Valerian

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pony&cow

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Hiya all,
I have been reading up on feeding pure valerian root powder for calming. I have a nervy anxious youngster (4yr old) who is only getting more tense due to not working because of the snow.
She had 2 weeks off a few months back due to a small wound on her hock and it took a good 3 or 4 weeks afterwards to settle her back into work.
I am looking at using valerian while the snow sticks around and into the transition period back ito her work. I may conisider using it more long term on a small dose depending on how it works on her.
has anyone got any experience with valerian? good or bad. and could anyone recommend anywhere to buy it from? ive been looking at ...
justingredients.co.uk.
thanks in advance
ps im aware its banned but wont be competing.
 
Archiepoo

Archiepoo

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hi ive used valerian and found the dried stuff from progressive earth on ebay the best value. they also do a stressy horse calmer with valerian vervain and camomile ready mixed. BUT i did find it was not instant and took a good 7 to 10 days to see any effect, but it did definately worked for me!
lincoln also do a valerian cordial and my tack shop ordered that for me but it didnt have any effect.
i also put my stressy horse on magnesium oxide heavy (again from pro earth ) and kept him on it long term with excellent results.:)
 
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pony&cow

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thanks for the quick reply. think its an old post of yours i was just reading about the differet magnesium types. my mare is on the equine america magnesium oxide but may try the other one if i order valerian from pro earth.
Did you use their pure valerian thyen or the camomlile mixed one?
what sort of effect did it have on your horse?
i had read that the lincoln cordial contained more linseed oil than valerian.
thanks again
 
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Tammytoo

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James Hart VCalm is the most effective way to feed Valerian. It is the highest concentrated form of valerian you can get and because it is a liquid it works in a matter of 30-40 minutes. It can be fed daily or as and when needed.

I would also have a look at the Equifeast website for their Cool, Calm and Collected range. It seems that in some horses a lack of calcium can also cause stressy, nervous behaviour. They also have a very good helpline and backup service.
 
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angelish

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agree with the post above :)
i used v-calm on my horse when i had to walk him out/ride him when on box rest and it really helped me , it had quite an effect on my horse ,he really looked doped

i tried pure valerian from a health food shop and it didn't have as much if any effect at all on him
 
mynutmeg

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We use it with my sister's tb when he gets worked up - every so often something will upset him and he will 'flip' and gets very agitated to the point he can be in danger of hurting himself. In such situations we give 2-3 capsules of valarian root and he calms right down with it.
 
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trottingon

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Does anyone know how long this stays in the horse's system, ie: how long after using valerian can you compete legally? Thanks x
 
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Tammytoo

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pony&cow said:
sounds like good stuff! do you give a daily dose or just feed as needed?
Click to expand...

You can do either. The maximum effect comes after 60 minutes, although it starts working after 20 minutes. It wears off completely after 5-6 hours but takes 24 hours to completely clear the system (just in case you are competing). However, if fed daily the effects last for 2-3 days after withdrawal, so you could stop for 24 hours before competing and recommence the next day aand hardly notice the difference!
 
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Shay

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ChwaraeTeg said:
I have no experience of its use, but this link says 24 hours and it's out of the system
Click to expand...

This is the minimum withdrawl time. Its a banned substance for comeptition so any trace will result in elimination. The exact time to eliminate it from detection will depends on the horse, its metabolism and the amounts fed over what period. And quite posiibly the type of detection test used!If you want to be sure - don't feed a banned substance!

But it does work - which is of course why it is banned.
 
PurBee

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Its a herbal sedative, like chamomile. They are pretty strong.
I know for humans valerian is advised for temporary use rather than longterm, google about this.

Id use it for a horse going bonkers and needs to be calmed in an acute case, short term. But id be wondering if the horse is anxious most of the time whats causing it and treat that , than using a sedative, whether herbal or pharmaceutical.

Is it just in the snow she’s stressed? Does she find her footing unsure/slippery and doesnt feel safe? Can you boot her or stud her for better grip?

As mentioned above the calcium/phos/magnesium ratio’s are pretty fundamental to many body systems and lack of calcium can create a stressy horse. So can lack of mag. Which you’re feeding. Are you feeding enough...how many grams? Around 10 grms of mag ox form is recommended to supply enough elemental magnesium.
 
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