Behaviour & Calming

There are many options available when it comes to giving your horse something to help them calm down. Horses can be reactive and spooky to a wide range of things and they are all individual. There are endless calmers for horses available but they each use different functions and approaches to have the desired effect. There are calmers that have a sedative action on the horse, which can make them dopey, there are calmers that use tryptophan, calmers that use magnesium, calmers containing tryptophan and many many others. Some can be fed immediately before or during a stressful occurrence and others are intended for longer term use to have a broader impact on the stress response. It is important to know what the source of your rose’s stress is and what you’re trying to achieve before you decide on the best horse calmer to use.

A stressed, anxious horse can be dangerous and difficult to manage and if they’re spooky and stressed whilst being ridden, it’s probably not very enjoyable for either of you. There are many ways you can help to calm an anxious horse including by using a natural, high quality equine calmer. It is important to understand what is making your horse anxious? Perhaps they’ve had a negative experience in the past that’s causing their reactions. Maybe they are sensing stress or fear from their rider. They could also be upset about being taken away from field/ stable mates and going off on their own to be ridden - separation anxiety in horses is quite common as they are herd animals. It is important for you to stay calm when handling an anxious or stressed horse. Use your voice to reassure them and try to anticipate what they might react to so you can minimise or avoid exposure to it (if reasonable). A good calmer for horses will help you and work alongside you to have the best impact in terms of calming down an anxious horse.

Yes and no. If calmer didn’t work, they wouldn’t be on the market. So for a horse that is stressed, anxious or spooky from fear, the right calmer will work. Calmers will not work if your horse doesn’t need a calmer. Reactive behaviours can become habitual and a calmer won’t break behavioural habits as they are not actually connected to the stress response anymore. A calmer also won’t stop bad behaviour and ‘naughtiness’ (unless you use a sedative). If you have a mare who is struggling with her seasons and becomes challenging during that time, a calmer most likely won’t work int hat instance either. In most cases, horses are reactive, spooky and highly strung because they are being fed too much energy and a calmer won’t work for those horses either. So, if your horse is genuinely stressed or anxious, a natural, high quality calmer will work. If your horse’s behaviour is not a result of stress but something else, such as excess energy or habits, a calmer will be completely ineffective.

The most common cause of reactivity and spookiness in horses is excess energy in the diet. A review of the horse’s workload and the diet for sugar, starches and overall energy is the first point of call. A majority of horse owners are feeding their horses more energy than is necessary for the amount of work the horse is in. We can advise on the suitability of your horse’s diet - just email us on enquiries@equinutritive.com. Horses can be reactive for many other reasons too - genuine fear in a particular scenario, previous bad experiences or an accident, being separated from stable or field mates or their rider being anxious or fearful. Reactivity can also be a sign of pain or discomfort - most often this is gut discomfort, back pain or mouth discomfort from the bit or teeth. It is important to ensure that all potential physical problems are ruled out in the first instance so you can try to resolve your horse’s reactivity.

Magnesium is used in many horse calmers today. Magnesium will help to settle and calm anxiety in horses if they are magnesium deficient. A magnesium deficiency n horses is very rare in the UK, however. If a horse is fed excess magnesium when they don’t have a deficiency, it will produce the opposite effect, making them more reactive, spooky and on edge. If your horse has been diagnosed with a magnesium deficiency, you’ll want to feed a magnesium based calmer. If they haven’t been, it’s best to avoid a magnesium based horse calmer as it won’t have the desired effect and may have the opposite impact, making things worse.