What's the difinitive calmer? Just the time of year or global warming?

[jen1]

Ok so what's the 'best' calmer out there? There's so much choice between liquids, powders, herbs, ones you administer in a syringe like a wormer, calming feeds, such as ride and relax, calm and condition etc etc etc. Went to my local tack shop last week and owner said everyone is looking for calmers at the moment as all the horses seem to be going bonkers (mine included!)

Is it that there's less turn out? Are people working longer hours so have less time to exercise? or is it, as I have read due to global warming, in that the grass is growing all year round and doesn't die off in the cold of the winter so we have constant spring grass?
What do you think??

 

[DuckToller]

I've got no grass at all (overstocked and overgrazed) and my horse is being very well behaved, so that could point to spring grass theory.

Or that finally at the age of 10 he is coming round to my way of thinking...

 

[SpruceRI]

Spending too much time arena bound.

Think plenty of turnout and plenty of hacking, and I don't mean 2 miles down the road or half an hour in walk round the block, I mean 10-20 miles, 2-3hrs with trotting and cantering, but who has the time for that on a regular basis?

Plus we probably over feed.

No one seemed to complain about fizzy horses they couldn't manage 20yrs ago. A scoop of pony nuts and a section of hay and most were happy

 

[Judziah]

I'd say the majority increase in 'calmers' is because more people are owning horses these days without knowing correct management. Feeding inappropriate feeds (such as competition feeds for hacking and a few schooling sessions or feeding haylage at the same volume as hay), long periods of stabling because they want their horses to stay clean (without knowing the implications) and over-horsing themselves, so many novice owners and riders owning Warmblood and TB types. Also, because they're now widely available...and are marketed as the miracle cure/easy solution to mask a problem rather than deal with it.

Please note, that's a generalisation to explain the increase in use of calmers, I'm not saying it is the case for every single person who has their horse on a calmer!!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Our pony is even nuttier than usual at the moment but I just put it down to the fact that it has been really windy for the past few days. She is out 8 am to 5 pm so don't think its lack of turnout though can't wait till she can go out 24/7.

 

[Wiz]

Mine's full of it at the moment and I'm pretty sure the grass is growing. He's out all day and he's field has got fairly trashed. Went to catch him in daylight yesterday and nitced there were little shoots of grass in the mud at the gate so if it's coming through there then the bit that looks green is definitely growing. If I remember correctly the grass will grow if the night temps don't drop below 5 degrees which in the south east it hasn't been apart from the odd night