stessy horses

ILuvCowparsely

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 April 2010
Messages
14,391
Visit site
WAs some know my mare is into her 3RD Month box rest. She is a stress head and is the queen of stressy horses.
I don't know what happened this morning, as the cctv shows nothing prior to 20 mins before when I went out. 7am

My mare has been sedated twice now with acp this morning. I have opened her back window, the rest on her block were also stressy not eating sorting, two others on the adjacent block tried to spin with me leading out, snorting, one mare as i pushed her slip rails back tried to barge out and bowl me over.

The only thing i heard was a minijack barking.

Lord knows what it was but freaking that many, bedding a mess and snorting as I led them out, stopping dead looking up the field. Must have been something bad.



Have any of you tried any supplements for stressy horses and worked??

I cannot give her magnesium


TIA
 
Last edited:

rextherobber

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 April 2014
Messages
1,434
Visit site
Valerian works. Apparently, despite being in the middle of nowhere, the neighbouring property to my yard asked just now if I'd had fireworks in my fields, as they sounded so close last night...
 

ILuvCowparsely

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 April 2010
Messages
14,391
Visit site
Thank you can you buy it from anywhere, anyone you recommend as in make.

I took the purabeet out her diet, she is sensitive magnesium so the calcium in her Equifeast bombproofing would most likely keep her calcium up as it is a calcium based calmer.
 

Griffin

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 September 2012
Messages
1,641
Visit site
Valerian works well (try not to get it on your hands like I did once, I felt a bit odd). If she is stressy, I would make sure she has probiotics and a couple of haynets (if you haven't already) to mimic grazing and help prevent ulcers.

Not sure if it is an option but you could try making a 'box' sized paddock out of electric fencing on some grass (if you have any) to give her a change of scene.
 

ILuvCowparsely

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 April 2010
Messages
14,391
Visit site
Valerian works well (try not to get it on your hands like I did once, I felt a bit odd). If she is stressy, I would make sure she has probiotics and a couple of haynets (if you haven't already) to mimic grazing and help prevent ulcers.

Not sure if it is an option but you could try making a 'box' sized paddock out of electric fencing on some grass (if you have any) to give her a change of scene.
her haylage is split into two at night and 3 hay - nets during day as in hay not haylage


I cannot do anything regarding turnout, vet said box rest due to check ligament injury + navicular and collateral ligament injury
 

[118739]

...
Joined
24 January 2015
Messages
122
Visit site
Valerian works well (try not to get it on your hands like I did once, I felt a bit odd). If she is stressy, I would make sure she has probiotics and a couple of haynets (if you haven't already) to mimic grazing and help prevent ulcers.

Not sure if it is an option but you could try making a 'box' sized paddock out of electric fencing on some grass (if you have any) to give her a change of scene.

Can I hop on this post to ask what the best options are for feeding valarian and how much of an effect it has? I have a similar situation to OP at the moment, though am doing small pen turn out in the day when the weather allows as in your post. But she’s a bit sharp at the moment, combined with the ice this week I’ve been looking for something to take the edge off when turning out... I’ve read it takes about 20-60 mins to kick in but what sort of outcome should you expect on a scale of ‘eyes on stalks’ to ‘sedated donkey’. TIA
 

Griffin

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 September 2012
Messages
1,641
Visit site
Can I hop on this post to ask what the best options are for feeding valarian and how much of an effect it has? I have a similar situation to OP at the moment, though am doing small pen turn out in the day when the weather allows as in your post. But she’s a bit sharp at the moment, combined with the ice this week I’ve been looking for something to take the edge off when turning out... I’ve read it takes about 20-60 mins to kick in but what sort of outcome should you expect on a scale of ‘eyes on stalks’ to ‘sedated donkey’. TIA

I only have experience with the Lincoln valarian and if you feed it at the recommended rate, it can work very well. However, like most supplements, it works better with some horses than others e.g. some it really does calm down, others don't seem to show much impact. It should take the edge off though and it's quite easy to find.

The only other magnesium free calmer I have tried is Hack Up's Liquid Caalm. It did calm my mare down a bit but had much more of a calming effect on my friends horse.
 

ILuvCowparsely

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 April 2010
Messages
14,391
Visit site
I only have experience with the Lincoln valarian and if you feed it at the recommended rate, it can work very well. However, like most supplements, it works better with some horses than others e.g. some it really does calm down, others don't seem to show much impact. It should take the edge off though and it's quite easy to find.

The only other magnesium free calmer I have tried is Hack Up's Liquid Caalm. It did calm my mare down a bit but had much more of a calming effect on my friends horse.
so do you put in feed or syringe in mouth. My mare is a stress head all the time and jumps at so many things it makes hacking tedious even on normal days
 

Griffin

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 September 2012
Messages
1,641
Visit site
so do you put in feed or syringe in mouth. My mare is a stress head all the time and jumps at so many things it makes hacking tedious even on normal days

I always just mix it into feed or just some grass chaff. If I dampen it with a bit of water, my mare will eat it (she is quite fussy).

I am lucky that my mare is bombproof to hack in walk most of the time (she saves her exuberance/mischief for the arena or vets). It is hard work when you have to be on the alert all the time hacking. I had one of these when I had a horse that was sharp to hack http://www.rstor.co.uk/ it is exorbitantly priced for what it is (you could make one for about £10) but for me having something that I was holding onto at all times helped!
 

ILuvCowparsely

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 April 2010
Messages
14,391
Visit site
I always just mix it into feed or just some grass chaff. If I dampen it with a bit of water, my mare will eat it (she is quite fussy).

I am lucky that my mare is bombproof to hack in walk most of the time (she saves her exuberance/mischief for the arena or vets). It is hard work when you have to be on the alert all the time hacking. I had one of these when I had a horse that was sharp to hack http://www.rstor.co.uk/ it is exorbitantly priced for what it is (you could make one for about £10) but for me having something that I was holding onto at all times helped!
ty never seen this before always used monkey straps
 

Ceifer

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 May 2014
Messages
1,645
Visit site
Would also be interested to see if valerian works.
Back in my grooming days we had a GP dressage horse that was on box rest for an injury that was incredibly reactive and the vet gave us bromide for it. However I believe it’s rarely given these days as it’s not competition legal and I’ve read a couple of articles regarding possible strain on liver although the vet prescribing it at the time said giving it in correct dosage wouldn’t cause any harm.
 

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,344
Visit site
Can I hop on this post to ask what the best options are for feeding valarian and how much of an effect it has? I have a similar situation to OP at the moment, though am doing small pen turn out in the day when the weather allows as in your post. But she’s a bit sharp at the moment, combined with the ice this week I’ve been looking for something to take the edge off when turning out... I’ve read it takes about 20-60 mins to kick in but what sort of outcome should you expect on a scale of ‘eyes on stalks’ to ‘sedated donkey’. TIA

It’s results can be a little variable, it’s a neutraceutical essentially so the manufacturing standards aren’t consistent.

But it doesn’t have the same effect as a vet prescribed sedative.

I’ve found it takes the edge off of anxiousness type behaviours but it doesn’t really sedate them
 

[118739]

...
Joined
24 January 2015
Messages
122
Visit site
It’s results can be a little variable, it’s a neutraceutical essentially so the manufacturing standards aren’t consistent.

But it doesn’t have the same effect as a vet prescribed sedative.

I’ve found it takes the edge off of anxiousness type behaviours but it doesn’t really sedate them

That’s good .. I don’t think I’ll use it realistically but it’s useful to know about & consider for when I turn her out to a larger paddock. Thanks ☺️
 
Top