Rescue Remedy

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Daffodil

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What dosage would everyone recommend for a very stressed 15 hh TB/Arab on box rest for a broken pedal bone. He's been stabled since the accident in August and had been coping pretty well until last week. This week however he has turned into a raging monster and is well on the way to doing himself quite a lot of harm if I can't quieten him down.

I'm going to completely alter his diet and try Fast Fibre and ad lib hay, cutting out everything else, and wondered about Rescue Remedy but am unsure how much to give him.

If it doesn't work with him, I'll take it!

Many thanks.

(I've put this in Stable Yard as well.)
 
If he has been fine for this long and suddenly got unhappy with it do you know what set him off? Is it, for example, other horses coming in now and him not being part of their routine? Is there a way you could make him part of it? (e.g. if you move him into another stable when you muck out his could that be his 'turn out'?)

Or is there building work/new stack of staw/something else different at the yard?

I only ask becasue it sounds like such a sudden change with something many horses would have reacted to worse before...

Obviously you'll know about changing his diet over very slowly... what you're aiming for sounds good.

Can you try some clicker training (see other threads on here for advice) so that he is using his brain? Obviously only train him to do things that are safe in his current condition but some stretches/target training etc may help him use his considerable brian power (can you tell I like Arabs?!?) for something other than stressing.

Save the rescue remedy for yourself. :-)
 
I really like rescue remedy and personally do rate it, but i dont think it would do the trick for this problem.:D
Agree with tickles, look into whats possibly changed in the environment or in his handling or feeding that might be stressing him out.
Try a wee radio playing to keep him company, apparantly classical music has been shown to reduce stress in horses, tchaikosky being the most effective (sp) :D
You could try one of the many calmers on the market if you cant find any reason for it. if you go down the magnesium route, try mag ox heavy from natural horse supplies as theyre cheaper than the branded tubs and just as good
 
Tickles said:
Can you try some clicker training (see other threads on here for advice) so that he is using his brain? Obviously only train him to do things that are safe in his current condition but some stretches/target training etc may help him use his considerable brian power (can you tell I like Arabs?!?) for something other than stressing.

Save the rescue remedy for yourself. :-)
Click to expand...

This is how I came to start using clicker training - we had a horse on box rest who was not happy and became agressive. Clicker training really turned him round :)
 
Thank you for your replies. I must say I'm never very sure about Rescue Remedy, it seems such a small thing to "cure" a big problem!

I didn't say what had set him off as it would have turned my question into a huge essay, but the x-rays two weeks ago indicated that the healing had gone so well he could then progress to the next stage of in hand grazing for an hour or so each day. Suitably doped for the first few days he managed well in a very small field on our own with lots of grass to keep him occupied.
Unfortunately last Thursday something set him off, I suspect sheer happiness at being out on a sunny day, but on a lunge line he rolled, threw himself about, bucked, kicked, circled me at a gallop, charged towards me, and finally slipped and fell on his side. He frightened himself and was very subdued for a day or so, but my main concern was he'd done his foot again. He was x-rayed on Friday and the verdict was pretty good but obviously don't keep on doing it! Box-rest for this week and then resume in-hand grazing. The disruption and now the box-rest again has sent him over the edge and he's going crazy. At the moment I'm looking at turning him out in a small round pen next week (again doped) where he'll just have to get on with it.

I'll take the Rescue Remedy myself!

He's on Magic, and listens to Classic FM already! I'll look into the clicker training idea.

Many thanks.
 
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Not sure in horses but personally I would never touch Rescue Remedy again. I took it for a while when I was suffering depression/anxiety a few years back and it did nothing except give me HORRENDOUS nightmares! As soon as I stopped taking it they stopped.:(
 
When I was a kid my Mum used Rescue Remedy on my gerbil after the cat had found it. Poor little thing was halfway down the cat's throat when my Dad pulled it out. Little thing was half dead and in shock -the prognosis was not good. However, 2 drops of rescue remedy later and the gerbil was trying to jump out of the box we'd put it in.

It survived and lived for 2 more years after that.

Dunno how much you'd have to give a horse though. A bucketful maybe? lol
 
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