magnesium for calming

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mik

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i was under the impression that grass, contains chlorophyll, chlorophyll contains magenesium.
So if a pony/horse is at grass, it must be taking in a lot of magnesium, is this form NOT usable?
Is the magnesium lost from hay? haylage etc (i doubt it)
Are these supplements only useful for stabled horses/ponies?
Can you overdose?
I have talked to a few reps from various companies, and got NO answers.
Does anyone really know the answer?
 
I have been told that in certain times of the year when grass grows to quickly (ie spring) there is not enough magnesium in it

Sorry I can't help with the other questions but am interested in the answers
 
me too,
I know grass cant grow without chlorophyll, well it goes long and yellow, etiolates i believe, (like when it in under something and gets no sun, as light stimulates the production of chlorophyll).
Magenesium deficiency in plants causes yellowing, again logical, as it breaks down the old chlorophyll and moves it to new growing shoots. So old bit die (am I right here??)
I would say that this is rarely seen in the UK?
Are these guys conning us?
I really cant find out about this and I dont like that feeling of knowing roughly what is going on but not exactly. Even Spillers are putting mg in their cool mix.
 
I have stopped feeding it as a supplement as someone told me that it can cause some kind of bone softening if overfed - correct me if I am wrong here but my feeding of it regularly tied in with my 13 yr old getting a new splint
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I see a lot of people give their horses these calming magnesium syringes prior to competition and at the risk of being shot down in flames I really think that their money would better be spent if they could give themselves some sort of calmer instead of their horses. I guess what I am trying to say is that it probably has neglible benefit to their horses - I think what we are seeing instead is the 'placebo' effect. If you think your horse has been given a calmer, you will probably ride accordingly, and be more relaxed in yourself which in turn will have a knock on effect to your horse. Whilst I don't doubt that there has been a lot of reasearch that has gone into these products i do feel that sometimes people (including me) are taken for a ride. The 'electrolyte' licks for example. Exactly how many of these licks would the average 16hh horse actually require to eat in order to replenish any lost salt levels??? What might seem initially like a good idea is in reality a clever marketing ploy designed to make us horseowners put our hands in our pockets.
 
I don't know about grass, but as far as I understand it, magnesium is "water soluble" - it leaves the body through urine or sweating, so you can't overdose on it, as whatever is not used just leaves the body.

Magnesium works as a calmer when the horse starts producing adrenaline (during stress, hard work etc) as it counteracts the adrenaline. I don't know if the amounts in hay/grass is remotely comparable to concentrated magnesium. Magnesium as a calmer works on both stabled and ridden horses as its effect only kicks in when adrenaline is produced.

Sorry if this is not very coherently written - I am no expert so i could be wrong!
 
oh thats interesting too, thanks little_flea, there is a hell of a high concentration in grass, so i guessed it wasnt toxic to nags, it must inhibit the adrenaline, but then i wouldnt of thought there was anypoint in it being in everyday stuff, only as applecart says, pre competition, I must admit im not using it, and I dont like being strung along by these companies.
 
Thats really interesting.I have been looking at adding mag rather than using a calmer.I have a anxious nervous horse and she does sweat up if worried.Shes not spooky but is very worried if I hack her out on her own although she does trust me and tries to please.I am in the process of ordering of ebay and its helped me decide which product out of the three is more beneficial.
 
Ok sorry to always plug this but www.mushroommatrix.com and watch the vids. Comes with 30 day guarentee, your will see a difference within 2 weeks.

Magnesium deficency can simply be a sign of stress in your horse, the horse's body is not absorbing that mineral as it is under stress and not performing correctly.

Feeding your horse strong anti-oxidents such as l-ergothiamine this help the body cope with mental and physical stress, this will lead to a calmer horse.
 
As I understand it, magnesium 'mops up' adrenaline. So if your horse produces too much adrenaline, giving a dose of extra magnesium mops it up, and helps the horse cope.
Some calmers (Equimins, topspec....) also have tryptophan in them. Not sure what that does.

(Aha - just googled (?new verb?) tryptophan - it's used by the brain to make seratonin, which makes you feel nice and relaxed. eg - like after you've just eaten your turkey dinner at Xmas!
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If the horse is magnesium deficient and shows signs of stress then the two could be linked, but if he's stressed and has normal levels of magnesium then other factors are likely to be involved. Magnesium and tryptophan will help when adrenaline levels are higher than normal but I do think that we, generally, overdo supplements which are often excreted and waste a lot of money. Often too our own stress is passed on to the horse unwittingly.
 
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