Sedalin for spooking ?

Penny Less

Penny Less

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Farrier has suggested a small amount of Sedalin to try and stop my horse spooking on a hack? Is this a viable suggestion ?
 
Probably not. I would never ride a horse on sedalin but some choose to do so. Be warned sedation although often making a horse seem sleepy actually inhances their reactions with no warning therefore it may make him sharper than dulling him down. He's more likely to spook more violently with no warning and if not in full control of his limbs could possibly result in a fall or accident.
 
Glad you've crossed it off your list , I used Sedalin for a dental visit and the horse collapsed on the way out to the field ( due to sleepiness ) ! So I wouldnt like that to happen when riding !
 
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How much Sedalin do you administer? How much does he weigh?

I ask because I have 2 Shire youngsters (just 2 years old) that
I had to move, individually, from our polebarn to the field while
I was suffering a very bad back. I had no help, at the time, and
was very worried they would misbehave and cause me more
damage. I rang the vet and he suggested I give them barely
3mm each of Sedalin. I mixed the paste into some forage, fed it
to them, and waited 45 minutes. When I went to lead them out,
it was like magic! There were no signs of sedation or dullness, just well-behaved, very reasonable happy chappies. The boys
can be a bit full of themselves, on occasion, and I usually
handle it without a problem. This time I couldn't take any
chances with their exuberance. What the Sedalin did, at that
dose, was take the edge off their high spirits. They ran and
played in the field as if they had never had any drugs.
 
I agree it is not a good idea to use Sedalin for hacking. I have known horses suddenly come out of it very quickly and adversely

I generally use it on box rested horses if they are a bit exuberant and likely to do more harm than good in the stable.

My big guys 650kg seemed to cope on 2.5ml - 3ml max in the morning if they were on strict rest

In my opinion and this is from hacking a sharp young 17.2hh, the more you do the better they become. I try and say to friends who have only taken their horses out once in a blue moon, what do they expect, the world becomes a very exciting place when stuck in an arena for most of their lives and then venture out only on the odd occassion.

Good luck with yours :)
 
I too wouldnt - it can also create a "bubble" - much like us and alcohol - they can still see things to be frightened off, but they can't react in the same speed or way as they have less control over limbs. I think it can potentially make scary experiences even worse.

A necessary evil for some things like dentist and skin biopsies, but otherwise I would avoid at all cost.
 
alma said:
Farrier has suggested a small amount of Sedalin to try and stop my horse spooking on a hack? Is this a viable suggestion ?
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No I think that would be unfair on the horse to sedate it to hack out. If it has a genuine fear as does my own horse then it is unkind to do this IMHO. I only give sedalin to prevent injury to my horse following box rest, and I wouldn't dream of doping a horse in order to ride it.

If your horse spooks whilst hacking (as mine does) then you either ride with other people, try to spookproof the horse yourself or don't go on the roads. I usually try and do something in between all three depending on how bad my horse is at the time. Sadly my horses confidence deterioated overnight to the point that he is quite dangerous on his own to hack. Up until then he'd been quite happy on the buckle. I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what it is that scares him other than high banked dark shaded lanes. Unfortunately I rarely have anyone to hack with who wants to go as far as me/as fast as me so I often take the chance and hack out on my own. When I say going as fast as me what I mean is that I encourage my horse to stride out as getting a horse fit does not work if its just lolling along. I believe this also encourages him not to spook as much if I am getting after him with my leg.

Sedalin also increases the incidence of colic so you should be mindful of that if you are sedating to ride.
 
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Yes I do probably do need a new horse Mrs D123! However it was a suggestion from my farrier to rub a bit on his gums to take the edge off him. Just wondered if anyone had tried it. Have to say my old horse had sedalin for dental work and it didnt seem to work for him at all!
 
Ella19 said:
Probably not. I would never ride a horse on sedalin but some choose to do so. Be warned sedation although often making a horse seem sleepy actually inhances their reactions with no warning therefore it may make him sharper than dulling him down. He's more likely to spook more violently with no warning and if not in full control of his limbs could possibly result in a fall or accident.
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I used sedalin for in hand walking my horse after box rest as she was exploding, sedalin made no real difference, she would look sleepy but still exploded out of the blue, it was like sleepy one second and "boom" nutjob the next, she could pop out of the sedation in a heartbeat
 
I have ridden 100 horses and only had one spooker , so I did not know what it was, I had eyes tested and so on, he gets a magnesium calmer [feedmark] when in work, but I would rather he was normal.
Sedalin rubbed on teeth sounds like a placebo, I don't have a problem with my horse if I have a double whisky and ride him bareback, so placebos work!
 
Friends of mine gave acp (tablet version of sedalin) to a horse prior to hunting - it went sleepy and fell into a ditch.......!
 
Hi guys,

Am I right in thinking that the only active ingredient in Sedalin gel is ACP? If so it is important to remember that this drug is totally different to other sedative drugs (detomidine, romifidine, butorphanol etc.) a vet may use to sedate your horse for stuff like dentals, skin biopsies, x-rays etc. Those drugs do induce ataxia (making your horse uncoordinated so he stumbles) whereas ACP does not do this. Therefore you should be OK to give a bit to your horse to hack out as long as you don't over-do it! I know of some top event riders who give their horses ACP to hack out.

Personally I do think it is a bit sad if a horse is so mental that he can't hack out safely without some chemical restraint so I would try everything else first :)
 
have you tried a magnesium calmer?
i would not suggest using sedalin for riding!
i also read in a horse herbal book that walnut is good for taking the edge off horses. never tried it so cant recommend thought
 
I can see where your farrier is coming from.. in so far as I think you mean your horse isn't dangerous out hacking, but could be more relaxed? As others have said though, I would be very nervous to try this, but expect people do!

MrsD123 just to add, I think the farrier said rub on gums not teeth... sedalin is designed to be absorbed thru the mucous membranes and would work as quickly as possible if rubbed on gums! The day I got a blob of sedalin in the corner of my eye by accident wasn't the sharpest day of my life!!!! :D
 
My horse had a funny reaction to Sedalin gel as though he was in the Twilight Zone between sleeping and awake. Sedated him for turn-out after box rest and one minute he was calm then next hewould suddenly leap then calm again - was mightily relieved to get out of his way. Not seen this reaction with ACP tablets even though it is the same drug and have heard plenty of people use it when riding an exitable horse but not normally in an every day situation like hacking.
 
The answer is not to dope but to train your horse not to spook.

When it spooks, turn it back against the direction she went and firmly and persistently make her go up to whatever she was spooking at.
You are firm, you can get 'cross' but your heart rate does not change. Once she realises that everything she spooks at she has to go right up to she will soon give up.
 
Sorry only just caught up on this thread. Have been using magnesium for 2 months now, no difference. A lot of the problem I feel is he needs a lot of work to get some energy off but its a catch 22 situation as I have no one to ride with and he is terrible on his own, also a nightmare in the school field! Perhaps I should rub sedalin on my gums before I go out !
 
Does he only spook when hacked out? what are you feeding him? how often do you ride him? do you hack out alone? all this can make a difference to your horse.
 
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