Scouring before an event

[MagicMelon]

I know there was a recent post about scouring, but my horses problem is more of an event only problem! He does get anxious before an event, he knows if we're going somewhere if I have to stable him overnight (for a show early the next day - he lives out 24/7 usually) or even just when I start getting him ready in the morning. Straight away he'll start scouring. And fact is that he's grey so gets in a real mess! He gets electrolytes when competing, lots of fibre in the way of hay etc.

Is there anything I could give him the night before? I don't want to give him a calmer, as he's just anxious rather than worried / nervous etc. and I feel it would take the edge of him which I need. Ideas?

 

[JenHunt]

my lad does the same, even though he is usually stabled at night in the winter, he knows when its a hunting morning or we're going competeing and gets the runs.

i try to keep myself calm and leave him alone as much as poss so he stays relaxed, he gets a good big pile of hay to munch too which seems to help.

otherwise you could try naf thrive, which helps keep the gut settled, and i used to use tempralax which acts on anxious and fear responses and you only need to add it to a bit of feed a couple of hours before and doesn't affect their performance. i only stopped using it cos i thought he was starting to settle down a bit... i might be wrong judging from last weekends performance and mess!

 

[alicedove]

Our last pony used to be loose generally, not just with pre-event nerves I think he just ran high on his adrenaline all the time. I used to give him NAF Pink Powder, intermittently, for a few weeks at a time. It is a chalky sybstance with some good minerals in it. It just holds up the motions a little and helps them absorb better in the hind gut.

Old fashioned kaolin is in it, its good stuff.

 

[PapaFrita]

Never mind the horses, I used to get like that before an event!!
Rescue remedy worked well for me and you can use it on horses

 

[dieseldog]

My horse used to do the exact same thing and she was 16.2 of pure brilliant white - sometimes

I worked out that the trigger was me bathing her, she had to have a wash before a show otherwise she was just filthy, but as soon as I got the hosepipe out she started.

I got round it by tacking her up, getting on, walking down the drive and back, untacking and then washing her. She then thought she was getting hosed down after being ridden and not because she was about to get in the lorry.