expensive!
I have a few questions that I'm hoping you experts out there might be able to help with
- is there another source of magnesium that I could add that would help me cut down the MAH and maybe release over a longer time (I generally feed once per day; to give 100ml she was getting two feeds per day which is really awkward for me)
- are there absorbtion/decay curves anywhere for Mg? I'd like to know the optimum time to feed and whether it's a matter of hours or days that the extra takes to work.
- any other suggestions?!
TIA.

 

[Cloball]

No help other than you can just buy straight magnesium sulphate. I'm interested that your horse has reacted with the change in the weather as my pony gave me whiplash spooking this week and she's usually pretty unspooky.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

My mare can be spooky in the school to the point that schooling doesn't actually happen - we just banana around looking at ghosts or she won't go near one end of the arena. It's taken me several years but finally I have her on Nupafeed MAH, a magnesium supplement, and most of the time now she is great. The herd composition has changed a bit recently and the weather has had a downturn and for the past week or so she has been a nightmare. Nupafeed suggested upping her dose from around 35ml per day to 100ml for a few days and then reducing. I did that and she was a different horse so yesterday I took her down to around 60ml and the spooking was back this morning. I have given her 75ml tonight to see if tomorrow is any different. I wouldn't mind keeping her on 100ml per day if necessary but it's getting quite expensive!
I have a few questions that I'm hoping you experts out there might be able to help with
- is there another source of magnesium that I could add that would help me cut down the MAH and maybe release over a longer time (I generally feed once per day; to give 100ml she was getting two feeds per day which is really awkward for me)
- are there absorbtion/decay curves anywhere for Mg? I'd like to know the optimum time to feed and whether it's a matter of hours or days that the extra takes to work.
- any other suggestions?!
TIA.

I cannot give magnesium as it turns my mare psychotic cant touch her catch her groom her etc. She is the queen of spookers and trust issues

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I just buy magnesium oxide from intra labs on ebay it's under a tenner for 1kg.

 

[Britestar]

Problem is, not magnesium is the same.
I use calcinated magnacite and have good results. My friends mare goes bonkers on it, but reacts well to Horse First relax me.

It may be a bit of trial and error to find an alternative.

 

[quizzie]

Might be worth adding a decent level of mag ox to the daily feed to keep a good base level relatively cheaply.... then topping up with the Nupafeed MAH when likely to need extra.
I think they reckon the normal liquid in a feed is absorbed in about 3 hours, and the syringes given on an empty stomach are effective in about 1 hr 30mins.

 

[criso]

A couple of others you could try are magnesium glycinate from progressive earth or nettex calmer which both use bioavailable forms of magnesium like nupafeed.

 

[soloequestrian]

Thanks, that's interesting. The Nettex one comes in cheapest going by the feeding recommendations on the various sites. I wonder if powder would be absorbed more slowly than liquid too so if feeding MAH and Nettex at once would give a more even coverage from just one feed....?
I do already give some Mg to all of them in their feed, they get the Progressive Earth 'pro mineral'.

 

[soloequestrian]

Problem is, not magnesium is the same.
I use calcinated magnacite and have good results. My friends mare goes bonkers on it, but reacts well to Horse First relax me.

It may be a bit of trial and error to find an alternative.

Where do you get the calcinated magnacite?
(Although not sure I would dare try it given the 'bonkers' reference!!)

 

[Britestar]

I get it from the local farm store (luckily where I work), but any farm supplies should be able to get it.

Works just fine with my ponies, but just be aware it is different to Nupafeed.

My first introduction to magnesium was Nupafeed which I also found very effective.

 

[soloequestrian]

75ml last night and as near to normal as she ever is today....

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I cannot give magnesium as it turns my mare psychotic cant touch her catch her groom her etc. She is the queen of spookers and trust issues

Same with my gelding