Stressful times ahead - what can I do to help?

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darksecret99

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My 17.1hh gelding will be going to horsepital for some scans etc in a week or so... he is the stressy type that loves routine and gets quite upset about change.... so he is not going to be a happy bunny to have to leave his buddies and go on a long trailer journey to a new home and have all the medical tests too!!

When not stressed, he is very well mannered - moves side, back and forward on voice command, stands while you open doors etc - but when stressed it all goes out the window, and he is a big boy!!! He wont stand still for a second, he franticly paces and box walks and gets really tetchy.

Does anyone have any suggestions on things I can do to help him - feed suppliments, or other things I can do with him to prepare him and minimise stress? (He can be walked in hand and turned out in the field, but no ridden work or trotting etc)

I have been practicing putting him in the trailer (something, he is also not as all keen on!!)....

He will be sedated by the vet if needs be and for some of the scans anyway, but obviously, I want to do everything I can to keep his stress levels down!

Any suggestions much appreciated! Ta.
 
Agree withe the above suggestions.

Star was in Horsepital last Autumn, and lost loads of weight because she stresses as well.
Make sure that they know how much too feed him, and also What to feed him - including any balancers/calmers. Write it down and send it to them to be included with his documents.
I told the vet I spoke to, what to feed Star - but the Person who was looking after her saw a 'Traditional coloured' and assumed she lived on fresh air - so only gave her hay. So as a result - I got a horse back that looked like a 'chop job'. She had no back end and her top line was dreadful. And they complained that she was greedy for other horses feed (She actually escaped to find feed
crazy.gif
)

When she went back next time for surgery - writen feed instructions accompanied her.
 
As above, I travelled my 3 horses from Germany to the north of UK, one of which was a 3 year old who had only travelled once before, i fed them all pink powder before the journey and not one lost weight or stressed, I have also fed cool, calm and collected which is a magnesium based calmer and it has worked brilliantly on my stressy mare who doesn't like new situations, leaving her friends or being stabled (she boxed walked badly) she became much calmer and I became able to stable her on her own without much fuss!
 
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